430°

Analysis | Watchdog group calls on judge to recuse in FTC-Microsoft case

A watchdog group is calling for the recusal of the judge presiding over the Federal Trade Commission’s closely watched bid to block Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal, citing the fact that her son works for the tech giant, according to a letter shared exclusively with The Technology 202.

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washingtonpost.com
lodossrage721d ago

When I reported this last week about this Judge I was called a liar.....

Asplundh721d ago

No you wasn't. I thought it was fake and I was wrong.

Rimeskeem721d ago

That implies that you called them a liar...

4Sh0w720d ago (Edited 720d ago )

“The fact that there has been no motion to recuse tells us that none of the parties is concerned,” said Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University who specializes in judicial ethics."
https://www.washingtonpost....

-If the FTC was concerned it should have been addressed immediately, the son apparently is a "rank and file" employee that has nothing to do with the gaming division. Still I think it should be something this group and definitely the FTC said something about in the beginning AND nobody has suggested the judge has done anything unfair in the proceedings. -This group would need to file a official complaint & show evidence of judicial bias to stop the case from moving forward, which they haven't just publicly writing in a tech outlet paper that she should recuse.

Also this wasn't "discovered" by anyone, it says at the very beginning of this story SHE made it public knowledge that her son worked for Microsoft in a dept that has nothing to do with gaming, FTC did not mind.

Sounds to me they are desperate after it's clear from the facts their losing so NOW, the judge is biased. lol

JackBNimble720d ago

When someone claims they were wrong , it shows their mistake was unintentional. A lie is purposely trying to mislead people, a very big difference.

JackBNimble720d ago (Edited 720d ago )

Judges are supposed to recuse themselves even at the appearance of bias .
I would say this meets that criteria.

4Sh0w720d ago (Edited 720d ago )

JackBNimble

-You are correct but "the appearance of bias" is subjective, especially as a matter of law. Judges often have some connection with cases more often than the public actually thinks BUT as far as the judicial oversight is concerned #1 There has to be a good reason for that connection to indicate a person who's dedicated their life to following the law could not do so based on the evidence, simply because they are related to someone that if you read this story it says basically there is nothing her or her son would gain by Microsoft winning or losing this case. #2 After or during the proceedings there would have to be some questionable behavior or something very unusual to suggest that the judge was biased in order to negate the judges verdict. Nobody not even this group has said she is unfair only that she should have recused herself because of the appearance that she might be, again without siting specifically where?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 720d ago
shinoff2183721d ago

As a ps fan I thought it was bs to. Wow. Kudos to you for bringing it up

720d ago
Hofstaderman721d ago (Edited 721d ago )

This circus keeps giving and giving….Here comes a delay in proceedings and that deadline date is fast approaching.

She is between a rock and a hard place. Rules for; enquiry to determine bias and possible reset of proceedings.

Rules against; Xbox will claim she felt pressured to do so because of this, possible reset of proceedings.

mandf721d ago

To be fair she has to recuse herself. She should have known it would be a conflict of interest. How it got this far she be investigated. This is no minor blumder.

bababooiy721d ago

Judging by the general reception prior to all of this i think most involved thought it would go through without too much hassle. Instead it turned out to be a whole event.
I mean reality is weve seen much worse purchases go through without a peep, like big pharma buying out big competititors is very common. And id argue thats much more scary.

shinoff2183721d ago

Bababooiy

These deals get taking to court or things brought up all the time. My guess is ya just never paid much attention. Far as big pharma lol what a joke. America is gonna get fked in the end either way , happens right now. We pay the most by a longshot for medicine these same big pharma companies charge other countries. I agree but that sh is to far gone monopoly or not.

720d ago
S2Killinit721d ago

Woah, that should have been addressed right away…

Zeref721d ago

The FTC lawyers are fine with it. One of their lawyers used to work for Sony as well.

Sonyslave3721d ago

Not only that this Watch Dog see how bad the FTC is getting killed by her lol she had to remind the FTC your job is to protect the consumers not Sony Corp.

Sephiroushin721d ago (Edited 721d ago )

it's not close to the same, for one they're family and close family mother and son which need to be disclosed and also, who is to say the lawyers who used to work and doesnt work for sony anymore doesnt like sony or hold a grudge against sony for X or Y thing ...

shinoff2183721d ago

Somyslave your so full of sh. You gonna have to come with a link if you expect that to be believed.

S2Killinit721d ago

“Used to work” is different, and this is the JUDGE.

Haki1112721d ago

@shinoff2183 https://youtu.be/9s35MBJ6vW... 11:33 mark. Judge: "It's not the harm to sony we care about it's the harm to the consumers" the FTC been on full protection for sony instead of the cosumers. Ftc and sony worried about COD coming to gamepass and the Judge even said this will force sony to make their PSN+ service better to compete with gamepass and in the end the cosumers win but sony fans stay mad

Othegamer5720d ago

@shinoff2183 your so goofy. that is public info if you been paying attention the judge clearly said that its not a secret. "your going to have to come up with a link" use google fanboy.

