The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against the planned merger of tech giant Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, one of the largest videogaming corporations. The federal agency argued the acquisition should be stopped because Microsoft has a record of anti-competitive behavior in the gaming industry, withholding games from other platforms to the benefit of its gaming console, Xbox, and its subscription gaming service.
Microsoft announced in January its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion and both companies have since approved the deal. The largest merger in Microsoft’s history, it would make it the third largest videogame publisher behind Sony and Tencent, but only if greenlighted by U.S. regulators.
