The saga of the antitrust lawsuit by disgruntled American gamers who tried to stop the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard has finally come to an end. The outcome is predictable.
Image Source: Activision
Let us recall that in December 2022, a group of 10 American players sued Microsoft to prevent it from acquiring the publishing house Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, as this threatens to reduce competition and harm the audience.
In March 2023, a California judge dismissed the lawsuit, but the gamers filed again the following month. Antitrust proceedings continued even though Microsoft closed the deal in October.
Image source: xbox
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the day before, October 14, both parties to the antitrust proceedings notified the court that they had reached an agreement that does not provide for the possibility of re-filing a lawsuit.
What exact terms Microsoft and dissatisfied American gamers agreed on after almost two years of bickering is not disclosed. Both parties agreed to pay their own legal costs.
Agreement document (image source: Tom Warren at X)
As a result of the deal with Activision Blizzard, Microsoft acquired such franchises as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Overwatch and Crash Bandicoot.
The merger with Activision Blizzard helped Microsoft increase the profits of its gaming division, but in 2024 it resulted in two waves of layoffs for the company (1,900 employees in January and another 650 people in September).