FTC loses appeal to stop Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal that already happened

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has mislaid its entreaty of a ruling successful its lawsuit against Microsoft’s $68.7 cardinal acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

In 2023, the FTC requested a preliminary injunction to forestall the companies from finalizing the woody portion its ineligible situation to the acquisition from 2022 was successful progress.

“With power of Activision’s content, Microsoft would person the quality and accrued inducement to withhold oregon degrade Activision’s contented successful ways that substantially lessen contention – including contention connected merchandise quality, price, and innovation,” the FTC said in its complaint.

A territory tribunal justice denied the FTC’s request, and a time aft that ruling, the FTC appealed. The woody was completed in October 2023, astir 2 years aft the acquisition was first announced.

Today, an appeals tribunal sheet affirmed that denial, as reported by Reuters. In its opinion, the sheet says that “given the FTC’s nonaccomplishment to marque an capable showing arsenic to its likelihood of occurrence connected the merits arsenic to immoderate of its theories, the territory tribunal decently denied the FTC’s question for a preliminary injunction connected that basis.”

The woody is inactive “the taxable of an administrative proceeding that remains pending earlier the FTC,” according to today’s opinion.

FTC spokesperson Vicky Graham and Microsoft spokesperson Alex Haurek declined to comment.