FTC Still Believes Microsoft’s $68.7 Billion Deal With Call of Duty Publisher Is a Threat, Decides to Proceed With an In-House Challenge

It seems like the Federal Trade Commission of the United States is not giving up on its efforts to block Microsoft’s ambitious deal with the Call of Duty publisher. A new update has revealed that the regulator will continue to challenge the billion-dollar proposed acquisition.

This update comes as a surprise. The FTC had withdrawn its case against Microsoft earlier this year. But now, it has decided to proceed with the ‘deal-breaking campaign’. Obviously, that’s not good news for the Xbox maker. It appears as if it will have to wait longer than usual to own Activision Blizzard completely.

Microsoft-Activision deal far from done?

The curious case of Microsoft and FTC is not catching a break. Just when everyone thought that the situation had settled down for good, the US regulator revealed its intentions once again. During July 2023, its appeal couldn’t be approved, but now, the case will be heard by an internal administrative law judge in a trial-like format.

The latest decision comes after the US appeals court denied FTC’s bid to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision, more than two months ago. Now, following the latest update, the Xbox maker will face few more hurdles before it can own Activision.

Read More: “It Benefits Everyone” – Microsoft President Optimistic as FTC Requests Temporary Restraining Order to Halt $69 Billion Deal of Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Just recently, the UK CMA had provisionally approved Microsoft’s deal with Activision. Currently, the two companies are set to wrap the deal before October 18. However, now that the FTC has got a green signal, it can continue to challenge the deal even after it closes. But the regulator’s chances of stopping the acquisition are looking bleak right now.

What to expect from Call of Duty franchise going forward?

While the situation regarding the deal is still intense, Activision will end up revealing its next major FPS entry in 2023. Modern Warfare III will be the new Call of Duty under the action franchise. Ever since its official announcement, the upcoming game has amassed huge interest among the fans. There are several reasons for why it’s looking promising ahead of the release.

For the first time, Zombies will appear in the Modern Warfare universe, thanks to MWIII. Players will receive an open-world mode comprising a PvE format. They will go against large hordes of the undead in order to finish certain mission objectives and extract successfully.

Moreover, the title will also reintroduce 16 remastered maps from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. But that’s not everything it has to offer. There will be a unique Carry Forward feature as well. It will allow the users to keep their purchased cosmetics and bundles from the ongoing game, Modern Warfare II.

As of now, Activision will surely hope to seal the deal with Microsoft apart from preparing for its next premium launch. It will be interesting to see how FTC proceeds with its challenge going forward.

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