Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Celebrates Microsoft Win in Activision FTC Battle
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has released a lengthy statement in the wake of Microsoft's win against the FTC as part of its pursuit of acquiring Activision Blizzard. For over a year at this point, Microsoft has been looking for clearance in various regions around the globe to finally close its $68 billion deal for Activision. And while this acquisition has been left up in the air for quite some time, Spencer sees today's victory as one that greatly impacts video game players across the globe.
Soon after Microsoft formally won its case against the FTC, Spencer took to Twitter to celebrate the victory. Spencer thanked the court for coming to a decision on the matter quickly and also talked about what this win means moving forward. In short, the Xbox boss said that this result allows the video game brand to continue to expand its reach and bring titles that fall under the Activision Blizzard banner to a variety of new platforms in the future.
"We're grateful to the court for swiftly deciding in our favor. The evidence showed the Activision Blizzard deal is good for the industry and the FTC's claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and cloud don't reflect the realities of the gaming market," Spencer said. "Since we first announced this deal, our commitment to bringing more games to more people on more devices has only grown. We've signed multiple agreements to make Activision Blizzard's games, Xbox first party games and Game Pass all available to more players than they are today. We know that players around the world have been watching this case closely and I'm proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice throughout this journey."
Moving forward, it remains to be seen when Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard will formally close. For the time being, Microsoft still has one more battle remaining in the UK as the country's CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has moved to block the deal. Regardless of the outcome of that situation, though, Microsoft has gained enough approval around the world that it will likely move forward with its purchase of Activision Blizzard either way.
To stay in the loop regarding all things with this ongoing Microsoft and Activision saga, be sure to continue checking out our coverage here on ComicBook.com.