US Federal Trade Commission Finally Drops Appeal Against Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially dropped its case against Microsoft over its Activision Blizzard King acquisition.

The FTC filed a motion to dismiss the case on May 22, 2025, officially bringing an end to its efforts to block the largest acquisition in video game industry history.

Microsoft initially announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King in early 2022. By the end of that year, the FTC had filed a lawsuit to block the deal, kicking off a prolonged legal battle. Despite losing its most significant opportunity to halt the acquisition, as appeals court rejected FTC’s last-second “pause” request the FTC continued to pursue the case. However, after a final attempt to stop the deal failed earlier this month, the agency has now decided to end its efforts.

“The Commission has determined that the public interest is best served by dismissing the administrative litigation in this case. Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that the Complaint in this matter be, and it hereby is, dismissed by the Commission,” the FTC’s filing reads.

Vice chair and president of Microsoft Brad Smith celebrated the dismissal with a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Today’s decision is a victory for players across the country and for common sense in Washington, D.C. We are grateful to the FTC for today’s announcement.”

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, including its mobile gaming division King, was finalized on Oct. 13, 2023, for a total cost of $69 billion.