Microsoft, which had hoped to complete its $1.4 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard by June 30, said it could no longer comment on the timing of the deal after suing the U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleging it harms competition.
A Microsoft spokesperson said David Cody As of last Friday, the company now refuses to comment on the timing of the deal with Activision Blizzard. This comes after the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday it would file a lawsuit to block the acquisition, with an internal trial scheduled to begin on August 2, 2023.
And she said Jennifer Re A Bloomberg Intelligence analyst notes that there are many obstacles hampering the acquisition so far. The judge in this type of case issues his or her initial ruling 7 to 12 months after the trial begins. However, the FTC would need to file a separate lawsuit in federal court if it wants Microsoft to delay closing the deal until the trial is over. The company is also facing questions about the deal from European and UK regulators.
It is worth noting that Phil Spencer He faced a war of words, primarily from Sony, and that war centered on Microsoft's future ownership of Call of Duty, as he said he was willing to sign a ten-year contract to ensure the title's survival on PlayStation platforms. Fortunately, the Activision Blizzard boss is still fighting to finalize the desired deal.
These delayed dates, which have begun to appear, could push Microsoft's expected closing date of early 2023 to sometime in 2024. Of course, that's assuming it can win the battle, the stakes of which have recently begun to rise.
