The US Federal Trade Commission will sue to block Microsoft’s $75bn acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard over concerns the deal would harm competitors to its Xbox consoles and cloud-gaming business.
The antitrust watchdog voted 3-1 to issue the complaint, it said on Thursday. It is the latest in a number of hurdles for the transaction, which is also being scrutinised by the UK Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission.
“Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets,” Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s bureau of competition, said in a statement.