The FTC on Monday filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction seeking to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp., pauses during a Bloomberg event on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.seeking to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard before the deal's July 18 deadline.
The FTC said it fears that should Microsoft be allowed to buy Activision, Microsoft would have the power to "withhold or degrade" Activision's gaming products, through price, game quality, experience on competitor offerings or "withholding content from competitors entirely." In other words, the FTC is worried that Microsoft could withhold popular games from Activision Blizzard's library from launching on other game consoles, like those sold by Sony. Or it could charge more for games that launch on other consoles. Call of Duty is one title that has come up and, while it's currently available across platforms and Microsoft has promised to continue to sell those games broadly, regulators fear that Microsoft could have the power to hold those games for Xbox thereby taking buyers away from Sony and other console makers If the parties were allowed to merge before the case made its way through an administrative proceeding, the FTC argued that "reestablishing the status quo would be difficult, if not impossible."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
FTC expected to block Microsoft’s $69B purchase of Activision Blizzard: reportNearly one month after EU regulators approved Microsoft’s $69 billion bid to acquire “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard, the FTC is expected to halt the deal with a prelimin…
Read more »
FTC set to file injunction to block Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard: reportMicrosoft Corp. appears to have another headwind in its $69 billion acquisition of videogame publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. in the form of an injunction...
Read more »
FTC will try to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision BlizzardThe FTC had already sued to block the $68.7 billion acquisition, choosing to bring the case before its internal administrative law judge.
Read more »
FTC expected to file injunction to block Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard | EngadgetThe FTC is looking for an injunction to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard..
Read more »
FTC Reportedly Plans to File an Injunction Against Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision BlizzardThe Federal Trade Commission has previously sued to block the $68.7 billion deal that would merge two of the biggest entities in gaming.
Read more »
US FTC seeks to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision -sourceThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission will file an injunction blocking Microsoft Corp's acquisition of Activision Blizzard , a source familiar with a planned court filing said on Monday.
Read more »