Microsoft completes $69B Activision acquisition

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Update:

• Microsoft has completed its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard after nearly two years of regulatory questions.
• Microsoft is behind just Tencent and Sony gaming companies in revenue, adding a company with more than 8,500 employees in nine game studies, according to Ars Technica. 
• Candy Crush Saga owner King is also part of the acquisition, along with the publishers of Pitfall, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Farm Heroes Saga.
• The Federal Trade Commission is appealing a ruling from California U.S. District Court Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denying its attempt for an injunction to block the sale.

Microsoft, Blizzard merger overview: 

• Who: The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to block a $69 billion merger between Activision Blizzard and Microsoft.
• Why: The FTC said it believes the merger could harm competition in the gaming market.
• Where: The FTC oversees trade in the United States.

(Dec. 13, 2022)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeks to block a $68.7 billion deal that would see Microsoft Corp. acquire game developer Activision Blizzard, stating the move could harm video game market competition.

In a complaint filed Dec. 8, the FTC said enforcers would attempt to block Microsoft from acquiring the game developer, which makes game franchise giants Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. 

In the statement, FTC’s Bureau of Competition director Holly Vedova said Microsoft has a record of acquiring gaming content and using it to suppress competition, and the FTC sought to prevent this from happening again.

The FTC cited Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda Softworks and moves to make the developer’s titles exclusive to Xbox after promising not to.

“Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals,” Vedova said. 

“Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets.”

Merger would be Microsoft’s largest so far, FTC says

The FTC said the planned acquisition was Microsoft’s largest deal ever and the largest ever in the video game industry.

The commission said Microsoft’s ownership of Activision could allow it to harm rivals by degrading the quality or experience of games played on other gaming services, changing the terms, prices or timing for access to content or withholding content altogether.

Microsoft’s Xbox is one of only two high-performance video game consoles, the other being Sony’s PlayStation. Activision publishes high-quality games to multiple devices, including consoles, PCs and mobile devices.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has tried to ease the deal by promising to work with Sony and Nintendo to keep and expand Activision Blizzard titles on their consoles. 

This is not the first legal action taken over the merger. In November, an Activision Blizzard investor filed a lawsuit over the video game company’s merger with Microsoft.

What do you think of the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard merger? Let us know in the comments.

The Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition case is In the Matter of Microsoft Corp. and Activision Blizzard Inc., File No. 2210077, before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

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