Elizabeth Warren has applauded the FTC for trying to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision. Activision is one of the biggest gaming publishers out there as it owns Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and numerous other major franchises. The publisher has built up a sizable reputation over the years as a result and Microsoft wanted a piece of that pie. At the start of 2022, Microsoft announced its plans purchase Activision for just shy of $70 billion, meaning Xbox would own Call of Duty. Naturally, some folks were unhappy with this. Regulators and politicians have scrutinized the deal quite strongly which eventually led to the FTC filing a lawsuit to try and block the deal from going through.
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With that said, the FTC lost and while it is attempting to appeal, it looks like Microsoft is going to move to try and close the deal once and for all next week. Despite its best efforts, the FTC failed and was criticized for its approach. Some noted that it felt like the FTC was leaning too hard on defending Sony rather than the consumers, its core job. FTC head Lina Khan was also reprimanded in front of Congress over the whole ordeal. However, one politician did come to the FTC’s defense. Senator Elizabeth Warren praised Khan and the FTC for fighting Microsoft on the Activision acquisition and moving to appeal the verdict. As of right now, we have no idea what will come from the appeals process, but we will know fairly soon.
It’s a pretty dramatic legal battle and depending on how the appeals process goes, may not be over. If Microsoft is allowed to move forward without interruption, it will bring an 18-month battle to a close. Either way, it seems like some believe the FTC has handled the matter gracefully, while others think it has been a pretty embarrassing display for the regulator which has taken a lot of flack from various sides throughout the entire process.
What do you think of how the FTC has handled this acquisition? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
