What happens to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard post-FTC?
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Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has issued her ruling in the case of the Federal Trade Commission’s temporary injunction against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. She ruled against the injunction, which dissolves on July 14. This begs the question: What will happen for both Activision Blizzard (and the FTC) in the immediate aftermath?
Xbox head Phil Spencer and Microsoft president Brad Smith both expressed their approval of the decision. Spencer said in a tweet, “We’re grateful to the court for swiftly deciding in our favor. The evidence showed the Activision Blizzard deal is good for the industry and the FTC’s claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and cloud don’t reflect the realities of the gaming market.”
<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>3/We know that players around the world have been watching this case closely and I’m proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice throughout this journey. ENDSmith gave a statement on behalf of Microsoft, “We’re grateful to the Court in San Francisco for this quick and thorough decision and hope other jurisdictions will continue working towards a timely resolution. As we’ve demonstrated consistently throughout this process, we are committed to working creatively and collaboratively to address regulatory concerns.”
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in an email to employees, “The U.S. joins the 38 countries where our deal can proceed—these decisions are based on facts and data that show our merger is good for players and for competition in the industry.”
Aside from the official reactions from Microsoft and
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