Ten self-proclaimed gamers requested an emergency injunction to prevent Microsoft from buying Activision-Blizzard, but they were rejected through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and have now also been rejected by the Supreme Court. While the plaintiffs involved in the so-called Gamer’s Suit had little chance of success where even the FTC had failed, there is now one less hurdle for Microsoft in buying Activision-Blizzard.
The players first filed an application with the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for an injunction to prevent the acquisition, and after it was denied, they appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, Variety reports. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan rejected the petition without explanation.
Kagan denies https://t. co/UYQ9wnC4zA pic. twitter. com/gGP5l2CJWq
Gamers Suit’s basis is that plaintiffs, as consumers, would suffer “a risk of loss or damage” from the merger, which they said would lead to “significant competition” in the gaming market.
The Federal Trade Commission also lost its injunction case against Microsoft, with a district ruling refusing to grant it a transitory part of the settlement. The FTC’s antitrust lawsuit will continue in August, though it looks like it could fail now that Sony has agreed to a deal that will guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation for the next 10 years.
Now, Microsoft’s main impediment is the blockade put in place through the British CMA. The two sides recently agreed to a pause in the dispute to negotiate an imaginable divestment, while Microsoft is also set to negotiate a deadline extension with Activision Blizzard.
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