US FTC Officially Drops Antitrust Complaints Against Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has decided not to pursue any further appeals regarding the antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. According to their statement, it’s now more beneficial for public interest to terminate the legal proceedings in this specific case.

Following the order, the complaint in this case has been officially dismissed by the FTC. This decision was applauded on social media platform X by Microsoft President Brad Smith who stated, “Today’s decision is a win for players nationwide and common sense in Washington D.C.” He further expressed his gratitude towards the FTC for making this announcement.

As a fervent enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that, following a few weeks, the FTC’s complaint against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been dismissed. Previously, our hopes were dashed when the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals declined our request for an injunction in 2023. In their ruling, the court asserted that Microsoft’s acquisition was not a breach of U.S. antitrust laws. Judge Daniel P. Collins penned his decision, stating that the FTC had failed to demonstrate “the likelihood of success on the merits as to any of its theories” in this case.

Initially, when the Federal Trade Commission aimed to challenge Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, they highlighted a concern: Microsoft might leverage its industry position to monopolize the console market by launching games exclusively on its own platforms. To prevent major titles like “Call of Duty” from being exclusive to specific consoles, Microsoft agreed to deals with both Sony and Nintendo.

Collins additionally noted that while it’s common for companies to release exclusive games to boost console sales, Microsoft is currently in a less advantageous position compared to Sony and Nintendo regarding exclusive games. In other words, both Sony and Nintendo have more exclusive games on their platforms than Microsoft does.

In 2023, the initial court order was rejected due to the presiding judge acknowledging that Microsoft’s expansion into multi-platform cloud gaming had effectively debunked the notion that Activision Blizzard games being exclusive to Xbox could potentially disadvantage competitors within the gaming industry.

As a dedicated fan, I was eagerly anticipating the finalization of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which had been the last hurdle in terms of potential antitrust concerns regarding this deal. Fortunately, since October 2023, the case by the FTC has been dropped, allowing me to rejoice as Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer warmly welcomed the new studios under the Xbox Game Studios banner.

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2025-05-26 16:42