Us lawmakers jointly urge FTC to agree to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard
On the morning of July 19, Beijing time, it was reported that 22 US Republican congressmen urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to abandon the measures taken to prevent Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard, calling it the latest example of "FTC refusing reasonable antitrust policies."
The lawmakers, all from the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, wrote to FTC Chairman Lina Khan and two FTC committee members on Monday and made them public on Tuesday. They see the deal as a "competitive deal".
FTC is the antitrust law enforcement agency in the United States. FTC is considering whether to take further action after the US district court ruled last week that the deal was legal and rejected an emergency motion to suspend the deal.
"We are writing to express our concern and urge you to give up the matter," the member wrote. "
Microsoft, which owns the Xbox game console, has been taking steps to save the $69 billion merger in recent months. While antitrust law enforcement agencies in the US and UK have criticized the deal, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard appear to be getting closer to completing the deal.
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is not only the largest deal in Microsoft's history, but also second to none in the history of the video game industry.
Members who signed the letter to FTC included James James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and Jim Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee questioned Khan on the matter.
FTC confirmed that it had received the letter but declined to comment. Microsoft has yet to respond.
"FTC's decision to seek a preliminary ban on a pro-competitive deal, Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is the latest and most shocking example of its refusal to adopt a reasonable antitrust policy," the letter wrote.
"for 20 years, Microsoft's Xbox business has been a smaller challenger in the video game distribution and console market." The lawmakers added, "the increase in Activision Blizzard's game library is intended to help Xbox make these games available to more consumers, especially those who like to play games on mobile devices."
