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

Bobby Kotick at an FTC hearing related to the Microsoft merger in June 2023.

(Image credit: Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

More than a year after Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of videogame behemoth Activision Blizzard was successfully completed, the US Federal Trade Commission's effort to block it has run aground. A federal appeals court has rejected the FTC's appeal of a ruling that denied its request for a preliminary injunction against the deal, saying the lower court applied the "correct legal standard" and that the FTC has not demonstrated that it was likely to win its case.

If this all seems a bit of a "delayed reaction," well, you're not wrong, but such is the way the system works. The short version is that as part of its battle against the acquisition, the FTC requested a preliminary injunction against it in June 2023, which would put the deal on hold until the FTC's entire case was heard, ruled on, and then appealed to whatever extent possible—a process that would not likely be wrapped up in short order.

Technically, at least, this does not actually signal the end of the matter. The full ruling, available from The Verge, notes that "the merger is the subject of an administrative proceeding that remains pending before the FTC." Given the repeat losses in its request for a preliminary injunction, though, not to mention the fact that the deal is already done, I suspect the FTC will ultimately content itself with an "I warned you, bro," and move on to other things.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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