Tag: microsoft ftc

Microsoft’s Potential Acquisition of Activision Blizzard: What This Means for Gamers
Technology

Microsoft’s Potential Acquisition of Activision Blizzard: What This Means for Gamers

[ad_1] The sun finally came out for Microsoft. On 11 July, Judge Jacqueline Corley ruled in favor of the Redmond, Washington-based company in its dispute against the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the purchase of Activision Blizzard, one of the world's largest video game developers. An appeal by the FTC to temporarily halt the deal was denied by an appellate court late last week.With these decisions, the tech giant is now one step closer to closing the $69 billion acquisition deal, which was first announced back in January 2022. The court's decision removes the hurdle of the FTC, however, across the pond, Microsoft still faces pushback from regulators in the United Kingdom who argue that the deal could stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. And Microsoft is re...
Microsoft can move ahead with record $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, judge rules
Technology

Microsoft can move ahead with record $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, judge rules

[ad_1] A federal judge has handed Microsoft a major victory by declining to block its looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. Regulators sought to ax the deal saying it will hurt competition.U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said in a ruling that the merger deserved scrutiny, noting it could be the largest in the history of the tech industry. But federal regulators were unable to show how it would cause serious harm and wouldn't likely prevail if they took it to a full trial, she wrote. The Federal Trade Commission, which enforces antitrust laws, “has not raised serious questions regarding whether the proposed merger is likely to substantially lessen competition” between video game consoles or in the growing markets for monthly game subscription...
Microsoft’s Lineup of Exclusive Games Draws Fire From Deal Foes
Technology

Microsoft’s Lineup of Exclusive Games Draws Fire From Deal Foes

[ad_1] US officials suing to stop Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. argue the software giant's recent acquisition history suggests it's motivated to rope off blockbuster video games from competitors.Microsoft routinely distributes its video games across multiple consoles, but with the 2020 purchase of gaming conglomerate ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, the company placed an increased emphasis on exclusive, top tier titles. As the Federal Trade Commission seeks in court to block the Activision merger, the agency pointed to the ZeniMax deal to poke holes in Microsoft's assertion that the acquisition will be good for the industry and question its intention to make more games available on multiple platforms. Starting with the ZeniMax purchase, Microsoft made...
Microsoft claims to have no idea why ‘Call of Duty’ franchise is special
Technology

Microsoft claims to have no idea why ‘Call of Duty’ franchise is special

[ad_1] Last year in January Microsoft announced it would spend USD 68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, highlighting how it would get 'Call of Duty', 'Warcraft' and 'Candy Crush' for that fee. American tech multinational Microsoft, which a year ago announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, might keep 'Call of Duty', the video game company's iconic franchise, from appearing on Sony's PlayStation. According to The Verge, an American technology news website, last year in January Microsoft announced it would spend USD 68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, highlighting how it would get 'Call of Duty', 'Warcraft' and 'Candy Crush' for that fee. However, the new website has reported that Microsoft's lawyers are suddenly pretending they have no idea why 'Call of...