Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Approved by FTC

A California judge has denied the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction to halt Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled that the FTC had not shown a likelihood of prevailing in its claim that the merger would substantially lessen competition. The judge took into consideration Microsoft's commitments to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation and extend the game to Nintendo Switch, as well as the company's agreements to bring Activision's content to cloud gaming services. The ruling allows Microsoft to proceed with the acquisition, but the company still faces an ongoing antitrust case by the FTC.