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☆ Call of Duty to remain on Playstation following Activision Blizzard Microsoft merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Microsoft (MSFT) has signed an agreement with Sony (SNE) to ensure “Call of Duty” remains available on PlayStation after Microsoft (MSFT) closes its $69 billion Activision Blizzard (ATVI) merger, the tech giant said Sunday. The agreement could resolve long-standing complaints by Sony that the merger — which aims to make Microsoft the third-largest video game publisher in the world — threatens competition. “We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” said Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox head, in a tweet. On Sunday, Microsoft did not disclose the duration of the agreement with Sony. Last week, Microsoft won two successive court victories when a federal district court and a US appeals court declined to temporarily block the merger from being consummated.

Persons: Sony didn’t, ”, Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s, we’ve, Brad Smith, Satya Nadella, Jacqueline Scott Corley, “ Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Sony, PlayStation, Activision, Activision Blizzard, ” Sony, Nintendo, Nvidia, “, Sony PlayStation, Federal Trade Commission

The San Francisco federal court had ruled in favor of Microsoft on Tuesday, saying the FTC had failed to show the deal would be illegal under antitrust law. "The FTC asks this Court to enjoin the merger at issue pending resolution of the FTC’s appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The FTC had said it was seeking a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the deal until an internal FTC judge could assess it. It is rare for a merger fight to go to an appeals court. The agency settled with the companies before the appeals court made a decision.

Persons: We're, Brad Smith, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Kanishka Singh, Tim Ahmann, Josie Kao, Jamie Freed Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, San, FTC, Ninth Circuit, Appeals, Nintendo, Britain's, Markets Authority, Foods, Oats, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Britain, California

Released in 2019, the Xbox Elite Series 2 is a premium gamepad built for hardcore gamers. I've spent weeks with the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and it's a definite improvement over the classic Xbox gamepad. Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller This high-end Xbox and PC controller has a rechargeable battery, four extra paddle buttons, and extra tools to customize its buttons. Deal Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Controller (White) The Xbox Elite Series 2 is a fantastic high-end controller with rubber grips and adjustable triggers. Xbox Elite Series 2 vs. Elite Series 2 Core: What's the difference?

Persons: —, It's, I've, William Antonelli, you've, it's, aren't Organizations: Elite, Xbox Elite, Microsoft

Still, any outstanding regulatory hurdle makes it more likely that the agreement between Microsoft and Activision will expire on July 18 without the deal having been completed. The FTC's court filing about the appeal gave no details, which will go before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the West Coast. The FTC may request a stay from the appeals court stopping the deal from closing. When U.S. antitrust agencies lose merger challenges in court, appeals are rare. The agency settled with the companies before the appeals court made a decision.

Persons: We’re, Brad Smith, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, Microsoft's, Ninth Circuit, FTC, Biden, Markets Authority, Japan's Nintendo, Foods, Oats, Thomson Locations: West Coast, San Francisco

The filing had no details on the appeal, which will go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the West Coast. In her 53-page order, Corley said it was not enough for the FTC to argue that "a merger might lessen competition - the FTC must show the merger will probably substantially lessen competition." Legal scholars questioned that standard, saying that the U.S. antitrust law required the FTC to prove the proposed deal "may" harm competition, not that it "will." The deal is Microsoft's biggest ever, and the largest in the videogame industry's history. To address the agency's concerns, Microsoft agreed to license "Call of Duty" to rivals, including a 10-year contract with Nintendo, contingent on the merger closing.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Biden, Judge Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, Ninth Circuit, U.S, FTC, Nintendo, Thomson Locations: West Coast, San Francisco

The best Prime Day deals that are still liveDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Great Price Casper Nova Hybrid Mattress (Queen) The Casper Nova Hybrid is the best soft mattress and the best mattress for side sleepers that we've tested. On July 11 of Prime Day 2023, this deal matches the lowest price Amazon offers on this kit. Great Price Apple MagSafe Charger This Prime Day sale is one of the best discounts we've seen on the official MagSafe charger. Lightning Deal Vitamix Explorian E310 Blender For Prime Day, the Vitamix Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz.

