Amid Xbox layoffs and a 50% Game Pass price hike, former FTC chair slams "too-big-to-care" Microsoft's Activision-Blizzard buyout that's "harming both gamers and developers"

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Told you so?

Xbox Game Pass showing Avowed, Indiana Jones, Black Ops 6 and more
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Just a few years ago, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fought to block Microsoft's $70 billion giga-acquisition of Activision Blizzard, arguing that the deal is bad for competition, customers, and workers. Now, wouldn't you know, industry consolidation is bad no matter who it is that's doing the consolidating, and the FTC's former chair chimed into the recent discourse to basically say 'I told you so.'

"Microsoft's acquisition of Activision has been followed by significant price hikes and layoffs, harming both gamers and developers," Lina Khan, whose FTC moved to block the acquisition, recently tweeted. "As we've seen across sectors, increasing market consolidation and increasing prices often go hand-in-hand. As dominant firms become too-big-to-care, they can make things worse for their customers without having to worry about the consequences."

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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