From PC Mag: The US Federal Trade Commission is suing(Opens in a new window) to block Microsoft’s $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard on antitrust grounds.
The FTC’s main concern is that Microsoft would "deny or degrade" Activision Blizzard games from appearing on rival platforms, which would hurt consumers.
“With control over Activision’s blockbuster franchises, Microsoft would have both the means and motive to harm competition by manipulating Activision’s pricing, degrading Activision’s game quality or player experience on rival consoles and gaming services, changing the terms and timing of access to Activision’s content, or withholding content from competitors entirely,” the FTC says.
Following a 3-1 vote, the commission filed a lawsuit on Thursday to stop the proposed merger, even as Microsoft has repeatedly pledged it’ll keep Activision’s cornerstone franchise Call of Duty on other platforms, including Sony's PlayStation. Earlier this week, Microsoft even entered into a 10-year agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s consoles.
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