Phil Spencer wrote a message ai Microsoft employees after today’s important victory in the hearing that saw the Redmond company oppose the FTC regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
“Today a US District Court judge issued a decision rejecting the Federal Trade Commission’s request for apreliminary injunction which would have temporarily stalled our acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the United States,” the memo reads.
“We are grateful that, after reviewing the evidence and testimony, the Court rejected the FTC’s claims that our acquisition would harm consumers“, continues the message.
“Evidence has shown that the deal is good for the industry and that the FTC’s claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and the cloud do not reflect the realities of the gaming market.”
Now the ball passes to the United Kingdom
Phil Spencer
“After today’s decision, our attention shifts to the United Kingdom. As you may know, a few months ago the UK Competition and Markets Authority recommended banning the deal. We disagree with the CMA’s concerns and have appealed its decision.”
“At the same time, however, we are evaluating how modify the transaction to respond to the concerns of the CMA in a way that the latter deems acceptable”, reads the message, which cites the statement released by the CMA.
“In order to prioritize work on potential options, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that suspend the appeal it would now be in the public interest, and both we and the CMA have filed a joint application with the Competition Appeal Tribunal to that effect.”
“From the beginning, the Gaming Leadership Team and I believed this acquisition would deliver significant benefits to gamers and the gaming industry. Since announcing our intentions, we’ve demonstrated our commitment to bringing more games to more people on more devices.”
“This includes numerous agreements signed to make Activision Blizzard games, Xbox first party games and Game Pass available to more users than ever before. I’m proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice throughout the process. The settlement has already been cleared in 38 countries and we will continue to work towards a timely resolution in other jurisdictions.”
“Thank you to everyone who has dedicated their time and dedication to supporting our acquisition. We entered this transaction with a clear vision to serve players wherever they are, and with today’s court decision we were able to make a important step forward in realizing this vision.”