Video Gamers Sue to Stop Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Buy

The Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. (Reuters)
The Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. (Reuters)
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Video Gamers Sue to Stop Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Buy

The Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. (Reuters)
The Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. (Reuters)

A group of gamers is suing to stop Microsoft from buying video game publisher Activision Blizzard, arguing that the $68.7 billion acquisition would stifle competition and reduce consumer choice. 

The lawsuit was filed late Tuesday in a US federal court in San Francisco on behalf of 10 individual gamers who are fans of Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty franchise and other popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Diablo. 

Microsoft is facing a number of legal challenges as it tries to finalize what would be the priciest-ever merger of technology companies. The Federal Trade Commission earlier this month sued to block the takeover, saying it could suppress competitors to Microsoft’s Xbox game console and its growing games subscription business. Antitrust regulators in the United Kingdom and European Union are also investigating the deal. 

Several of the plaintiffs in the private antitrust lawsuit said they play Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s PlayStation, the main rival to Microsoft’s Xbox. Others said they play them on personal computers, Xbox or Nintendo's Switch. 



Apple Names Insider Sabih Khan as COO

The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)
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Apple Names Insider Sabih Khan as COO

The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)

Apple on Tuesday named insider Sabih Khan as its chief operating officer, taking over from Jeff Williams, as part of a long-planned succession.

Khan, who has been with Apple for 30 years and is currently the senior vice president of operations, will take on the new role later this month, the iPhone maker said in a statement.

Before joining Apple's procurement group in 1995, he worked as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader at GE Plastics.

Williams will continue to report to CEO Tim Cook and oversee the company's design team and Apple Watch.

The design team will report directly to Cook after Williams retires late in the year.