“In January, Microsoft announced plans to cut 1,900 jobs across Xbox, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, representing roughly 8% of the 22,000 employees in its gaming division.
In a complaint sent to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, the FTC argued that this move was “inconsistent with Microsoft’s suggestion to this Court that the two companies will operate independently post-merger”.
Now, Microsoft’s lawyers have responded to the FTC’s claim, saying its “factual assertions are incomplete and misleading”.
In a letter forwarded to VGC, Microsoft’s lawyers claim that Activision Blizzard was planning to make large-scale layoffs even if the acquisition hadn’t gone ahead, noting that job cuts have been occurring across the industry as a whole.
“Consistent with broader trends in the gaming industry, Activision was already planning on eliminating a significant number of jobs while still operating as an independent company,” they claim.
“The recent announcement thus cannot be attributed fully to the merger.””
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-replies-to-the-ftcs-complaint-about-layoffs-says-activision-was-already-planning-job-cuts/