The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is bringing back its lawsuit challenging Microsoft's (MSFT) $69 billion acquisition of video game giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI). The revived challenge, which the FTC filed Wednesday and is moving forward through the commission's administrative court, comes after the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) indicated it is close to approving the acquisition.
The FTC’s challenge is the last major hurdle keeping Microsoft from putting the deal in its rearview mirror.
"The Commission has determined that the public interest warrants that this matter be resolved fully and expeditiously. Therefore, the Commission is returning this matter to adjudication," the FTC's filing states.
The agency originally pulled back its administrative challenge in July after losing a lawsuit requesting that it be granted a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft from closing the deal. At that point, the CMA, which originally ruled to block the deal, stood as the only potential roadblock to completing the transaction.
However, last week UK regulators, who agreed to consider a revised deal, completed a review of a Microsoft’s revised proposal and said they were mostly persuaded by concessions from Microsoft that include ceding Activision's European cloud gaming business to French company Ubisoft.
