Microsoft Activision deal given the go-ahead in everywhere but the UK – what happens next?

We're delving into Microsoft’s options and remaining hurdles following the US Court’s decision to deny the FTC’s attempted blocking of the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

Nobody could have predicted that when Microsoft originally announced its intention to purchase Activision Blizzard back in January 18, 2022, we’d still be discussing it well over a year later. Alas, the Xbox-maker has hit several hurdles in its attempted acquisition, not least from global regulators such as the FTC in America and the CMA in the United Kingdom, who have both attempted to block the Microsoft Activision deal citing anti-competition ramifications in the video game space.

Following a five-day long battle in US Federal Court, however, this week it was revealed that Microsoft had won its case against the FTC’s preliminary injunction request, removing an important roadblock as the judge ruled in Microsoft’s favour. "The FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger in this specific industry may substantially lessen competition," said Judge Corley.