Read Microsoft’s response to the FTC’s Activision Blizzard lawsuit

Microsoft has filed a response to a lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission to block its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In a 37-page document that you can read in full below, Microsoft argues why its $68.7 billion acquisition should be a success: a company dedicated to Xbox and PC.

Microsoft’s filings refute the FTC’s concerns generally and also address specific regulators’ allegations. It also contains a lot of the trademark self-deprecation that Microsoft has become famous for in recent months as it tries to portray itself as a relatively weak player in the gaming space compared to its competitors.

In the complaint, the FTC said that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard “will enable Microsoft to stifle competitors in the Xbox gaming console and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud gaming business.” claimed.There are also great concerns about future developments. call of dutyto the point where Xbox boss Phil Spencer publicly promised that the franchise would be available on the PlayStation as long as it exists. It cites the promise of expanding rather than limiting its availability by introducing it to .

In a statement to The BargeActivision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also argued that the deal would go through, stating:

There is no rational and justifiable reason to stop our deal from ending. There is huge competition in our industry and few barriers to entry. We are seeing more devices than ever before that allow players a wide range of choices for playing games. The engine and tools are freely available to developers large and small. The breadth of distribution options for your game has never been greater. We believe we will prevail on the merits.

And this is a direct statement from Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.

While we are confident in our case, we remain committed to creative solutions with regulators to protect competition, consumers and workers in the technology sector. As we have learned from past litigation, the opportunity to find agreements that benefit everyone is never closed.

Here’s the rest of Microsoft’s argument for why the Activision Blizzard acquisition shouldn’t have antitrust concerns:

Update, 10:05 PM ET: Added statement from MS President Brad Smith.