Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/23779039/microsoft-activision-blizzard-ftc-trial-win
From the article, quoting Judge Corley:
… the Court finds the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger in this specific industry may substantially lessen competition. To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content. The motion for a preliminary injunction is therefore DENIED.
I’m so glad for Xbox Live Arcade and Steam for jumpstarting indie games. I still remember being so excited to finally be able to buy Alien Hominid because I had been playing it for years at that point on newgrounds or something similar. So many great devs were able to make careers out of their hobbies because there was finally a way for them to publish games without selling themselves to a publisher.
Gaming today is a mixed bag for me overall, but the indie space is great.