The Federal Trade Commission’s motion for a preliminary injunction to halt Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard has been denied by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. In her decision published on Tuesday, Corley said, “This Court’s responsibility in this case is narrow. It is to decide if, notwithstanding these current circumstances, the merger should be halted—perhaps even terminated—pending resolution of the FTC administrative action. For the reasons explained, the Court finds 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. To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content. The motion for a preliminary injunction is therefore DENIED.”
This doesn’t mean the deal is complete, however, since the FTC can bring the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Microsoft still has to deal with the ruling earlier this year from the Competition and Markets Authority in the U.K. Microsoft has already gotten approval from the European Commission.
It’s a much-needed win for Microsoft and Xbox’s Phil Spencer took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the decision.
