US watchdog appeals judge's decision allowing $69B Microsoft-Activision deal

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed an appeal against a judge's decision that allowed Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard.

The watchdog filed the appeal on Wednesday with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, California.

The Ninth Circuit is recognized as the largest among the 13 US Courts of Appeals nationwide.

The FTC's appeal follows the ruling on Tuesday by Federal Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of California, who favored the deal.

Judge Corley noted in her decision that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, the largest in tech history, deserves scrutiny.

Last month, the FTC applied for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction seeking to block the acquisition, arguing that the deal would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors against its Xbox gaming consoles, its subscription content and cloud-gaming business.

"Microsoft has committed in writing, in public, and in court to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years on parity with Xbox. It made an agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to Switch. And it entered several agreements to for the first time bring Activision’s content to several cloud gaming services," Judge Corley wrote in her ruling.