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While we've been keeping tabs on the best Prime Day deals, we're seeing a handful of exceptions where rarely discounted products are dropping to incredible prices. The 12 best rare Prime Day deals ending soonDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. It rarely sees price drops, but right now it's down to only $17 in a rare deal for Prime Day. Help keep your pup cool anywhere with this dog bath that's 20% off during the second day of Prime Day. Prime Day officially lasts from July 11 to 12 — that means most of these deals will end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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☆ Millions of users are flocking to an AI-powered chatbot that lets them chat with famous figures like Elon Musk and Mario
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Character.AI lets users chat with and create bots based on famous figures throughout history. The app had been downloaded more than 5 million times, according to Bloomberg. Popular figures on the platform include Mario, Elon Musk, and Albert Einstein. One platform, Character.AI, says it's doing things differently from its competitors. For one thing, instead of delivering responses in a consistent voice or a set of pre-programmed personas, users can converse with and create chatbots based on famous figures throughout history.

Persons: Character.AI, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, Daniel De Freitas, Noam Shazeer, Mario, Micheal Jackson, Tony Stark, Socrates Organizations: Bloomberg, Mario, ChatGPT, Google, Nintendo

Why the CMA blocked the Microsoft-Activision dealThe U.K. CMA efficiently blocked the acquisition in April, saying the deal raises competition concerns in the nascent cloud gaming market. Like other regulators, the CMA is concerned that Microsoft could take Activision games and make them exclusive to its own platforms. Cloud gaming is a technology that enables gamers to access games via remote servers — effectively streaming a game like you would a movie on Netflix. The CMA, Microsoft and Activision now look set to hash out a possible resolution to the regulator's concerns to get a deal over the line. watch nowMicrosoft has already offered concessions to the U.K. regulator which were rejected.

Persons: Redmond, Michael Ciaglo, Alex Haffner, Fladgate, It's, it's, Haffner, Microsoft Organizations: Activision, Markets, Federal, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, CMA, Netflix, Warfare, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, FTC, Nintendo, European Union Locations: Denver , Colorado

Amazon Prime Day 2023 ends tonight, and there are many deals remaining on Samsung products, including hard drives and memory cards. For more discounts on a variety of other products, check out our best Prime Day deals live blog. Top 3 Samsung hard drive and memory card Prime Day dealsBest Samsung SSD Prime Day dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. $27.99 from Amazon Originally $74.99 Save 63%Best Samsung portable and external hard drive Prime Day dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. $199.99 from Amazon Originally $429.99 Save 53%Best Samsung memory card Prime Day dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

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Below, you'll find our live coverage of all of the best Prime Day deals on sought-after gaming laptops, PCs, consoles, SSDs, headsets, and more. Amazon gaming deal quick links:Prime Day gaming laptop dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. $999.00 from Walmart Originally $1,649.00 Save 39%Prime Day gaming PC dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. $1,029.99 from Amazon Originally $1,079.99 Save 5%Prime Day SSD dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. $469.99 from Amazon Originally $599.99 Save 22%Prime Day Nintendo Switch dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

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Prime Day 2023 ends tonight and we're still working hard to round up all the best deals of day 2. Down to $164.99, this Prime Day price matches the record low we saw for Black Friday. On select sizes and colors, you can get up to 60% off, the lowest Prime Day price to date. Even with a newer C3 model out this year, this remains a better value, especially at this current Prime Day deal price. This Prime Day deal is the best price we've ever seen, and it's only available by invite for Prime members during Amazon Prime Day.

Persons: we're, we've, snagging, We're, I've, Sarah Saril, you've, we'd, We've, they're, it's, Amazon’s, eero, You'll, Apple, Bose, AirPods, Price, Price Roku, Dolby, Max, Price Casper, Casper, Coop, it’s, It's, Rich, wicks, Price Bowflex, Garmin Venu, Venu, you’ve, Luna, Riley C.E.O, Sunday Riley, It’s, Murad Retinol, Kit Burt's, Kit, They're, Snuggies, Elaine Benes, Kenneth Cole, Steven Madden, Martens, Ray Bans, Vines, Price Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein racerback, Grey Heather, Now's, JW Pei, Price Honeywell, Price Apple, Price Arlo, we’ve, fryer, Bento, bento, you'll, LaCroix, seltzer, Foodi, Fryer, Pro Air Fryer, Price Dyson, Dyson, Hoover, Decker, Bissell, Price Dell, Price LG, Ed, Swift, Zelda, Price Hori, Con Organizations: Tech, Apple, Amazon, Prime, Black, Alexa, Amazon's, Echo Studio, Music, Price Apple, Price Sony WH, Sony, Samsung, LG, Walmart, Casper, Health, Bands, Price Garmin, Garmin, OSHA, Optimum, Theragun's, Amazon Prime, Sunday, Panasonic, frizz, Amazon Deal, GAP, Adidas, Chelsea, Deal, Navy, Columbia, Honeywell, Energy, Steam, IRIS, GE, Oster Digital, Fryer, Oster, OmieGo, ICE, Pro Air, ICM, Deal LG, Fire, Price LG, PlayStation, Google, Price NVIDIA, HP, Price Samsung, MacBook Air, Asus, Mobile, Lenovo, Intel, AMD, Monitor, Seagate, Dell, Monitor Samsung, ASUS, Gaming, EA Star Wars, Star, Nintendo, Gray, Super Nintendo Entertainment Locations: Siena, Birch, Sol, Colombia, Cha Kyusu, sharpener, Whynter, it's, It's

