Business | Jul 15th 2023 Edition

A federal judge in America found that the Federal Trade Commission had failed to show how Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard, an online-games developer, would hurt competition and denied the regulator’s request for an injunction to block the deal. The FTC argues that Microsoft will make Activision’s bestselling games, such as the Call of Duty series, exclusive to its Xbox platform. Both companies hailed the judge’s decision, which the FTC is appealing against. Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, which also objects to the merger, said it would now be open to considering a restructured deal.