FTC loses bid to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which already happened in 2023

Greater than a 12 months after Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of videogame behemoth Activision Blizzard was efficiently accomplished, the US Federal Commerce Fee’s effort to dam it has run aground. A federal appeals court docket has rejected the FTC’s attraction of a ruling that denied its request for a preliminary injunction towards the deal, saying the decrease court docket utilized the “appropriate authorized normal” and that the FTC has not demonstrated that it was more likely to win its case.

If this all appears a little bit of a “delayed response,” properly, you are not fallacious, however such is the way in which the system works. The quick model is that as a part of its battle towards the acquisition, the FTC requested a preliminary injunction towards it in June 2023, which might put the deal on maintain till the FTC’s whole case was heard, dominated on, after which appealed to no matter extent attainable—a course of that will not going be wrapped up briefly order.

The court docket denied the request, nevertheless, which successfully meant the deal may transfer forward despite the fact that the FTC was nonetheless pursuing its case towards it. And transfer forward it did: A number of months later, Microsoft satisfied the UK’s Competitors and Market Authority that the acquisition was a good suggestion after which instantly mashed the massive crimson button, formally making Activision Blizzard a Microsoft firm.

That did not carry an finish to the FTC’s attraction, although, and it remained energetic till at the moment’s ruling, which declared that the decrease court docket received it proper when it rejected the request for a preliminary injunction blocking the deal.

Technically, at the least, this doesn’t truly sign the top of the matter. The total ruling, obtainable from The Verge, notes that “the merger is the topic of an administrative continuing that continues to be pending earlier than the FTC.” Given the repeat losses in its request for a preliminary injunction, although, to not point out the truth that the deal is already finished, I believe the FTC will in the end content material itself with an “I warned you, bro,” and transfer on to different issues.

Microsoft declined to touch upon the ruling, whereas the FTC is so far simply ignoring me outright.