After five days of long testimonies, District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled in favor of Microsoft and denied the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction. Following the judge’s decision executives from Microsoft and Activision issued statements regarding Judge Corley’s verdict.

CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer had this to say:

We’re grateful to the court for swiftly deciding in our favor. The evidence showed the Activision Blizzard deal is good for the industry and the FTC’s claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and cloud don’t reflect the realities of the gaming market.

Since we first announced this deal, our commitment to bringing more games to more people on more devices has only grown. We’ve signed multiple agreements to make Activision Blizzard’s games, Xbox first-party games and Game Pass all available to more players than they are today.

We know that players around the world have been watching this case closely and I’m proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice throughout this journey.

3/We know that players around the world have been watching this case closely and I’m proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice throughout this journey. END

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 11, 2023

Microsoft’s President, Brad Smith, also weighed in on the decision:

We’re grateful to the Court in San Francisco for this quick and thorough decision and hope other jurisdictions will continue working towards a timely resolution. As we’ve demonstrated consistently throughout this process, we are committed to working creatively and collaboratively to address regulatory concerns.

Our statement on today’s decision: pic.twitter.com/jRDD8PhBeT

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) July 11, 2023

On the other side, Activision’s Cheif Commercial Officer, Lulu Cheng Meservey praised the San Francisco judge:

A fair and neutral court has reached the correct conclusion about Activision Blizzard’s merger with Microsoft based on facts and the law.

The judge’s ruling rejects the FTC’s ideologically-driven attempt to prevent a deal that benefits gamers and allows more competition instead of protecting the market leader.

The legal system worked:

A fair and neutral court has reached the correct conclusion about Activision Blizzard’s merger with Microsoft based on facts and the law.

The judge’s ruling rejects the FTC’s ideologically-driven attempt to prevent a deal that benefits gamers and allows…

— Lulu Cheng Meservey (@lulumeservey) July 11, 2023

Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick welcomed the decision (via Activision newsroom):

Today a U.S. federal judge ruled in our favor, denying the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block our merger with Microsoft.

We’re grateful to the court for the way this process was handled and the thoughtfulness of the decision. The U.S. joins the 38 countries where our deal can proceed—these decisions are based on facts and data that show our merger is good for players and for competition in the industry.

We’re optimistic that today’s ruling signals a path to full regulatory approval elsewhere around the globe, and we stand ready to work with UK regulators to address any remaining concerns so our merger can quickly close.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on our progress. Thank you for all you do for our players, for our company, and for each other.

Apart from the executives, a number of Activision and Microsoft employees and studio heads have welcomed the judge’s decision. The deal still has to pass a hurdle in the UK before it can close. We will have to wait and see how it all pans out.