Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion is currently going through the approval process by countries around the world. While some countries have already approved the move, China and Ukraine in particular, the UK and the US have both stepped up their opposition to the deal.
FTC Blocks Acquisition
The FTC has sued to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and will now bring the case to an internal administrative law judge so they can make the initial decision. The judge’s decision may then be appealed to the full commission in a federal court later on. The FTC appears to be looking to stop the acquisition by July 18th, but the internal administrative court hearing isn’t to take place until August.
Microsoft President Brad Smith welcomes the chance to present their case in federal court so that they can ultimately bring more competition into the market.
Opposing Views from the UK
The CMA of the UK have banned the acquisition due to beliefs that it will negatively impact competition in the cloud gaming space. Activision Blizzard has the ability to add its own arguments to the case, with their appeal set for July 24th. Whether the appeal and team-up will occur in the US remains to be seen.