As reported by Reuters, the First preliminary hearing Due to a dispute between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Microsoft regardingActivision Blizzard acquisition It is set for Tuesday January 3, 2023.
As you already know, the US Antitrust Agency has every intention of preventing the maneuver, and to do so, has decided to file a lawsuit against Redmon. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard would ensure Xbox exclusive access to some of the most powerful franchises in the market, primarily Call of Duty, hurt competition in the console market, and limit or block certain games and content on Sony’s PlayStation platforms. and Nintendo.
Microsoft responded by saying that the maneuver would benefit gamers and game companies instead, and is willing to sign a legally binding agreement with the FTC under which it pledges to publish Call of Duty on competing consoles for ten years.
Microsoft’s concessions are one of the main reasons why many market analysts believe that preventing an Activision Blizzard takeover will not be easy for the FTC. In the meantime, we are also waiting for the decisions of the English antitrust (CMA) and the European Union which, in the event of a negative result, could endanger the maneuver once and for all.
In any case, next week’s preliminary hearing could be the first in a long series of steps before a final ruling is reached in court. Microsoft aims to complete the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by End of June 2023but times could widen precisely because of this legal action by the Federal Trade Commission.
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