Activision Blizzard has had a year of news appearances that is almost unbelievable, but perhaps none more so than the announcement that Microsoft is purchasing them for just under $70 BILLION in cash. Or are they? A lot to talk about. Every company everywhere might wind up bought and sold...in Virtual Legality. #Activision #Microsoft #Antitrust *** WANT TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/VirtualLegality STREAMLABS - https://streamlabs.com/richardhoeg STORE - https://teespring.com/stores/hoeg-law-store *** CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:18 Microsoft Talks to Gamers 11:52 The Deal Described (Buying Low) 21:14 Microsoft Talks to Its Employees 24:44 Acquisitions and Antitrust (Horizontal Mergers) 38:42 Conclusion *** Discussed in this episode: "Today is a historic moment." Tweet - January 18, 2022 - Xbox https://twitter.com/Xbox/status/1483431175041347584 Xbox News Releases https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/01/18/welcoming-activision-blizzard-to-microsoft-gaming/ https://news.microsoft.com/2022/01/18/microsoft-to-acquire-activision-blizzard-to-bring-the-joy-and-community-of-gaming-to-everyone-across-every-device/ https://news.microsoft.com/2022/01/18/satya-nadella-email-to-employees-bringing-the-joy-and-community-of-gaming-to-everyone/ https://news.microsoft.com/2022/01/18/phil-spencer-email-to-xbox-employees-re-bringing-the-joy-and-community-of-gaming-to-everyone/ Antitrust Considerations https://www.businessinsider.com/ruling-ftc-meta-facebook-lawsuit-instagram-whatsapp-can-proceed-2022-1 https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/media-resources/mergers-and-competition/merger-review https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/18 https://www.justice.gov/atr/horizontal-merger-guidelines-08192010 *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE:    • Virtual Legality   DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com *** DESIGN WORK Joe Ellis (Logo Design) Chris Leroux (Motion Graphics) For more information: contact Chris at @Chrisleroux on Twitter. PODCAST VERSIONS ALSO AVAILABLE