FTC Continues to Challenge Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Microsoft defends its position as FTC argues lower-court judge held them to too high a standard in the ongoing antitrust case.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is making another attempt to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, arguing that a lower-court judge held the antitrust regulator to too high a standard.
The FTC argues that the judge was wrong to rely on deals that Microsoft struck with rivals to distribute games as proof the merger would not hurt competition.
Microsoft closed the deal, originally proposed in January 2022 as the biggest acquisition in the history of the gaming industry, on Oct. 13 of this year after obtaining the approval of British regulators.
The FTC's argument before a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals reflects the antitrust regulator’s lone continued push to thwart a merger that’s since been blessed by the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Microsoft is expected to argue that the FTC has failed to show that the judge erred in her ruling. It will also contend that the agency failed to show that Microsoft had an incentive to withhold 'Call of Duty' from rival gaming platforms.