The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has discontinued its efforts to block Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, indicating that pursuing such a case was not deemed to be in the public interest. This decision represents a shift in priorities as FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson aims to refocus the agency's resources toward cases that align with specific agendas. The acquisition, viewed as a transformative event in the gaming industry, had previously raised concerns about potential monopolistic behavior by Microsoft, which could undermine competition in gaming markets.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has decided to prioritize cases aligning with President Trump's agenda, leading to the closure of ongoing probes aimed at previous mergers.
The Activision Blizzard acquisition underscored a significant shift in the gaming market, raising concerns that Microsoft could potentially dominate competitors in the subscription and cloud gaming sectors.
Microsoft's President, Brad Smith, celebrated the FTC's decision to drop the case as a triumph for players, emphasizing the importance of common sense in regulatory actions.
Despite temporarily losing an appeal to block the acquisition, the FTC had options to contest the merger at a trial but chose to withdraw from litigation.
Collection
[
|
...
]