By: Nick Gambino
Microsoft has been actively pursuing what is the largest acquisition in gaming history by purchasing Activision Blizzard. That said, when you try to pull off a buy for $68 billion and usher in a quasi monopoly you’re going to wind up on multiple government radars.
While the EU already okayed the purchase, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have acted to block the deal after Sony contested it. These bodies are worried that Microsoft, who own Xbox, are going to sequester Activision Blizzard games and keep them for themselves. This includes the behemoth Call of Duty series.
You can see why this would be a cause for concern. Though, Microsoft has been making 10-year legally binding deals left, right and center with other companies like Nintendo to keep COD on their systems.
But the UK isn’t the only one opposed to it, the US is also working hard to dead the whole thing. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been trying to block the acquisition for some time. Now with Microsoft possibly moving forward despite the FTC and CMA not yet giving its blessing, the commission has gone as far as getting a temporary court order that stops the deal from going through.
“Press reports began circulating suggesting that defendants were seriously contemplating closing the proposed acquisition despite pending administrative litigation and the CMA orders,” the FTC said in their filing.
With the confidence of a multi-multi-billion dollar empire, Microsoft seems unfazed and even acknowledges that this injunction might actually help their ability to seal the deal.
Today’s action by the FTC to file suit in our Activision case in federal court should accelerate the decision-making process. This benefits everyone. We always prefer constructive and amicable paths with governments but have confidence in our case and look forward to presenting…
— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) June 12, 2023
“Today’s action by the FTC to file suit in our Activision case in federal court should accelerate the decision-making process,” Brad Smith, the Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, said in a tweet. “This benefits everyone. We always prefer constructive and amicable paths with governments but have confidence in our case and look forward to presenting it.”
The deal is meant to go through on July 18th which is only a month away. Something tells me Microsoft is going to strong-arm their way through this acquisition despite any opposition. And if we want to take this corporate conglomerate at its word, they intend to play nice with competitors once they own Activision Blizzard.
