Activision Blizzard ‘won’t hesitate to fight’ to defend Microsoft’s acquisition

Activision Blizzard’s CCO has said the company “won’t hesitate to fight” to make sure Microsoft is successful in acquiring it.

Executive vice president for corporate affairs and CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey took to Twitter to address “speculation” regarding the ongoing antitrust investigations currently being carried out by various global regulators.

“Seeing a lot of speculation about Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” she said.

“Any suggestion that the transaction could have anticompetitive effects is absurd.

“This merger will benefit gamers and the US gaming industry — especially as we face stiffer competition from abroad.

“We’re committed to continuing to work cooperatively with regulators around the globe to allow the transaction to proceed, but won’t hesitate to fight to defend the transaction if that’s needed.”

Meservey’s comments came a couple of hours after the publication of a Politico report which claimed that the US Federal Trade Commission is “likely to file an antitrust lawsuit” to block Microsoft‘s proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard.

An antitrust lawsuit would mean that Microsoft would have to fight to push forward its acquisition of the Call of Duty maker in US courts.

Citing three sources, the report claimed that while a lawsuit challenging the deal isn’t certain, FTC chair Lina Khan is looking to “reign in the power of the world’s largest technology companies.”

Further reading

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Sony claims Microsoft’s ‘true strategy’ is to ‘make PlayStation like Nintendo’

The company argues that Xbox will become the home of FPS games if its Activision deal is approved

While the deal has been approved by regulators in Saudi Arabia and Brazil, UK watchdog the CMA recently expanded its investigation to a second phase.

The European Commission has also officially launched an in-depth probe of the $68.7 billion deal, which would be the game industry’s biggest ever by some distance.