Gamers Sue And Microsoft Fights The FTC Over Activision Blizzard

Activision Blizzard

Gamers and the F.T.C. are taking action against Microsoft as it attempts to absorb the powerhouse known as Activision Blizzard. In its battle with M.S., the F.T.C. had decided to take legal action to block the purchase, saying that the merger would harm consumers and competing console manufacturers, according to Bloomberg.

The most significant point of contention appears to be Call of Duty. The title is available on both major competing platforms from Sony and MS. Knowing that this is a hot-button issue with the regulatory body, Microsoft threw the PlayStation maker a bone by allowing Sony to have access to the franchise still, but only via PlayStation Plus. However, this “charitable” act was not enough to sway the F.T.C.

According to documents found by Reuters, a handful of gamers have banded together in California to launch a lawsuit against Microsoft, stating antitrust as the main point of concern. In court documents filed on 12/20/22, the Alioto and Joseph Saveri Law Firms of San Francisco will represent ten plaintiffs against Microsoft Corporation. The first eighteen points of the introduction point out that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard will violate the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914:

This is a private antitrust action seeking an order of the Court prohibiting the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc. by Microsoft Corporation as a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act (15 U.S.C. § 18). The threatened loss or damage to the Plaintiffs and to the public at-large by the merging of two giants in the video game industry is extensive and broad.”

According to Yahoo Finance‘s Daniel Howley, Sony is raising concerns that the acquisition will give Microsoft “too much power.” This is quite possibly the case if you’re strictly a Playstation owner. However, it is doubtful Microsoft would keep Activision Blizzard titles solely on the XBOX platform. If this transition goes forward, P.C. Gamers are ultimately the winners in the consumer market. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen several Playstation exclusives enter the P.C. space, and Microsoft’s titles are often available to that crowd on launch day, too.

[Source: Reuters] [Source: Bloomberg] [Source: Yahoo Finance]
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Mike Phalin

Longtime problematic entertainment journalist. The former workhorse for Dread Central, ScienceFiction.com, and Fanbolt.

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