In news I finally thought was behind us but will, apparently, never be; The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly getting ready to file an injunction to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard for a cool $68.7 billion.
This news is also not all that surprising as it follows less than two months after the UK put a stop to the purchase, which is more than likely what caused the FTC to now double down on their response to the deal.
Over the last few months, Microsoft and Phil signs-a-lot Spensor has been actively trying to win favour from various government regulators by signing multiple 10-year partnerships with everyone from Nintendo to Nvidia to bring Activision titles to these platforms.
According to a report by CNBC, the FTC will be filing its injunction on Monday. Through this, the FTC is looking to stop the deal before the pending July 18th deadline.
Microsoft has responded via President Brad Smith, who stated that the company welcomes the opportunity to present the case in the federal courts. But while the CMA and FTC seem adamant about stopping the acquisition, European Union has approved, with conditions.
As part of their approval, Microsoft has agreed to offer a free license to European Economic Area consumers where any Activision Blizzard title will be streamable via other game streaming services.
What are your thoughts on this never-ending saga? Let us know in the comments.