Microsoft wins FTC appeal challenging $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal

A Microsoft logo is seen in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris

By Mike Scarcella

(Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a legal challenge by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower judge’s order that said the FTC was not entitled to a preliminary injunction blocking the deal, which closed in 2023.

(Reporting by Mike Scarcella)