DarkZane720d ago

@Sonyslave3 Blocking this deal would be protecting consumers, but you toxic xbox fanboys can't see that.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 720d ago
King_Noctis721d ago (Edited 721d ago )

What does her son have to do with anything? As the article clearly said, he doesn’t even work in the gaming division. What benefit does he gain by if Xbox win this case? I fail to understand this.

kneon721d ago

it's pretty simple, microsoft will be harmed by the deal failing to go through (lower revenue, lower share price etc.). Her son works for Microsoft therefore it will have an impact on him as well.

mkis007721d ago

Microsoft is buying Activision...Xbox is not...Microsoft bought Bethesda too...hence why they are still referred to separately from MGS.

This deal is about Microsoft not Xbox. If Xbox was an independent company there would be no issues with the purchase (assuming they could afford it).

Crows90721d ago

Microsoft can afford gaming...Xbox can't. Lol

giovonni721d ago (Edited 721d ago )

Its simple, nothing. It’s just being used because there is nothing left to use to block the deal by those who don’t want it to go through. Even if they (government) threw the case out and retried it the FTC would still fail to show why this deal is anti consumer. The FTC spent their entire testimony on protecting Sony and its position. It got to a point where the judge again had to remind the FTC lawyers that they were there to protect the consumer not Sony. This last five days was really a waste of time, but was very informative with the shady business practices of each company.

ApocalypseShadow720d ago (Edited 720d ago )

Read what Pete posted below. Code of conduct. If you and King were actually using sense, you'd know the law and what the effect is on him or her.

But it's not like you care because you are fine with a huge corporation buying out franchises and the industry. They have plenty of money. Plenty of developers. They just want more to hurt Sony and control everything like Windows.

But that's if you were using common sense to know.

shinoff2183721d ago

It's still the company as a whole. The division doesn't matter. What lol

giovonni721d ago

It’s still a reach, and again what difference does it make? The FTC still failed to prove why this was anti consumer. The Trade Commission Spent days defending Sony not the consumer. Her Son being apart of Microsoft has no bearing on the poor job The FTC has done. Now if the FTC had a legit solid case I’d agree, but this is such a reach and a spin to cope with the fact the FTC had nothing, and wasted time. The thing is MS could still lose.

ApocalypseShadow721d ago

Try using your head. Direct influence from her own son could sway the outcome. You know it's true. But fain ignorance.

giovonni721d ago

Lol! What influence?! The FTC destroyed the case all on their own. Are you kidding me, “direct influence” so you think her son’s influence changes the fact that the FTC couldn’t prove why this was anti consumer. Wait wait, his influence could sway his mom even though the lawyers were clearly protecting Sony through out this case. Man cut the BS and stop reaching.

thesoftware730721d ago

What if her son is a PlayStation fan?

Working for MS(not Xbox) has no bearing on what video games a person likes.

King_Noctis720d ago

Like someone said, what if her son a fan of Nintendo or Playstation? What if he own all the consoles and is not a fanboy of just one? What if he doesn’t play video game at all?

Thing is, N4G’s mentality is everyone has either to be a fanboy of some sort of consoles or is involved in the fanboy console war.

Petebloodyonion720d ago

The problem is the perception of a potential conflict of interest affecting the judge's impartiality.
"The public could rightfully become concerned about a judge being improperly biased if the judge’s child is employed by a corporation whose case the judge is overseeing"

720d ago
+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 720d ago
Chris12720d ago

The FTC and Sony have totally blown this case, and they know it. Their only win is likely to be a technicality which is why this has now surfaced. Fan boys and desperation at it's finest.

BlackTar187720d ago

Lmao you sir are a crackpot

Show all comments (64)
100°

Where to watch Capcom Spotlight, when it kicks off in your region, and what to expect

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50°

Warner Bros. Games Restructures Development Into Game Divisions

Warner Bros. Games has set a new leadership team and restructured around Harry Potter, "Game of Thrones," "Mortal Kombat" and the DC Universe IPs.

340°

Sony PS5 Era Profits Soar Past $13 Billion, Outpacing All Prior PlayStation Generations

Sony’s PS5 era has generated over $13 billion in profits, surpassing the combined earnings of PS1–PS4, with $136 billion in sales.

Read Full Story >>
inspire2rise.com
lukasmain1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

Their recent Playstation revenue is also more than Xbox and Switch combined, obviously in large part due to 3rd party sales.

Christopher1d 9h ago

I mean, if Sony is keeping third parties happy, kind of feels like a winning method.

