Following the decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a previous ruling and dismiss the FTC's appeal against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the Federal Trade Commission announced it will no longer pursue the appeal. This decision is based on public interest considerations.

The previous court ruling indicated the court did not view Microsoft’s acquisition as a threat to market competition. Moreover, Microsoft has committed to providing game usage licenses to other companies, allowing several previously Xbox-exclusive titles to launch on platforms like PlayStation. This made it difficult for the FTC to prove that the acquisition would negatively impact the future development of the gaming market, leading to repeated court rulings in favor of Microsoft.

Microsoft President Brad Smith later stated on the X platform that this ruling is a victory for gamers across the nation and for common sense in Washington, D.C. He expressed gratitude towards the FTC for their announcement of halting the appeal.