--- title: "Video gamers sue Microsoft in US court to stop Activision takeover" description: "The US FTC filed a complaint with an administrative law judge to prevent Microsoft from consummating its acquisition of Activision Blizzard." author: "Muskan Singh" published: 2022-12-22 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2611/video-gamers-sue-microsoft-in-us-court-to-stop-activision-takeover category: "microsoft" tags: ["microsoft", "microsoft office", "technology", "technology news", "gaming laptops"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # Video gamers sue Microsoft in US court to stop Activision takeover - Microsoft previously declared that it would pay $69 billion to acquire Activision. - To halt the deal, the US FTC filed a case with an administrative law court. - Ten gamers brought the case on their own behalf in a private court. \ A private consumer lawsuit against Microsoft was filed in a US court on Tuesday, alleging that the technology company's $69 billion (approximately Rs. 5,71,200 crore) offer to buy Call of Duty creator Activision Blizzard will unjustly stifle competition in the video [gaming industry](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/107354/how-does-it-benefit-the-gaming-industry). About two weeks ago, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint with an administrative law judge to prevent **Microsoft**, the company that owns the Xbox console, from consummating the largest-ever acquisition in the video-gaming industry. In California's [federal court](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/32911/how-are-jurors-contacted-for-service-in-federal-court-in-the-usa), the complaint was submitted. **A [court order](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/42884/what-did-the-supreme-court-order-u-s-schools-to-do-in-1954) to prevent Microsoft from acquiring Activision is another request made in the private case.** They were represented by ten video game players from California, New Mexico, and New Jersey. According to the complaint, the proposed merger would give Microsoft 'far-outsized market power in the [video gaming](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/36386/what-are-some-dirty-tricks-used-by-the-video-gaming-industry) sector,' enabling it to 'foreclose competitors, limit output, diminish consumer choice, raise prices, and further hinder competition.' On Tuesday, a **Microsoft** representative opted not to respond right away. Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, said this in response to the FTC's lawsuit: 'We have total confidence in our position and welcome the opportunity to [present our](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/93050/how-can-we-present-our-participation-in-the-mission-of-modi-ji-s-self-reliant-india) argument in court.' Plaintiffs' lawyer Joseph Saveri in [San Francisco](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/39936/in-2006-which-player-signed-a-one-day-contract-with-the-american-football-team-san-francisco-49ers-then-retired) released a statement in which he said, 'As the video [game industry](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/11565/the-state-of-the-video-game-industry-in-2017) continues to develop and evolve, it's vital that we defend the market from monopolistic mergers that will harm consumers over time.' **Private plaintiffs are still permitted to pursue antitrust cases in US courts even though a pertinent [US government](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/99487/why-is-incresing-poverty-in-the-us-is-the-biggest-issue-for-us-government) case** is still pending. Prior to filing suit, the FTC stated that it did so to prevent 'Microsoft from controlling a leading independent game firm.' According to the agency, the combination would hurt competition between Nintendo and Sony Group's and Nintendo's rival gaming platforms. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2611/video-gamers-sue-microsoft-in-us-court-to-stop-activision-takeover Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.