Microsoft’s takeover of Blizzard was not well received by everyone. Ten players went to court alone against the deal. After almost two years, the result is now clear.
What were the gamers up to? In 2022, Microsoft announced that it would take over Activision Blizzard for almost $69 billion. While some were happy about this news, there were also those who wanted to stop the plan. Among other things, an authority that found that Microsoft’s market power was harming Xbox gamers.
But some players also viewed the takeover as a bad idea. Ten critics of the deal even joined forces to take legal action against the takeover. Their accusation: The purchase of Activision Blizzard would put Microsoft in an “undisputed position” in the video game market and harm free competition.
While the first lawsuit was initially dismissed because of “overly general allegations,” the players filed a revised version of the lawsuit in April 2023. Information from Microsoft’s internal strategy papers that was intended to support the players was also included.
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No success for the gamers
How did the lawsuit end? Almost a year after Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard was completed, the lawsuit has now been ended.
As hollywoodreporter.com reports, the gamers were apparently unable to provide enough evidence to confirm their allegations. The internal strategy papers were probably not enough either.
As the article shows, the parties settled their dispute and settled out of court. The joint statement said both sides had decided to have the lawsuit “dismissed without prejudice.”
This means that the lawsuit cannot be filed again later, which Microsoft can certainly count as a success.
What exactly does the agreement look like? There is no precise insight into the agreement. Both sides have agreed to maintain secrecy about the terms. A court filing states: “Each party shall bear its own costs and fees.”
After the takeover of Microsoft, the company caused a stir this year with major layoffs, which also affected the recently purchased companies and studios from Activision and Blizzard: Update on the layoffs at Activision Blizzard until the end of 2024: 3 locations are affected