Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision-Blizzard has been one of the most talked-about stories in gaming as of late. Some have accused the merger of potentially exploiting a monopoly: Microsoft manufactures Xbox consoles, and making Activision's extensive roster of immensely popular games exclusive to them is uncompetitive. Evidently, regulatory agencies and competitors felt the same way, and the deal has become a series of lengthy court cases as Microsoft jumps the hurdles set before them.
Just yesterday, however, the last hurdle fell. A federal judge has ruled that the FTC have no grounds for their injunction, asserting that "the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] has not shown it is likely to succeed on its assertion the combined firm will probably pull Call of Duty from Sony PlayStation, or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video game library subscription and cloud gaming markets." At least Judge Corley has faith that Microsoft will be a good sport about this, but history has shown that corporations will always do whatever stands to make them the most money. As it is, the merger stands to finally be completed, but what exactly Microsoft does with it (besides sitting back and raking in Call of Duty money) remains to be seen.
The FTC will appeal the decision, reports CNBC.
