[情報] FTC(美國)不接受併購

The FTC is suing Microsoft to block its Activision Blizzard purchase / It’s a major challenge to Microsoft’s planned $68.7 billion acquisition of the massive gaming company.

美國監管單位 FTC，正式提出告訴要阻止MS併購案。

https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/8/23498224/ftc-microsoft-activision-blizzard-legal-challenge-sues-block

The FTC has filed a legal challenge to try and block Microsoft’s plan to buy
Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, according to a press release from the regulator. The lawsuit was filed today after weeks of back and forth between Microsoft, Sony, and regulators over competition concerns and the future of Call of Duty. The FTC argues that the acquisition would “enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud-gaming business.” You can read the FTC’s redacted comp
laint here or embedded at the bottom of this article.

FCT在和Sony Microsoft 來回數週的討論後，正式在今天開始展開法律行動，嘗試阻止這樁併購案。FCT認為這樁併購會讓MS在家機、快速成長的訂閱制遊戲 和 雲端遊戲事業上壓制對手們。

The vote from the FTC commissioners today means Microsoft now faces significant hurdles to getting its Activision Blizzard deal complete. Regulators in theUK and EU are also scrutinizing the deal closely, despite Microsoft’s repeated attempts to appease regulators.

在FCT的投票結果代表MS在併購案上，正面對一個顯著的關卡。歐洲和英國的監管單位一樣也正在仔細審閱這個案子，即使…MS不斷嘗試取悅這些監管單位。

“Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals,” Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, sa
id in a statement. “Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets.”

FTC 的競爭辦公室總監說…MS已經展現過他可以讓遊戲獨佔於他的對手之外，今天我們尋求停止MS透過控制市場領先的獨立遊戲工作室來危害多元動態和快速成長的遊戲市場。

“We continue to believe that this deal will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers,” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vic
e chair and president, said in a statement to The Verge. “We have been committed since Day One to addressing competition concerns, including by offering earlier this week proposed concessions to the FTC. While we believed in giving peace a chance, we have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court.”

MS 某個老闆說：我們持續相信這個併購會帶來更多工作機會，也會擴大競爭；我們從第一天就不斷的承諾來解決競爭議題的疑慮，包含
這禮拜提出的…concessions( 是指十年那個嗎？）。當然我們希望大家相安無事，不過
我們也準備好上法庭。

The company’s corporate vice president of communications, Frank X. Shaw, also tweeted a link to a document titled: “Get The Facts: How Microsoft is Committed to Growing Gaming Communities.”

MS的某個大官也推：看看事實，MS是怎麼與成長中的遊戲社群們承諾的

In a letter to Activision Blizzard employees, CEO Bobby Kotick told staff that he wants to “reinforce my confidence” that the acquisition will close. “Th
e allegation that this deal is anti-competitive doesn’t align with the facts, and we believe we’ll win this challenge,” he said. The company also posted
an internal email penned by Jeb Boatman, Activision’s SVP of litigation, regulatory, and public policy law, outlining its position on the deal.

一封ABK CEO 給員工的信上指出，他想要加強他認為此案會成交的信心，對於妨礙競爭的指控與事實不符、我們終將勝利！

Microsoft offered Sony a 10-year deal on new Call of Duty games last month, but Sony hasn’t yet accepted the offer. A similar deal was agreed upon between
Nintendo and Valve, though. It could see Call of Duty heading to Nintendo consoles if the Activision Blizzard deal is approved.

上個月MS給了Sony 10年COD合約，但Sony沒反應，不過任天堂和Valve同意就是了。這可以看出…如果併購過了，COD會上Switch.

————
結論：
就說過FTC這次應該不會讓MS輕鬆過關，這種案子砍幾個部門/IP賣掉再併購，應該都是基本盤…

當年Disney要買Fox也好好喬然後才成功，MS整段幾乎都跟這幾個監管單位玩硬的，也不意外就是了…

這樁走法律，不知道要演多久了

--

Sony買了哪家市場領導地位的遊戲工作室，然後明顯做出會獨佔的動作？Sony到目前為止 最大併購應該是ABK 1/6 size的工作室吧

之前Disney Fox好像是先談好，併購要賣掉什麼，FTC同意才執行，應該沒上過法院？