Down to $164.99, this Prime Day price matches the record low we saw for Black Friday. $10.14 from Amazon Originally $25.00 Save 59%Prime Day deals: StyleWe've got you covered for head-to-toe deals across the fashion world today. This Prime Day deal is the best price we've ever seen, and it's only available by invite for Prime members during Amazon Prime Day. $12.99 from Amazon Originally $23.99 Save 46%More Prime Day dealsDeal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. You'll also get a bonus of $10 with this Prime Day deal when you use the code "HAPPY" and spend $50.

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WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday that Microsoft may go forward with its planned acquisition of videogame maker Activision Blizzard, turning aside antitrust enforcers' request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the $69 billion deal. The FTC had originally asked the judge to stop the proposed deal, arguing it would give Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), maker of the Xbox gaming console, exclusive access to Activision (ATVI.O) games including the best-selling "Call of Duty." The deal would be the largest for Microsoft and the biggest in the history of the videogame business. The FTC's complaint had cited concerns about loss of competition in console gaming, as well as subscriptions and cloud gaming. And while much of the testimony in the recent trial focused on "Call of Duty," Activision produces other bestsellers like "World of Warcraft," "Diablo" and the mobile game "Candy Crush Saga."

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Douglas Farrar, we'll, Brad Smith, Bobby Kotick, Satya Nadella, Diane Bartz, Caitlin Webber Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Britain's, Markets Authority, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Microsoft Corp, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo, Sony Group, Activision Blizzard, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: U.S, San Francisco

☆ Fact Check-DeSantis yearbook photo shared alongside a fabricated quote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A yearbook photograph of Florida Governor and 2024 Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis has been digitally altered to include a fabricated quote attributed to him. DeSantis, but the yearbook does not include any quote below his portrait, said a spokesperson for Pinellas County Schools, which includes DeSantis’s alma mater Dunedin High School. An earlier iteration of DeSantis’s yearbook photo posted on Reddit on April 14, 2023 does not include any quote. DeSantis graduated from Dunedin High School in 1997, according to Florida news reports (youtu.be/UH-dZ-PgJeM?t=105), (here). Sean Clark, director of strategic communications at Pinellas County Schools, said in an email that the photo is from the Dunedin High School yearbook, “however there is no quote within the yearbook photo beneath Governor DeSantis’s photo nor any other student within the yearbook”.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Rushmore, Jesus, Reponses, DeSantis, Sean Clark, DeSantis’s, Read Organizations: Florida Governor, Pinellas County Schools, Dunedin High School, Nintendo, Twitter, UH, Reuters Locations: Florida, alma, Reddit

Top 5 Prime Day hard drive and memory card dealsThe best Prime Day SSD dealsWD_BLACK SN770 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD. Deal Seagate Portable 4TB External Hard Drive This portable Seagate hard drive can hold up to 4TB of data, which is enough for thousands of files. Deal Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive This Seagate hard drive lets you store thousands of photos, songs, files, and apps in a portable package. Deal Seagate ST8000NT001 IronWolf Pro 8TB Internal HDD Hard Drive This internal Seagate hard drive is massive and sturdy, perfect for users handling big files. Deal Seagate ST8000DM008 BarraCuda 8TB Internal Hard Drive The BarraCuda is Seagate's flagship internal hard drive brand, and offers massive storage space at fast speeds.

Persons: Price, 4TB, it's, It’s, xD Organizations: Amazon, Lexar, Western Digital, PlayStation, Seagate, Nintendo, Western, Samsung, Price, PRO, Secure Digital Locations: Seagate

☆ Microsoft-Activision deal moves closer as judge denies FTC injunction request
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge in San Francisco has denied the Federal Trade Commission's motion for a preliminary injunction to stop Microsoft from completing its acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard. The judge was deciding whether to grant the FTC's request for an emergency injunction to prevent the deal from closing. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick both testified, as did executives from Alphabet, Nvidia and Sony. Kotick said during the hearings that the Activision Blizzard board didn't see how the deal could continue if the judge were to grant the preliminary injunction. "After today's court decision in the U.S., our focus now turns back to the UK.

