In the latest plot arc from the Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition, after the FTC lost its case, they wasted no time whatsoever filing an appeal.
This Tuesday, it seemed like the never-ending saga between Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and the FTC was finally over. The FTC lost its case, and the honourable Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley refused to grant the FTC’s request for preliminary injunction request, which would have stopped the transaction further. Although the events of Tuesday would have led fans to believe the acquisition was finally going to settle, the FTC has already filed an appeal regarding the court’s decision. This comes at a time when Microsoft is likely preparing for the UK CMA appeal regarding the exact same case on July 28.
If the request for preliminary injunction had passed, the acquisition would have been temporarily banned once again — like what had happened with the UK CMA back in May — and the case would have been picked apart with a fine-tooth comb so the courts could appropriately decide on the presented arguments, but Judge Corley decided against that.
In the court ruling, Judge Corley wrote, “The Court finds the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger in this specific industry may substantially lessen competition,” with “To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content” regarding the decision.
In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, expressed his disappointment on the appeal “The District Court’s ruling makes crystal clear that this acquisition is good for both competition and consumers.” Activision Blizzard’s Mike Ybarra echoed the sentiment with “Your tax dollars at work” over on Twitter.
Whatever the case may be, the Microsoft Activision Blizzard saga has not reached a concrete conclusion yet, and fans will likely hear more regarding the scenario as we inch closer to the CMA appeal scheduled for July 28.
