Xbox’s Big Activision Blizzard FTC Trial Has Begun: What You Need to Know and Our Coverage So Far

It’s crunch time for Microsoft and the Xbox brand, as company leaders are heading to federal court this week to defend their proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard against the United States’ Federal Trade Commission.

The legal battle between Microsoft and the FTC began last December, when the agency announced its plans to block Microsoft’s enormous $68.7 billion purchase. Last week, a federal court in California issued a temporary restraining order requested by the FTC that basically blocks Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s deal for the time being.

This week’s trial will see the FTC attempt to impose a preliminary injunction on Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. If successful, it would mean Microsoft and Activision Blizzard can’t complete the acquisition while the FTC’s review of the transaction’s compliance with U.S. antitrust law is ongoing.

The preliminary injunction would have a significant and potentially deal-breaking impact on Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s plans, as the deal needs to close by July 18, 2023, or the parties will need to renegotiate. An evidentiary hearing between Microsoft/Activision Blizzard and the FTC is scheduled for August 2, which falls after next month’s deadline.

The Microsoft FTC Trial: What’s Happening and How to Watch

The trial is taking place at the United States District Court in the Northern District of California. The hearing is scheduled across five days, beginning tomorrow, June 22. Each day, the trial will run from 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time to approximately 3 p.m. The full schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, June 22
• Friday, June 23
• Tuesday, June 27
• Wednesday, June 28 (Afternoon only)
• Thursday, June 29 (If necessary)

If you want to pay attention to the proceedings for yourself, you can do so through the court’s Zoom audio feed for the public. Or, you can come back to this article each day, which we’ll update with all the news you need from the day’s proceedings.

What to Expect

Tomorrow, we’re expecting to get opening statements and hear from Xbox and Microsoft leaders like Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty, vice president Sarah Bond, and Bethesda senior vice president Pete Hines. Across the trial, we will hear from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Xbox head Phil Spencer, Sony’s Jim Ryan, and more.

We got an idea of the FTC’s arguments earlier this week in a new filing ahead of the trial, where the agency said Microsoft’s decision to make Starfield an Xbox exclusive is “powerful evidence” against the merger.

The FTC is just one government agency Microsoft is battling, as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is holding things up overseas. This week’s trial could end up making the biggest impact on what happens to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s historic proposed merger.

Stay tuned for lots more coverage on IGN, including a daily recap of all the events during the trial.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.