Microsoft has once again faced off in court with the US Federal Trade Commission, which wants to prevent the company from buying publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Documents published during the lawsuit show that Microsoft expects the next generation game consoles to be released in 2028.
On the first day of the hearing, both the FTC and Microsoft presented supporting evidence regarding the purchase. The FTC said Microsoft’s deals with other companies like Nintendo and Nvidia, which appeared to be more open to competition, contained “gaps” and could be renegotiated in the future.
Shortly after the deal was announced, Sony expressed its concerns about the acquisition, noting that the future of Call of Duty games on the PlayStation platform could be compromised.
The legal action on Thursday comes more than a year after Microsoft announced its decision to acquire Activision Blizzard. Since then, the Xbox manufacturer has sought approval for the purchase from competition regulators in the different countries where the company does business. Here, the biggest obstacle for Microsoft is the UK and the USA. Institutions in both countries are seeking to block the deal, citing concerns about the lack of competition in the video game industry.
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