Bloomberg: Microsoft tricked the FTC into filing a losing lawsuit over a deal with Activision Blizzard
Microsoft used rumors about its plans to close the deal with Activision Blizzard without the approval of the British regulator to force the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to sue it in a hurry. This is reported by Bloomberg.
Recall that the FTC first filed a lawsuit against the companies in December 2022. It was assumed that the proceedings would be held in August in the US antimonopoly Court, but in June the agency had to urgently adjust the plans. Then there were reports in the media that Microsoft was considering the possibility of ignoring the UK ban on the deal and completing the purchase of Activision Blizzard. After that, the FTC filed a lawsuit already in federal court in San Francisco and secured a hearing on June 22-29.
According to Bloomberg sources, all this was a trick on the part of Microsoft. Due to the rush, the FTC did not have time to fully prepare the evidence and lost in court, and Microsoft got the opportunity to publicly argue its point of view and then convince the British regulator to sit down at the negotiating table.
