Microsoft wins FTC case in battle to acquire Activision Blizzard

Updated on July 11, 2023 at 8:25 a.m. PT: Xbox head Phil Spencer provided the following statement on Twitter following the court ruling:

The rest of the article remains as originally published.

For the last month or so, Microsoft and the FTC have been facing off in court over the former’s bid to acquire Activision Blizzard, one of the biggest publishers in the gaming industry. The FTC expressed anti-competitive concerns around the deal, and the trial saw the declassification of internal email from execs at Microsoft, Sony, and various other players in the industry. However, the FTC’s case wasn’t enough to stop the deal, as the court has ruled in favor of Microsoft.

News of Microsoft’s win over the FTC came in the late morning hours as journalists covering the case in-person heard the verdict. Specifically, Bloomberg’s Cecilia D'Anastasio was one of the first to break the news on Twitter. The decision came from Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley at the San Francisco court that the trial was being held. While Microsoft and Activision Blizzard denied to comment on the news, the FTC's Douglas Farrar provided Bloomberg with the following statement:

While this is a major win for Microsoft, it's worth noting that not all is said and done in Microsoft's pursuit to acquire Activision Blizzard. The CMA, the EU's regulatory body, is still objecting to the deal and will also be doing everything in its power to stop it from going through.