Even if the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sues to block the takeover of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft will make every effort to close the deal, Bloomberg reports citing its own sources.
Image Source: activisionblizzard.com
The FTC is already completing its review of the transaction and will soon publish its official position, the sources of the news agency assure, after which a decision will be made whether to file a lawsuit or not. At the same time, Microsoft has not yet even begun negotiations with the department, has not offered him any remedies for possible negative consequences of the takeover, and has not discussed possible concessions. If the FTC tries to block the deal, Microsoft is ready to actively defend its position in court.
According to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst and antitrust specialist Jennifer Rie (Jennifer Rie), the FTC may try to block the deal, but the agency does not have much chance of winning the process. In this case, Microsoft may win, but the proceedings may be delayed – while the software giant plans to complete the takeover by June 30. The company could have abandoned its intention, as it did in 1995, when the takeover of the developer of accounting systems Intuit fell through due to Microsoft’s unwillingness to be embroiled in a lengthy legal battle.
The best option for Microsoft, according to Bloomberg, is to convince the presidential administration to agree to a settlement agreement, promising not to close access to popular games to competitors. But it won’t be easy, because US antitrust authorities are now extremely wary of mergers, especially when it comes to technology and digital industries.
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