Microsoft president Brad Smith called it the “darkest day” in the company’s 40 years of operation in the UK.
Mr. Smith, responding to Monday’s FTC news, said Microsoft was “pleased to have the opportunity to present our case in federal court” in an effort to convince US authorities to allow the acquisition to go through.
“We believe accelerating the legal process in the US will ultimately bring more choice and competition to the market,” he said.
Microsoft, which is playing catch-up to industry leader Sony, sees the acquisition of Activision, the creators of Candy Crush, as crucial.
Microsoft is essentially gambling on the future of video games with its Xbox Game Pass service, which has been called the “Netflix of games,” thus one might see the company’s proposed investment as a gamble for the future of the industry.
Microsoft sees subscription libraries and “cloud gaming” as the future of video game consumption, as opposed to the current norm of buying individual titles.