If you thought Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard was over, you were wrong. Recently, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) submitted a formal complaint to the Federal Court of Appeal. The reason for the complaint is that Microsoft's large-scale layoffs in the game department violated its statements in court when it was fighting to acquire Activision Blizzard.
Specifically, Microsoft made major layoffs in its gaming division a few weeks ago, including a large number of Activision Blizzard employees. In its complaint, the FTC stressed that Microsoft's firing of hundreds of Activision Blizzard employees, including developers and esports professionals, was in direct violation of the terms outlined in its acquisition. Microsoft promised to let Activision Blizzard continue to operate independently after the merger, but just weeks later, the technology giant laid off hundreds of employees.
The FTC also said large-scale layoffs could jeopardize Activision Blizzard's ability to break away from Microsoft if the company succeeds in its administrative proceedings.