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Just as the drama surrounding FTC’s lawsuit against Microsoft had started to die down, another twist in this tumultuous tale has seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
A group of 10 CoD players from three different states have filed a joint lawsuit in an attempt to block the technology giant from acquiring Activision Blizzard.
NOW READ: The FTC sues Microsoft to block their Activision Blizzard acquisition, MS responds
Based on the official documents filed by those involved with the group, a majority of the complaints mentioned mirror the statements made by the FTC.
A specific allegation within states that “the proposed acquisition may give Microsoft far-outsized market power in the video game industry and may enable Microsoft to foreclose rivals to critical inputs and important markets.”
More importantly, a particular section notes that the merger “may be substantially to lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly,” which is a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act.
The same Antitrust Act is what allowed these players to bring forth their own case as it essentially allows any person “to sue and have injunctive relief against threatened loss or damage by a violation of the antitrust laws.”
NOW READ: Fortnite Developer Epic Fined Over Half a Billion Dollars by FTC
Although Microsoft has issued official statements promising that popular Activision titles such as CoD would remain available through other platforms, a large number of people appear to be wary of these assurances.
Both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are yet to issue an official announcement regarding the joint lawsuit filed by the CoD player collective. However, we will continue to provide updates as soon as we receive more information regarding the situation.
