Sources say Microsoft is ready to fight its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
CTOnews.com, Dec. 3 (Xinhua)-- Microsoft is preparing to fight its $69 billion acquisition of game company Activision Blizzard, according to Bloomberg.
It is said that Microsoft has not yet advised the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on a solution to potential antitrust charges / investigations; FTC has not yet said whether it intends to block Microsoft's merger and acquisition deal; but antitrust law enforcement agencies in the European Union and the UK have expressed concern about the Microsoft deal.
Microsoft will be prepared to fight for the deal if the FTC sues to prevent Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard, a gaming company, for $69 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Xbox maker had not discussed with FTC remedies or concessions on how to get the deal approved. The person familiar with the matter also said that the FTC staff investigation is coming to an end and is expected to make recommendations on the deal soon, and then vote on whether to file the case.
It is said that if FTC tries to block the acquisition, Microsoft will be prepared to defend it in court.
Jennifer Rie, an antitrust analyst at Bloomberg, said she wouldn't be surprised if the FTC filed a lawsuit, but she also pointed out that it would be difficult for law enforcement to win the case, and that Microsoft would probably win.
CTOnews.com has reported that Microsoft Xbox announced in January that it would spend $68.7 billion (489.831 billion yuan) to buy gaming giant Activision Blizzard, a deal currently under investigation by major regulators, and has recently been approved by several regulators, such as Serbia, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.
But so far, regulators in at least three countries have questioned the deal, including the United States. In addition, the UK and the EU are also investigating the deal.
Major regulatory reviewers believe that the deal will have a great impact on the future generations of the game industry, if completed the acquisition of Microsoft will immediately become the third largest in the global game market, after Tencent and Sony.
