A US administrative judge has rejected Microsoft's request to force Sony to produce additional documents in its ongoing lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the agreement with Activision Blizzard.
In a recent court filing, Microsoft expressed its displeasure with Sony's ongoing campaign against the Xbox-Activision deal, arguing that the company produced a “tailor-made” document in response to a subpoena. of appearance of the FTC for oppose the transaction. The Xbox maker added that it has “the right to investigate SIE's claims and asks SIE for limited and targeted production of documents related to the Microsoft-Sony agreement.”
The motion was denied by Judge Michael Chappell, who noted in his order that the fact-finding in this matter concluded in April 2023. Microsoft not only did not request the reopening of the investigation, but also took responsibility for notifying Sony an unauthorized subpoena, which is not legally enforceable. Accordingly, Sony cannot be forced to produce the documents requested by Microsoft.
What if the FTC wins?
As you know, the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard it has now happened, but this does not mean that it is definitive. In the (remote?) event in which the FTC manages to contest the transaction, Microsoft would be forced to sell Activision Blizzard King (and all the teams included within them).
It would certainly be a reversal of the situation unexpected and could have serious repercussions on the gaming industry.
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