FCS asked the court to block the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard
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Back in December last year, the regulator announced its intention to block the deal, since, according to its assessment, it would give Microsoft excessive advantage over competitors in the console and cloud gaming markets. But the trial in this case in the internal administrative court of the FCS itself should begin only in August.
At the same time, Microsoft and Activision “made it clear”, according to the commission, that the deal could be closed as early as the end of this week. At the same time, Reuters reminds that Microsoft planned to close it before the end of the 2023 financial year – it expires this month.
“In light of public reports that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are considering closing their deal soon, we have filed a request for a temporary injunction to prevent them from closing the deal while review is ongoing,” a spokesman for the FCS said.
Microsoft said it “welcomes” the opportunity to take the case to federal court. At the same time, antitrust experts expect the FCS will have to fight a “hard fight” to convince the court to block the deal, Reuters notes.
The deal became public in January last year. Microsoft announced its agreement, calling it the largest in the history of gaming (and its own). The value of the deal with Activision Blizzard is $68.7 billion ($95 per share). The Financial Times estimates that if the deal goes through, Microsoft will become the third largest gaming company by revenue after China’s Tencent and Japan’s Sony.
In April, the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked merger Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, fearing that the tech giant will make games from one of the largest game developers and publishers exclusive to its own cloud gaming service. In May, the European Commission approved the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, on the condition that Microsoft adhere to several conditions.
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