A judge in California allowed Microsoft to complete the acquisition of Activision Blizzard after five days of exhaustive court proceedings.
Microsoft was facing an ongoing antitrust dispute from the Federal Trade Commission, but Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley heard arguments from both the FTC and Microsoft and decided to deny the regulator's request to block the acquisition.
In a decision filed today, Judge Corley said:
The redemption Activision by Microsoft has been described as the largest in the history of technology. It was worth checking out, and that check paid off:
Microsoft has committed in writing, publicly and legally to continue releasing Call of Duty for PlayStation for 10 years as it did with Xbox. It struck a deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the Switch and struck several deals to bring Activision's content to multiple cloud gaming services for the first time. The Court's responsibility in this case is limited.
For the reasons explained, the Court finds that the FTC has failed to demonstrate that this particular acquisition in the particular industry is likely to substantially lessen competition. Instead, the evidence points to greater consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content.
The application for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the takeover is therefore DENIED.
