Microsoft and the FTC are scheduled for January 3rd at the pre-trial hearing

A federal judge has set the date for the first pre-trial meeting between Microsoft and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The two will meet in court on January 3, to discuss the fate Microsoft Activision Blizzard is available to purchase Call of Duty publisher. Activision and Microsoft announced the merger in 2022. The tech giant stated that it expected to close the deal by June 2023. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced last month To stop the takeover moving forward.

Holly Vidova, FTC director at the time, stated that “Microsoft already has shown that it can and WILL withhold content” from its gaming rivals. “Today we want to stop Microsoft taking control of a leading independent gaming studio and using it as a tool to harm competition in dynamic, fast-growing markets.”

It is likely that the FTC will have a difficult time convincing a judge about the substance of its case. First, Microsoft doesn’t want a “horizontal merger” that would remove one of its direct rivals from the picture. Microsoft has also indicated that it is open for concessions to seal the deal. Microsoft has promised to release future Call of Duty titles if the merger goes through. Minimum of 10 years. She said that she would. .

“The Commission cannot meet the burden of showing that the transaction will make consumers worse off, because the transaction will allow consumers to play Activision games on new platforms and access them in new, affordable ways,” Microsoft said. . The deal is also subject to regulatory scrutiny by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. It recently stated that it would conduct The proposed merger.