FTC withdraws its in-house challenge to Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard deal

The second part was the pursuit of a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would have prevented Microsoft from closing its deal while the FTC’s administrative process was ongoing. A US federal judge earlier this month denied the injunction request, and an appeals court also rejected its request for an emergency stay on the deal. However, the FTC is still appealing the initial injunction denial.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have yet to complete the acquisition, and recently announced an extension of their mutually agreed deadline to October 18. The FTC may file this administrative challenge again while Microsoft continues negotiations with the UK’s CMA. As we noted earlier this week, there are signs that things may not take that long — Xbox chief Phil Spencer told employees that both companies “remain optimistic that we will take our acquisition to the end.”