Microsoft Plans To Complete Its Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard Despite The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Lawsuit

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According to NYC Post sources, Microsoft is optimistic about getting UK regulator approval for its acquisition, which was criticized this week by FTC chairwoman Lina Khan as “an unfair mega-merger that will stifle competition in the video game sector“. If Microsoft gets approval in Europe, Microsoft plans to quickly finalize its merger deal with maker Call of Duty for $95 a share, the source said, but if Microsoft goes out of business, Activision Blizzard’s shares would rise to $75 -dollars per share fall piece. The Federal Trade Commission, which filed a lawsuit against Microsoft back in December 2022, wants to challenge the tech giant’s deal, but Microsoft itself plans to use approval from European antitrust authorities. According to the antitrust source, the FTC has two options, either stay the course and not seek a federal court injunction if the CMA and European Union approve the merger, and then negotiate the best settlement it can get from Microsoft using the same rules as with the European deals, or to continue the case in the national court in hopes of winning and annulling the merger, although this may take more than a year. Previously, the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard was approved in Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Brazil, Chile, Japan and South Africa.

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