YouTube could broadcast "Gamer's Lawsuit" against Activision Blizzard acquisition

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Parts of court hearings involving random gamers suing Microsoft over its Activision Blizzard acquisition may be broadcast via YouTube.

Last month, it was announced that a group of gamers - from California, New Mexico, and New Jersey - were uniting to sue Microsoft over its attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Now, it appears part of the lawsuit could be broadcast for all to see via YouTube.

The lawsuit will be heard in the Northern District of California. According to FossPatents, a blog run by litigation adviser Florian Mueller, the court of the district offers "second-to-none transparency," and because of this transparency, parts of the case could be broadcast on YouTube.

"That high degree of transparency involves that judges don't let parties overredact their filings, and that key hearings may be broadcast via YouTube," Mueller writes on the blog, indicating that parts of the lawsuit, but not the whole lawsuit itself, may be broadcast online. 

Last month, the plaintiffs alleged that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard would see reduced competition in the games industry. This was the basis for the lawsuit from the group, all of who claim that they would be "adversely affected by reduced competition" should the acquisition go ahead.

Considering Microsoft's proposed acquisition is already facing increased scrutiny from the U.K. government, and quite possibly its biggest challenge in a forthcoming FTC lawsuit, this timing of another lawsuit is anything but ideal. Currently at least, there's no set date for the lawsuit to be heard in the Northern District of California.

Head over to our new games 2023 guide for a full look at all the games currently set to launch over the coming 12 months. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.