Kroger Set to Name Former Walmart Executive Greg Foran as Next CEO 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
Australian Pension Funds Boost Currency Hedging as Aussie Dollar Strengthens 
Lee Seung-heon Signals Caution on Rate Hikes, Supports Higher Property Taxes to Cool Korea’s Housing Market 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
U.S. Stock Futures Rise as Markets Brace for Jobs and Inflation Data 
UK Starting Salaries See Strongest Growth in 18 Months as Hiring Sentiment Improves 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
American Airlines CEO to Meet Pilots Union Amid Storm Response and Financial Concerns 
Asian Markets Surge as Japan Election, Fed Rate Cut Bets, and Tech Rally Lift Global Sentiment 
DBS Expects Slight Dip in 2026 Net Profit After Q4 Earnings Miss on Lower Interest Margins 
Weight-Loss Drug Ads Take Over the Super Bowl as Pharma Embraces Direct-to-Consumer Marketing 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Microsoft Corporation is trying to acquire Activision Blizzard video game company but the deal hit another roadblock after it was revealed that gamers have marched to a US court to file a lawsuit with the aim of stopping the merger.
On Tuesday this week, a private consumer sued in an effort to prevent Microsoft from taking over Activision Blizzard. The gamers claimed that the Washington-headquartered tech firm’s bid to buy the “Call of Duty” creator would unlawfully stamp down the competition in the video gaming business.
According to Reuters, the complaint filed the lawsuit at a federal court in California, and this comes just two weeks after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a similar case with the aim of breaking the acquisition deal as well. In this suit, an administrative law judge is seeking to block the Xbox console maker from completing the merger that has been said to be the largest ever in the video gaming market since the deal is worth $69 billion.
In any case, the latest proceeding is looking to impose an order that will stop Microsoft from buying Activision. It was filed by about 10 video game players in New Jersey, California, and New Mexico.
In their complaint, they said the merger would give the tech firm a “far-outsized market power in the video game industry.” They added that if the deal is successful, it will have the “ability to foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices, and further inhibit competition.”
The lawyer of the gamers, Joseph Saveri, said in a statement that “As the video game industry continues to grow and evolve, it is critical that we protect the market from monopolistic mergers that will harm consumers in the long run.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s representative could not be reached for comment after the gamers filed the lawsuit. It was noted that private plaintiffs could go after antitrust claims in the U.S. even while a government agency has a pending case related to it. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard first announced the takeover deal earlier this year, and many antitrust bodies have tried to stop it since then.
Photo by: Florian Olivo/Unsplash
