In January 2022, Microsoft announced that it would acquire Activision-Blizzard. Buying such a large company is quite the ordeal. Due to the size of the acquisition several government bodies that govern commerce are reviewing the deal for anti-trust concerns. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) eventually filed a lawsuit in order to block the acquisition, citing anti-trust concerns. It is 1.5 years later, and after multiple stages of structuring deals, and lawsuits, on July 11, 2023, a judge blocked the FTC’s injunction. This means that the deal can move forward…
However, Microsoft has until July 18 in order to finish this, so it does not look like time is on Microsoft’s side. There is also the possibility that the FTC can appeal the decision. We will have to wait and see what happens, but that wait should not be long.
UPDATE (July 21, 2023) – The Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard acquisition was not completed by the July 18 deadline, but the deadline has been extended to October 18, 2023.
Assaad Lyn: Attorney At Law 