Canada

Activision Blizzard “will not hesitate to fight” to protect Microsoft acquisition

Activision Blizzard’s CCO said the company “will not hesitate to fight” to make sure Microsoft succeeds in acquiring it.

Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey took to Twitter to address “speculation” about ongoing antitrust investigations currently being conducted by various global regulators.

“Seeing a lot of speculation about Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard,” she said.

“Any suggestion that the deal could have anti-competitive effects is absurd.

“This merger will benefit gamers and the gaming industry in the US – especially as we face stronger competition from abroad.

“We are committed to continuing to work with regulators around the world to allow the transaction to proceed, but we will not hesitate to fight to protect the transaction if necessary.”

Meservey’s comments came hours after the publication of a Politico report claiming that the US Federal Trade Commission is “likely to file an antitrust lawsuit” to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

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An antitrust case would mean Microsoft would have to fight to push its acquisition of the Call of Duty maker through US courts.

Citing three sources, the report claims that while the lawsuit challenging the deal is uncertain, FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan is seeking to “reign in power over the world’s largest technology companies.”

Although the deal was approved by regulators in Saudi Arabia and Brazil, the UK watchdog CMA recently extended its investigation to a second phase.

The European Commission has also officially launched an in-depth investigation into the $68.7 billion deal, which would be the largest in the gaming industry by some margin.