The Federal Trade Commission controlled by Republicans is abandoning an effort of the Biden era to block the purchase of Microsoft of “Call of Duty”, the video game manufacturer Activision Blizzard.
In an order issued on Thursday, the FTC said that it had determined that “the public interest is best treated by administrative litigation in this case.”
It was the second time in a day that the FTC retired from the litigation began during the Biden administration. The earlier Thursday, the FTC said it was dismissing a Demand against Pepsico That was filed by the democratic controlled FTC in January.
Microsoft announced an activation acquisition of $ 69 billion in January 2022. It is one of the most expensive technological acquisitions in history and was designed to increase the sales of the Microsoft Xbox games console, which has been delayed in sales behind PlayStation and Nintendo de Sony.
In December 2022, the Federal Commerce Commission, then directed by Democratic President Lina Khan, demanded to temporarily block the acquisition, saying that it would allow Microsoft to suppress competitors who want access to Xbox and their subscription content.
In July 2023, the United States District Court in Northern California denied the FTC request to stop the acquisition, but the FTC appealed. Earlier this month, a Federal Court of Appeals also denied the request of the FTC.
Meanwhile, Microsoft completed its activation purchase in October 2023 after obtaining the approval of Great Britain Competition dangerwhich had also considered blocking the fusion.
Brad Smith, vice president and president of Microsoft, said Thursday in an X statement that the decision is a victory for video game players and for “common sense in Washington DC”
“We are grateful to the FTC for today’s announcement,” said Smith.
Khan resigned from the FTC when President Donald Trump took office in January, and Trump dismissed The democratic commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Álvaro Bedoya in March. Bedoya and Slaughter have sued the Trump administration, saying that their removal was illegal.
At this time, the FTC is composed of three Republican commissioners, and it is not clear when the two commission Democrats will be replaced. A message looking for comment was left with the FTC.
In the case of Pepsico, the president of the FTC, Andrew Ferguson, said that the FTC of the Biden era hastened to authorize a case only three days before the inauguration of Trump. He said Thursday that the case, that he claimed that Pepsico was violating the law by giving unjust prices to Walmart, was a “doubtful political trick.”
But the FTC has not been filed on the path of some Biden era. Earlier this month, a rule that the FTC announced in December that it requires entrances, hotels, vacation rental platforms and others to reveal its rates in advance It entered into force.
