Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition has had some twists and turns, but not many gamers would have expected this response. Move over FTC, gamers have taken over the charge to halt the acquisition in its tracks. A collection of 10 gamers from New Mexico, Jersey, and California are rising up to take on the technological giants.
Their argument for the court is the merger violates the Clayton Antitrust Act. This would, in turn, reduce competition in the gaming industry, leading to a variety of issues.
While Microsoft might argue Sony has all the best exclusives, and Xbox only-games pale in comparison, the gamers disagree. Their arguments, similar to the FTC, are based mainly on the market share Microsoft will own if the deal goes through.
Among the list of many concerns is the “elimination of a significant rival, the proposed acquisition may give Microsoft far-outsized market power in the video game industry and may enable Microsoft to foreclose rivals to critical inputs and important markets.”
The issue with the suit is the FTC has already taken Microsoft to court to block the acquisition for the same reasons. Unless the gamers have information the FTC is missing, this could be a long shot.
If all else fails, they could just go buy an Xbox once the deal does go through. They’d probably save the cash they spent on lawyers if they just bought a different console.
