Investing.com -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has discontinued its case that aimed to prevent Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT )’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI ). The FTC stated on Thursday that it would not be in the public interest to continue pursuing the case against the deal, which has been finalized for some time.

Earlier, in May, a federal appeals court dismissed a legal challenge by the FTC against Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, the creator of the popular video game "Call of Duty". The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, supported the decision of a lower court. The lower court had ruled that the FTC was not entitled to a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the deal.

The acquisition deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard was officially closed in 2023. The FTC’s latest decision suggests an end to any legal disputes over this particular transaction.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.