Lawyers for the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft , which is seeking to buy Activision Blizzard , trade their final blows and make their final points on Thursday before a judge who has been asked to tap the brakes on the proposed $69 billion transaction.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sought to allay those concerns on Wednesday. Asked if Microsoft would have any incentive to shut out Sony's PlayStation in order to sell more Microsoft Xbox consoles, Nadella responded: "It makes no economic sense and no strategic sense."The FTC has asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco to temporarily stop the deal from closing in order to allow the agency's in-house judge to decide the case.
In the past, the side that lost in federal court often conceded and the in-house process was scrapped. The FTC, which enforces antitrust law, has taken a harder line on mergers during the Biden administration to protect consumers from being disadvantaged by powerful corporations. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick testified Wednesday that if Microsoft bought his company and blocked other gaming platforms from offering "Call of Duty," it would alienate many of the 100 million monthly active users.Resolving the U.S. lawsuit is one of several key antitrust battles Microsoft and Activision have fought around the world.
Microsoft's bid to acquire the "Call of Duty" videogame maker was approved by the European Union in May, but British competition authorities blocked the takeover in April.Greg Bensinger joined Reuters as a technology correspondent in 2022 focusing on the world's largest technology companies. He was previously a member of The New York Times editorial board and a technology beat reporter for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
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