FTC withdraws its in-house challenge to Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard deal

The different half was its pursuit of a short lived restraining order and preliminary injunction that may have stopped Microsoft closing its deal whereas the FTC’s administrative course of continued. A US federal decide denied the injunction request earlier this month, and an appeals courtroom additionally turned down its request to put an emergency maintain on the deal. The FTC remains to be interesting the preliminary injunction denial, although.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard nonetheless haven’t accomplished the acquisition but, and not too long ago introduced an extension of their mutually-agreed deadline till October 18th. The FTC may re-file this administrative challenge, all whereas Microsoft continues to negotiate with the UK’s CMA. As we famous earlier this week, there are indicators issues could not take that lengthy — Xbox head Phil Spencer informed staff the 2 firms “remain optimistic that we will get our acquisition over the finish line.”