Microsoft and Activision have each filed lawsuits against the FTC hoping to unblock their plans for a sale.Arkane Studios' new co-op shooter Redfall has reached an all-time low point for publisher Bethesda. Globally, some 154 million people play Activision games every month, the FTC said. The agency also noted that after Microsoft's recent purchase of ZeniMax - parent company of software developer Bethesda Softworks, the software giant decided to make several Bethesda titles, including Starfield and Redfall, exclusive to Xbox, despite assuring European regulators it had no intention to do so. The FTC noted that Activision, maker of best-selling games such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, was among "a very small number of top video game developers" that publish titles for multiple devices, including consoles, PCs and mobile. The FTC voted 3-1 to file a lawsuit to stop the deal, with the three Democratic commissioners voting in favor and the sole Republican voting against. In December, the agency said Microsoft getting Activision would undermine competition for the software giant's Xbox gaming console. "We're not quite there yet."īlocking the deal in the UK comes four months after the Federal Trade Commission also raised concerns about Microsoft buying Activision. "Activision can't unilaterally terminate the deal, as language in the merger agreement specifies that regulatory restraint has to be final and non-appealable for that option to be on the table," Griffin said. Microsoft technically only has two options now, he said: submit an appeal to British regulators or spike the Activision purchase altogether. The British decision is most likely a deal-killer, Clay Griffin, analyst for SVB MoffettNathanson, said in a research note Wednesday. Activision also fired back, saying it would "work aggressively with Microsoft to reverse this on appeal." Deal-killer?
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