Persons: isn't, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Bobby Kotick, Brad Smith, we've, Satya Nadella, we'll, Kotick, Smith Organizations: Federal, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Competition, Markets Authority, Court, Activision, U.S, Northern, Northern District of, PlayStation, Nvidia, Sony, Federal Trade Commission, CMA Locations: San Francisco, United Kingdom, Northern District, Northern District of California, Europe, U.S

Activision shares surged 10% on the day, as the U.S. and Britain have been the two countries opposed to what would be Microsoft's biggest deal ever and the largest transaction in the videogame industry's history. Microsoft shares rose 64 cents to $332.47. Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. "It does seem like the Microsoft and the CMA could work out a deal within the next couple of weeks," said D.A. The FTC's complaint had cited concerns about loss of competition in console gaming, as well as subscriptions and cloud gaming.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, ”, Joost Van Dreunen, University's, Corley, Douglas Farrar, we'll, Dado Ruvic, Biden, Brad Smith, Franco Granda, Satya Nadella, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Jaspreet Singh, Aditya Soni, Chris Sanders, Caitlin Webber, Matthew Lewis David Gregorio, Muralikumar Organizations: Activision, Microsoft, Biden, U.S, Markets Authority, University's Stern School of Business, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, Sony PlayStation, REUTERS, FOCUS Gaming, CMA, Davidson &, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, British, Britain, San Francisco, New, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Microsoft can close its Activision merger, federal judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A federal judge will not block Microsoft (MSFT) from closing its $69 billion deal to acquire video game giant Activision Blizzard, a defeat for US regulators who had asked for a temporary injunction while legal challenges to the merger unfold. Microsoft could potentially finalize the deal with Activision in a matter of days, ahead of a July 18 contractual deadline, or the parties could mutually seek to extend that timeframe. During a five-day hearing last month in federal court, Microsoft executives including CEO Satya Nadella testified that properties such as “Call of Duty” would not be restricted from competitors following the deal’s close. UK officials also previously moved to block the Activision merger in April, citing some of the same concerns the FTC raised in its case and triggering an appeal from Microsoft. “Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission … to this effect.”

Persons: ”, “, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Satya Nadella, Tuesday’s, Microsoft’s, “ We’re, Brad Smith, we’ve, Bobby Kotick, Meta’s, ” Douglas Farrar, we’ll, ” Smith Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Activision, US, Court, Northern, Northern District of, Sony PlayStation, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Regulators, Nvidia, Nintendo, “, PlayStation, Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Markets, CMA Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, ”, San Francisco

☆ Microsoft-Activision ruling highlights Lina Khan's struggles to fight tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Khan first emerged in antitrust circles for her critiques of how antitrust enforcement overlooked potential abuses by Amazon . The ruling means the parties are closer to being able to complete their merger by their July 18 deadline. "In the coming days we'll be announcing our next step to continue our fight to preserve competition and protect consumers." It's not the first time a judge has looked dubiously on the FTC's antitrust enforcement theories under Khan. WATCH: Judge denies FTC request for preliminary injunction to stop Microsoft-Activision deal

Persons: Lina Khan, Lina Khan's, Khan, Joe Biden, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Microsoft's, we'll, It's, Matt Stoller, Stoller, –, Microsoft — Organizations: Energy, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Activision, PlayStation, Nintendo, U.K, Competition, American Economic Liberties, Twitter, Biden, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Rayburn

☆ This international stock picker is outpacing peers with differentiated, long-term bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In 2019, it launched its International Fund. Today, the investor manages the Diamond Hill International Fund (DHIAX) , rated five stars by Morningstar. Mohanraj expects that's because of the fund's emphasis on differentiated bets. The Diamond Hill fund, which is benchmarked against the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index, has roughly $65 million in assets, a 1.150% expense ratio, and . "And it's that idea of a highly curated portfolio, of what I want to own in international, that's the mindset."

