FTC drops antitrust case against Microsoft’s $69bn Activision deal

The US Federal Trade Commission has dropped its antitrust case against Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. 

On May 22nd, the FTC issued an order to dismiss its case, stating that continuing to challenge the already completed deal was not in the public interest. 

Microsoft completed its $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard in January 2022. 

The FTC tried to block the deal over competition concerns in cloud gaming and subscriptions, but its efforts were denied on May 7th including a preliminary injunction. 

On May 8th 2025, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the FTC’s challenge.

Complaint dismissed

“The commission has determined that the public interest is best served by dismissing the administrative litigation of the case," it said. "Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that the complaint in this matter be, and hereby is, dismissed."

In response, Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the news, calling it a “victory for players across the country and for common sense in Washington, D.C."