Microsoft has scored a big win in its FTC trial over the Activision Blizzard acquisition. On Tuesday July 11, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has reached a ruling in the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction on Microsoft’s attempt to buy Activision Blizzard.
The request has officially been denied, which means Microsoft can now technically proceed with its acquisition. While this looks like a slam dunk, there are still potentially a couple of hurdles left to clear. But for the most part it looks like Microsoft will come out on top. The $68.7 billion deal has been a central topic in the gaming industry for more than a year now. And with good reason. It’s a massive acquisition.
Microsoft has been met with a ton of opposition to the deal, both from rival company Sony and regulators. But now that looks to be coming to a close soon. With Judge Corley’s ruling, Microsoft can now go ahead with the acquisition by the July 18 deadline.
This is not a win for Microsoft in the FTC antitrust case
Today’s decision from Judge Corley is a good thing for Microsoft. It is not however the end of things just yet. Microsoft still has an ongoing antitrust case with the FTC that still needs a resolution.
But this ruling goes a long way to sway things in Microsoft’s favor. The argument against Microsoft’s acquisition has consistently been that it will stifle competition. The ruling submitted today (via The Verge) states otherwise though. “To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content. The motion for a preliminary injunction is therefore DENIED” the ruling says.
Call of Duty has been one of the main reasons for opposition in this deal, though not the entire focus for the FTC in particular. With the regulator claiming the acquisition going through would give Microsoft an unfair advantage in the cloud gaming space.