GamingExplained10111h ago

I mean they have to, since they have 2 exclusives anyone cared about this generation, and those are now on PC. The rest is this creatively bankrupt string of remakes and remasters, taking advantage of the creativity of developers past efforts, and laying off teams creative side since all that work has been done already by previous teams.

By far the least creative generation ever.

lukasmain9h ago

@ Gaming-NEW-Troll account

"those are now on PC"

In that case. Xbox is Playstation's competition. MS have ZERO exclusives. ZERO. Nothing. Nada. Not a single exclusive.

Playstation has Astrobot. Demon's Souls, Astrobot Playroom, Gran Turismo 7, still not going to PC. They got Death Stranding 2 coming out in 3 days, NOT ON PC. Ghost of Yotei, not on PC.

That is 6 real exclusives MORE than Microsoft. Microsoft's Xbox is Playstation's competition. So lets compare.

I mean you brought it up.

Or does being "creatively bankrupt" not count when you have certain console exclusives going to PC years after they were released? In that case Returnal. Ratchet And Clank. Spiderman. Miles Morales. Silent Hill 2. And the list goes on

IRetrouk1d 5h ago

Kinda always been that way if you look at previous gens, exclusives are important but they aint the main revenue generator.

Reaper22_1d 4h ago (Edited 1d 4h ago )

.While that is impressive. Microsoft made 13 billion in one quarter. Making up facts doesn't make them true.

Mmmkay1d 4h ago

microsoft is not xbox. a bot should know that by now. you have been told this bs 1000 times on this site alone.

OlderGamer171d 2h ago

Yeah Microsoft but Xbox on the other hand.....

Aloymetal1d 1h ago

Your defense of Microsoft is only highlighting Lord Phil's and the lame MS mismanagement. Since you're talking about MS as a whole, imagine having trillions in the bank and still losing to ''tiny'' Sony PS and Ninty. It doesn't get any more lame than that.

Christopher20h ago

If what Microsoft made as a whole was all that mattered, we would still have Windows Phones and Zunes. I would love to see Xbox' operating profits. Love to see it.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 20h ago
thorstein1d 2h ago

I prefer Playstation over Xbox when it comes to consoles but how does this news justify their layoffs?

Shane Kim1d 2h ago

But the execs brother. You got to think about them. How could they otherwise buy yet another mansion and yacht?

raWfodog1d ago

People are generally paid for the work they are doing. Layoffs generally occur when there is no work for them to do (project cancelled, business slowing down, etc). I’ve been laid off from two jobs during my 40+ years of working so I know about these things. A company is not going to just keep paying people if there is no work for them to do, no matter how much profits they made.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 9h ago
MIDGETonSTILTS171d 5h ago

And this is why the game output for ps5 has been a tad slower…

1) they needed to be… games take longer to develop, and they’d burn out their teams trying to maintain the same pace as ps3.

2) they can afford to… games cost more than ever to push boundaries, so Sony had to figure out a way to match Xbox’s clever profit strategies in order to afford to continue to innovate and take risks.

lukasmain1d ago

So much time was wasted on those Live Service shits. Glad they learned their lesson and have scaled that way back. Still haven't killed it, but I like it being in the background and not at the forefront

MIDGETonSTILTS1719h ago

Honestly, I love Helldivers 2 so much that I can forgive them for over investing in GaaS. At least they got one gem from the endeavor.

And I still dream of Factions releasing one day.

I don’t hate GaaS inherently, most are just implemented poorly.

Reaper22_1d 4h ago (Edited 1d 4h ago )

@ s2killinit

Thats xbox which includes other services. The playstion division also includes other services as well. Its mostly playtion but not all playstation. What's up with all the double standards around here.

Chevalier1d 3h ago

Yeah double standards like some idiots who got to talk about unrelated profits as a talking point. Wish those damn parrots could stay on topic with game related profits.

Next thing these idiots will talk about is something unrelated like Nintendo made more off the Mario movie than all of Xbox studios TV/movie endeavors combined you know?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...

1d 3h ago
Deathdeliverer1d 3h ago

@Chevalier

Mind you that’s only AFTER buying all those other companies adding them to the revenue. It was a LOT lower. This is Activision, Bethesda, and others COMBINED to get that number.

“The sales of windows professional on the other hand trounces god of war sales” 😂

Reaper22_1d 1h ago (Edited 1d 1h ago )

All you did was prove that you dont know what revenue is. Tencent is no.1 in profits. Buts that's ok because unlike Tencent and Microsoft, Sony isn't in it for the money, right.🤔

pwnmaster30001d ago

That’s what Xbox fanboys do. They’ve been doing this since Xbox one.

They will use all of MS, one of the biggest company in the world and play it like every dollar they earn comes from Xbox just to one up PlayStation.
Is actually pretty sad.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d ago
Chevalier1d 3h ago

"Mind you that’s only AFTER buying all those other companies adding them to the revenue. It was a LOT lower. This is Activision, Bethesda, and others COMBINED to get that number."

