The FTC Will Appeal The Court’s Decision To Allow Microsoft To Acquire Activision Blizzard

In what appears to be the acquisition battle with no finish, the FTC has filed to attraction Choose Corley’s choice denying a preliminary injunction that might cease Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard.

The FTC had till this coming Friday to current an attraction or not, and this now confirms it’s prepared to proceed the combat to attempt to block this merger from occurring.

This marks one other leg of the curler coaster this week has been with reference to this deal. When Choose Corley introduced her choice, all the pieces instantly regarded prefer it was going Microsoft’s approach.

The FTC had misplaced in court docket, and the UK’s CMA had agreed to pause litigation whereas Microsoft labored on amending the deal to handle the CMA’s considerations, doubtlessly avoiding Microsoft having to attraction the CMA’s block choice in any respect.

Barely a day later, all the pieces is now up within the air once more, because the CMA clarified earlier on Wednesday that its choice to dam the deal nonetheless stands whereas Microsoft appears to be like at amending it, and any adjustments made may open up a model new investigation into the deal, which as soon as once more extends the timeline on this large merger.

Now the FTC isn’t giving up in the identical approach it has performed previously, and this might all spell hassle for Microsoft and Activision on the subject of closing this deal.

All we’ve bought at present is that the FTC is interesting Tuesday’s choice. We don’t know precisely what arguments it’ll be interesting with but, however for now we all know that this authorized battle will proceed to tug on.

It’s value stating although that with this attraction would possibly nonetheless be too late to dam the deal. The deadline for it is just six days away on July 18, 2023, and with no ruling actively restraining Microsoft and Activision from closing the acquisition, each events will doubtless accomplish that given the prospect.

With the deal then closed within the US, the UK’s CMA will stay the large roadblock to the merger, or doubtlessly it’ll create a clumsy scenario the place the UK stands as the one area the place Activision Blizzard video games simply aren’t printed.

Despite the fact that it briefly regarded as if this deal would come to an in depth, the one positive factor about it now’s that it’s removed from being over.

Supply – [The Verge]