US trade regulator blocks Activision purchase – will the deal still burst?

US trade regulator blocks Activision purchase - will the deal still burst?

The news that Microsoft had bought gaming giant Activision-Blizzard for $69 billion caused an industry earthquake. There was resistance from the start of politics and competition. Sony, in particular, has regularly expressed concerns since the announcement in January. A few weeks ago we reported that a lawsuit was becoming more and more likely. Now, after more than 11 months of intensive scrutiny, the US regulator FTC actually decided to block the merger and file a lawsuit. But what are the reasons and what exactly is the next step?

FTC blocks Microsoft Activision deal

That comes from one public notice the US regulator on December 8th. The FTC accuses Microsoft of having a “Having a history of buying and using valuable gaming content to stifle console competition.”


The trade supervisory authority speaks specifically ZeniMax-Bethesda acquisition on. She speaks of the decision to make some games console-exclusive, although the European authorities have been assured not to do so. Specifically, here on Starfield and red case referred.

Point of contention Call of Duty

The possibility that the first-person shooter only Xbox and PC console exclusive might appear was a major topic of discussion from the start. Despite numerous assurances from Microsoft and Sony’s public offer to continue releasing the title on PlayStation consoles for at least 10 years, the FTC decided to dismiss these promises as hot air.

Reference-www.pcgames.de