U.S. Federal Trade Commission building. Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM.
The European Union’s approval of Microsoft’s $69 billion proposal to buy the video game company Activision Blizzard might not change the U.S. regulator’s outlook on the deal but could give Microsoft hope that the acquisition will be approved, said attorneys who handle complex business transactions.
Last December, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative claim to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard, which owns such popular games as Call of Duty and Candy Crush. The FTC claims the deal would unfairly harm competition.
