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The FTC ended its remaining administrative challenge to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard on May 22, 2025, when it filed an order dismissing its complaint. The deal had closed on October 13, 2023. A separate Ninth Circuit ruling on May 7, 2025, had affirmed the denial of the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction; that ruling did not itself dismiss the administrative case.
What happened, and when?
The FTC pursued two related legal tracks after challenging Microsoft’s proposed acquisition. In federal court, it sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the deal from closing while its administrative case proceeded. The district court denied that request in July 2023, and the FTC appealed. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial on May 7, 2025. The FTC then filed an order dismissing its administrative complaint on May 22, 2025, ending the agency’s challenge. The FTC’s June 2025 litigation report records the procedural chronology, and the agency’s timeline entry identifies the dismissal filing.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 12, 2023 | The FTC filed its administrative complaint, according to the agency’s June 2025 litigation report. |
| July 10, 2023 | The district court denied the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction, according to the agency’s June 2025 litigation report. |
| October 13, 2023 | Microsoft completed the acquisition after the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority approved a restructured transaction, as described in the Ninth Circuit opinion. |
| May 7, 2025 | The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of preliminary relief, according to the appellate opinion. |
| May 22, 2025 | The FTC filed an order dismissing its administrative complaint, ending its challenge, according to the agency’s timeline entry. |
What did the FTC allege?
The FTC alleged that the acquisition could let Microsoft suppress competitors to Xbox consoles and to its subscription and cloud-gaming businesses. That was the agency’s theory of potential harm, not a finding that Microsoft had suppressed competitors. The FTC’s case record describes the allegations and the proceeding.
What changed in the U.K.-approved deal?
The acquisition closed after the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority approved a restructured transaction. Under the arrangement described by the Ninth Circuit, Activision Blizzard transferred to Ubisoft cloud-streaming rights outside the European Economic Area for current games and future games released during the following 15 years. The arrangement also limited exclusive or preferential licensing to Microsoft. This was a transfer of specified cloud-streaming rights, not a transfer of Activision Blizzard itself to Ubisoft.
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What does the FTC’s dismissal mean?
It means the FTC ended this administrative challenge to a transaction that had already closed. The May 7 appellate ruling and May 22 dismissal were separate procedural events: the former affirmed the denial of preliminary relief, while the latter dismissed the agency’s complaint. The dismissal should not be read as a broad judicial finding resolving every possible question about the acquisition’s competitive effects; the cited procedural record establishes the outcome of this FTC challenge.
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