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Microsoft settles Activision Blizzard gamer antitrust suit

Microsoft settles Activision Blizzard gamer antitrust suit

Tech giant Microsoft has settled an antitrust case that was brought against it by gamers concerned with the company's purchase of Activision Blizzard. 

That's according to The Hollywood Reporter, which says that the two sides of the lawsuit have both filed to have it dismissed with prejudice. In English, that means that neither side can refile the case now. Previously, the case was brought in 2022 but was dismissed without prejudice in March of the following year. It was refiled in April 2023. 

The terms of the settlement haven't been disclosed. Each party will be paying for their legal fees. 

The lawsuit was filed in California and expressed concerns about the impact that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard would have on the games industry. Namely, consumer choice would be reduced due to the sheer size of the new entity the deal would create. 

It was filed around the same time that the US Federal Trade Commission – ultimately, unsuccessfully – sued to half the deal in its tracks. 


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Forbes-Calvin is a freelance writer and photographer, mostly operating within the games industry. Over his career, he has written for the likes of MCV, Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.biz, The Observer, VGC and Esquire. That's on top of writing books for Dark Horse on RuneScape, Assassin's Creed, Dead Island 2 and more.