Attempts to Block Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Officially Dropped

The nearly two-year legal battle between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Microsoft over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard has officially come to an end. The agency has withdrawn its lawsuit, which aimed to block the multibillion-dollar deal.

The acquisition was finalized in 2023 after 20 months of scrutiny from antitrust regulators, costing the tech giant $68.7 billion. At the time, the FTC filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in an effort to challenge the purchase. That legal dispute continued until recently — on May 22, it was revealed that the FTC has formally abandoned its efforts to block the acquisition. According to the commission, dropping the case is "in the public interest."

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith responded to the news:

Interestingly, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently stated that he doesn’t believe in Microsoft’s long-term success in the gaming industry. Kotick stepped down shortly after the acquisition was finalized.