US Judge Rules Microsoft Deal to Buy Activision Can Go Forward
A U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday that Microsoft can proceed with its planned acquisition of videogame maker Activision Blizzard for $69 billion after the European Union (EU) approved the deal between the two gaming companies.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) objected to the deal in April, arguing that it hurts consumers and that it was prepared to consider Microsoft’s proposals to resolve antitrust concerns in the United Kingdom.
The deal would be the largest for Microsoft and the biggest in the history of the videogame business. Activision shares were up 11.3 percent at $92.01, and Microsoft shares were flat.
The entrance to the Activision Blizzard Inc. campus is shown in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2019. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had asked U.S. district judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco to stop the proposed deal, arguing it would give Microsoft exclusive access to Activision games, including the best-selling “Call of Duty.” The agency’s concern was that the deal would potentially preclude the availability of those videogames on other platforms….