Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard seems to have no end in sight, but yesterday a major step forward was taken that provides a better understanding of the current situation and future fate of the biggest deal in the history of the gaming industry.
On January 3, 2023, there was a preliminary hearing in which the lawyer representing the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stated that the agency does not currently intend to file a lawsuit against Micorosoft in US Federal Court.
This may mean that the FTC has already obtained the expected concessions from the corporation, doesn’t have a strong enough argument to block the deal, or thinks a compromise can be reached.
“FTC lawyer James Weingarten said the agency “at this time” does not plan to file a motion in Federal Court. FTC has authorized staff to hold settlement talks, but “no substantive discussions are taking place at this time.”” – tweeted Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen.
As famed leaker Idle Sloth reported on his Twitter feed, the Microsoft told the judge that “the company expects to reach an agreement with European Union and UK antitrust authorities,” which were not expected to block the deal, and would then return to the FTC to present findings and possible remedies.
FTC lawyer James Weingarten said the agency has no plans "at this time" to file in federal court. The FTC has authorized staff to engage in settlement talks but "there are no substantive discussions at this time."
— Leah AntiTrustButVer1fy Nylen (@leah_nylen) January 3, 2023
There are many opinions on the web regarding the takeover, many of which predict the completion of the takeover case only at the end of this year or even next year.
Microsoft’s position, meantime, implies that the company is confident and expects an imminent closing of the deal, which may even happen before the vacations.
Nor, at the moment, is there any indication that the efforts of some of Microsoft’s market competitors will bear fruit – the transaction appears to be unthreatened, though some concessions are expected, to which the Americans will have to agree in order to get permission for the $68.7 billion acquisition.
