The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has lost its appeal of a ruling in its case against Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In 2023, the FTC requested a preliminary injunction to prevent the companies from finalizing the deal while its legal challenge to the acquisition from 2022 was in progress.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion Wednesday affirming a denial of a preliminary injunction the FTC had sought for Microsoft's now-completed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

After the FTC lost their court battle, Microsoft Corporation has claimed full ownership of game developer Activision Blizzard. The US Federal Trade Commission went to legal war against Microsoft after it bought Activision Blizzard in 2023.