During the latter half of December, we reported on an antitrust lawsuit filed by gamers against Microsoft. The suit argued that Microsoft’s buyout of Activision-Blizzard violated a specific antitrust act from 1914 and would put the company in an “unrivaled position in the gaming industry.” Readers will also remember that Microsoft tried to have the action paused while it wrestled the real bear of its fight with the FTC, but that request was denied.
The legal process in that case has since moved on, as US District Judge Jacqueline Corley has dismissed the lawsuit outright due to a lack of sufficient detail. “Plaintiffs’ general allegation that the merger may cause ‘higher prices, less innovation, less creativity, less consumer choice, decreased output, and other potential anticompetitive effects’ is insufficient,” she writes. “How? Why?”
Despite the ruling, Judge Corley is granting the plaintiffs in the case 20 days to refine their challenge and resubmit the filing, which is precisely what will happen according to Joseph Saveri, one of the lawyers handling their case. A statement from Saveri claims that they will provide “additional factual detail” to “address all of the ways in which the judge indicated [they] need to allege more.” A status hearing is scheduled for April 12th.
