A few weeks after the shock announcement of the takeover of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft, the Federal Trade Agency (FTC) will verify the deal signed by the two groups.
The takeover of the ABK group by Microsoft made the headlines in the press and shook up the stock market quite a bit. With a deal of almost 70 billion dollars, this signature is the biggest in the history of the video game industry and allows Microsoft to have a little more influence in the world of video games. But the finalization is not expected until 2023. Before that, the agreement must be verified.
The FTC, the federal agency in charge of trade, which will have to analyze, via its antitrust (anti-monopoly) commission, the consequences of such a large takeover for competition, according to Bloomberg.
For Americans, having the case taken over by the FTC and not the Department of Justice has a meaning: in general, the analysis is a bit more advanced and “aggressive”, leaving nothing out. It is for example the FTC which blocked last December the recent takeover of Arm by Nvidia for 40 billion, a signature that dated back more than a year.
Microsoft will have to convince that this takeover does not hinder free competition in the video game industry.
Source: www.bloomberg.com
