There aren’t any “substantive” settlement discussions beneath approach between US President Joe Biden’s administration and Microsoft to resolve a authorized dispute over the Xbox maker’s $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,71,900 crore) bid for video games maker Activision Blizzard, a Federal Trade Commission legal professional stated on Tuesday.

The FTC, which enforces antitrust regulation, requested a choose to dam the transaction in early December, arguing it will give Microsoft’s Xbox unique entry to Activision video games, leaving Nintendo consoles and Sony’s PlayStation out within the chilly.

FTC legal professional James Weingarten, talking in a quick telephonic pretrial listening to, stated there have been no “substantive” settlement discussions between the 2 sides beneath approach.

Microsoft argues that the deal would profit avid gamers and gaming firms alike, providing to signal a legally binding consent decree with the FTC to offer Call of Duty video games to rivals together with Sony for a decade.

The case displays the muscular strategy to antitrust enforcement being taken by the administration of US President Joe Biden. But antitrust specialists say the FTC faces an uphill battle to persuade a choose to dam the deal, due to the voluntary concessions provided by Microsoft to allay fears it might dominate the gaming market.

Michael Chappell, the FTC administrative regulation choose, will rule on the deal after hearings set for August 2023. Either aspect can then attraction to the identical FTC commissioners who voted to carry the problem, after which to a U.S. appeals court docket.

The deal faces scrutiny within the European Union which is to resolve by March 23 whether or not to clear or block the deal.

© Thomson Reuters 2023