Microsoft Again Defeats Gamers’ Bid To Halt Activision Buy

A judge denied video gamers’ request for a preliminary injunction to stop Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard Inc. The judge ruled that the gamers did not provide sufficient evidence of irreparable harm from the proposed $69 billion deal, per Reuters. 

“After the merger (if it happens), they can play Call of Duty exactly as they played just before the merger,” Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the US District Court for the Northern District of California wrote in her May 19 ruling.

In December, private plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in California federal court, seeking an injunction against a deal they deemed detrimental to competition.

Read more: Gamers File New Legal Challenge To Microsoft’s $69B To Buy “Call of Duty” Maker

US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled on Friday that the video gamers had not provided sufficient evidence of irreversible harm if the merger were to proceed prior to her ruling on the case’s merits.

Microsoft and its lawyers argue that the acquisition would have a positive impact on consumers.

Corley refuted the gamers’ claim that Microsoft would restrict access to the game. The judge determined that there was no proof that Microsoft could render existing versions of “Call of Duty” inoperable following the proposed merger, according to Corley’s account.

“The day after the merger they can play exactly the same way they played with their friends before the merger,” Corley wrote. The judge also said “it is not likely” Microsoft will make any newer version of “Call of Duty” exclusive to the company’s platform prior to a ruling on the merits of the deal.