U.S. Judge Okays Microsoft's $69-B Activision Deal

A California judge ruled in favor of Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of video game giant Activision Blizzard on Tuesday, striking down an attempt by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to block the massive merger, Brian Bushard reported for Forbes.

Photo Insert: Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, the maker of gaming franchises Call Of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft, would be one of the biggest in tech history.

Federal Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking the merger after five days of testimony. FTC sued Microsoft in December and argued the acquisition would stifle competition.

The decision paves the way for Microsoft to compete with Nintendo and Sony. Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, the maker of gaming franchises Call Of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft, would be one of the biggest in tech history.

In her ruling, Corley wrote that Microsoft’s commitment to keeping Call of Duty on Sony’s PlayStation console for the next 10 years and introducing the series to the Nintendo Switch, in addition to its own Xbox consoles, should assuage anti-competition fears.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said the merger would “enable competition rather than allow entrenched market leaders to continue to dominate our rapidly growing industry.” Activision Blizzard’s stock surged nearly 12% on the day to a two-year high of $92.20.

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