Activision

By: Sara Warner (Mills & Reeve) When Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) unveiled its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) in January 2022, the prospect of regulatory scrutiny loomed on the...

By: Stjin Hujits (The Platform Law Blog) In January 2022, we initially highlighted the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) apprehensions regarding Apple's obstruction of cloud gaming applications on the App...

In the US Federal Trade Commission’s case against Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the judge asked for data supporting the arguments and raised concerns about the importance given to “a shooter video game.” According to Reuters, the Federal Trade Commission has requested the judge to halt the proposed $69 billion acquisition. The FTC argues that […]

According to a court filing on Thursday, Canada’s Department of Justice has determined that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the creator of “Call of Duty,” could potentially result in reduced competition in certain areas of the gaming industry. In a letter dated Wednesday, the department informed Microsoft’s US lawyers that it had conveyed to the […]

The appeal by Microsoft against Britain’s veto of its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard will proceed as scheduled at the end of July, as the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has denied the antitrust regulator’s request for a postponement. According to Reuters, the Competition and Markets Authority, which had previously prevented the takeover in April, […]

The US Federal Trade Commission is seeking a preliminary injunction in federal court to halt Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The injunction would delay the deal’s closure until the government’s case against it is heard by an administrative judge. “If this deal is completed, the combined company … is likely to have the ability, an […]

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has faced a setback as a federal district court judge in California has granted the US Federal Trade Commission’s request to temporarily block the deal from closing. Judge Edward Davila from California’s Northern District has issued a temporary restraining order that prevents Microsoft and Activision from completing the […]

On Tuesday, Microsoft criticized Britain’s anti-trust regulator for its decision to block the company’s $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard, stating that it is a rare occurrence on a global scale. According to Reuters, the CMA objected to the deal in April due to concerns over potential negative impacts on competition in the emerging cloud gaming […]

The competition regulator in Britain has issued an interim order that prevents Microsoft and Activision from acquiring any stake in each other without its approval. This decision was made after the regulator blocked their $69 billion merger a few weeks ago. The order applies to the businesses as well as their subsidiaries. It comes two […]

The merger between Microsoft and Activision is expected to be approved by regulators on May 15, according to sources. The merger was rejected by UK regulators and Microsoft filed an appeal. According to Reuters, Microsoft’s acquisition is being approved partly due to their agreement to establish licensing arrangements with competitors in the cloud streaming industry […]

Microsoft has hired lawyer Daniel Beard KC to try to overturn the UK regulator, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), decision to block Microsoft’s $67.8 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. He has been able to defeat the EU regulator on multiple occasions. Microsoft, along with Beard are preparing to “lodge an appeal at the Competition Appeal […]

Microsoft’s proposed $69bn takeover of Activision Blizzard has been approved by Japan’s JFTC. In a press release on its website, the JFTC “reviewed the transaction and reached the conclusion that the transaction is unlikely to result in substantially restraining competition in any particular fields of trade. Accordingly, the JFTC has notified the Parties that the JFTC […]