Persons: Krishna Mohanraj, Sanford C, Bernstein, that's, Mohanraj, Morningstar, DHIAX, What's, Dino, they've, Mario, V, Prem Watsa who's, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's Organizations: Diamond Hill Capital Management, Diamond Hill, International Fund, i2 Technologies, Sanford, Dino Polska SA, Polska, Dino Polska, Nintendo, Mario Bros, Office, Fairfax Financial Locations: Diamond, South India, U.S, Warsaw, Poland, Japanese, Fairfax, Canadian, Canada, Berkshire

☆ Japan launches Prime 150 stocks benchmark to help investors identify value
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan launched a new stock index on Monday, making it easier for investors to identify corporate value in the equity markets, in a move to strengthen corporate governance reforms in the world's third-largest economy. The new JPX Prime 150 Index is a curated list of the 150 constituent listings on the Tokyo Exchange, which includes the likes of tech giants like Sony Group , Hitachi , Nintendo and Warren Buffet-backed trading houses Marubeni , Itochu and Mitsui & Co . The index excludes automakers such as Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor . "Increasing the value of listed companies is essential for the expansion and revitalization of the market," Takahiro Miura, Japan Exchange Group's market innovation and research director of index business, told CNBC Monday. The Prime 150 index constitutes about half of the Japan stock market and are of similar quality to the S&P 500, Miura said.

Persons: Warren Buffet, Takahiro Miura, Miura Organizations: Tokyo, Sony Group, Hitachi, Nintendo, Mitsui & Co, Toyota Motor, Nissan, Japan Exchange, CNBC Locations: Japan, Itochu

☆ 'Barbie' is set to win the 'Barbenheimer' box office battle with 'Oppenheimer' on their opening weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Chris Johnston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" will both be released in theaters on July 21. Warner expects the film based on the Mattel doll to take up to $80 million in its first three days. That's about double the projected box office take for Christopher Nolan's epic over the same period. For about a year, a box office battle has been brewing between "Barbie" and Oppenheimer" — the two much-anticipated films from Oscar-nominated directors that are set to be released on exactly the same day. That's before the release of more blockbusters, including "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" and, of course, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."

Persons: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's, Oscar, Greta Gerwig's, Robert Oppenheimer, It's, Cillian Murphy, Eamonn McCormack, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Mia, Nolan, Tenet, Ryan Gilbey, Rebecca Cohen, Chris Panella, Mario, David Gross Organizations: Warner, Mattel, Warner Bros, Hollywood, Universal Pictures, Guardian, Mario Bros, Nintendo, Variety, New York Times Locations: United States, That's

☆ The biggest takeaways from Microsoft's courtroom showdown with the FTC over Activision Blizzard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +21 min

The impulse to expand Microsoft's gaming business on mobile devices at least in part inspired the Activision acquisition. The impulse to expand Microsoft's gaming business on mobile devices at least in part inspired the Activision acquisition. Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, wasn't happy with a Microsoft-generated list of Activision Blizzard games that would remain accessible on the PlayStation after the acquisition closes. Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, wasn't happy with a Microsoft-generated list of Activision Blizzard games that would remain accessible on the PlayStation after the acquisition closes. Activision Blizzard and Microsoft have agreed to terminate the deal if it's not done by July 18.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Phil Spencer, Spencer, James Weingarten, Weingarten, Jim Ryan, Sony, Ryan, Amy Hood, Bobby Kotick, Sarah Bond, Kotick, Amazon Weingarten, Bond, Tim Stuart, Nadella, Bernstein, Mark Moerdler, Hood, Stuart, it's, Jacqueline Scott Corley, she'll Organizations: Northern, Northern District of, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Sony, PlayStation, Mobile, Activision, Xbox, Zynga, Sega Sammy, Nintendo, Enix, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Management, Sony Group, Amazon, Microsoft's Xbox, Bernstein Research, Symantec, Sony PlayStation Locations: U.S, Northern District, Northern District of California, San Francisco, cybersecurity, United Kingdom, FarmVille, Asia, Japan, Tokyo

That would leave Nintendo (7974.T) and Sony Group (6758.T) out in the cold, the FTC has said. Asked if Microsoft would have any incentive to shut out Sony's PlayStation in order to sell more Microsoft Xbox consoles, Nadella responded: "It makes no economic sense and no strategic sense." To address the FTC concerns, Microsoft has agreed to license "Call of Duty" to rivals. The FTC has asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco to temporarily stop the deal from closing in order to allow the agency's in-house judge to decide the case. Resolving the U.S. lawsuit is one of several key antitrust battles Microsoft and Activision have fought around the world.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Read, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Biden, Bobby Kotick, Diane Bartz, Lincoln Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Federal Trade Commission, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, PlayStation, European Union, Thomson Locations: California, Downtown San Francisco , California, U.S, WASHINGTON, San Francisco

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