Guys we're off topic here you know? Can someone bring us back on topic and tell us how much revenue Xbox studios does for movies and TV? Pretty sure we should also discuss how much Nintendo stands to make at Universal studios on Nintendo land and the rides should be a hot ticket this summer.

"Ouch! hahaha no wonder reaper wanna hide behind profits made by windows XD"

Yeah idiots with some sort of inferiority complex needs to get their win somewhere though. But wait shouldn't we get back on topic guys? Like seriously how much money do you think Fallout Season 2 will bring in?!

Reaper22_22h ago

Nah, reaper's not hiding behind anything. I'm just pointing out some facts. At first the narrative was Microsoft isn't going to make the money back from the ABK deal to now their profits wouldn't be as high if they didn't get the deal. This very topic is part of the reason why the deal was secured. Sony's dishonesty and reluctance to tell the truth about how much money they're making and lying about how much this deal would hurt their business. That strategy failed. They're are making a lot of money. No doubt about it and its good for the industry but don't get butthurt when Microsoft post their profits and you guys see they are also making a lot of money as well.

CrashMania22h ago

@reaper.

Microsoft don't reveal Xbox profits, sales numbers, or gamepass numbers, I wonder why that is?

You call Sony dishonest but at least they don't hide and obfuscate meaningful playstation numbers like MS do with Xbox.

IRetrouk21h ago

Reaper stop lol, only one company hides that info and it ain't sony....

Chevalier1d 1h ago

"All you did was prove that you dont know what revenue is."

Nah all you did was confirm you're an idiot.

Reaper22_23h ago(Edited 23h ago)

You seem to be fluent in idiocy. Not everyone speaks it. So next time speak slowly and clearly so we all can understand. Getting emotional doesn't really make you smarter. Before you post a link with info make sure you know what it says.🫡

Chevalier18h ago

"Nah, reaper's not hiding behind anything. I'm just pointing out some facts"

🤡 What facts? 🤣

Please share with everyone your idiocy

What does Xbox make in revenue and profit? What are their sales? How much money does Gamepass cost them? Oh right you got ZERO numbers to post.

"Before you post a link with info make sure you know what it says."

Says the idiot who can't even tell the difference between Microsoft and Xbox? Lmao. Seriously all you're showing everyone again is how much of an uninformed parroting idiot you are.

But go ahead and post your evidence! Oh right again ZERO from a ZERO. Absolutely 💯 hilarious to see you stumble like the idiot you are.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 18h ago
Npugz71d 3h ago

Only because of games prices otherwise it’s the worst generation in PlayStation history especially for games

Reaper22_1d 3h ago

Thats true. The article did mention game and prices were a reason. Its also shows their greed is no different than Microsoft. Laying off all those people but yet bragging about profits and still tried to stop ABK deal. What the hell!

MatrixxGT1d 3h ago

Closing studios, layoffs, leadership changes, PS plus increases, multiple game cancellations and delays, total flops like concord. Slowest release of first party games of any generation and they just shut down PS stars I guess because it was costing to much.
Yet they announce record profits…..the greed here is insane, MS and Nintendo too. All of them milking gamers and we just keep lapping it up like a blood hound for a meal.
Them tariffs are really hitting them hard I see.

Deathdeliverer1d 2h ago

Well a part of running a business is a tight grip on that P&L sheet. In project management. It’s a known fact that the farther into a project you go, the more costly the corrections. Having something reach the definition of done, the end of the road, and it’s hated is a monumental loss of money. As games are usually made iteratively it’s like how was this not caught and course corrected several times before this point. Sony is definitely known as trusting and allows teams to make the games they want to make. They “trust the process”. The caveat to that big budget and freedom is if it bombs, especially if it’s your first game, you’re outta there. They have shareholders/stakeholders to keep happy. Where as normally a done game like Concord would give ROI as it was out in the wild. The cost of the project is recouped and turned into profit or delivered whatever value they wanted. If the game is now NOT coming out, how do they get that money back and stay profitable? By not paying wages for that team over a course of time that would have still been on payroll working on the next potential bomb, DLC for a dead game, and essentially costing more money.
It sadly isn’t greed, it’s business. They release these great profits because 1) it’s enticing for more stakeholders to invest, and 2) Despite failures they are still balancing the books and turning record setting profits.
How many live service games died at various stages of development? They are still this profitable? Imagine if the games came out and were hits to add onto the profits?

Christopher19h ago(Edited 19h ago)

So, you're saying that over $10B of this is from $10 to $20 software price increases? Zero to do with increased market reach? Massive MTX from third-party games?

Vithar1d 3h ago

where are the "Sony is in trouble" sayers? LOL

Chevalier1d 2h ago

They're talking about Microsoft quarterly profits like any true gamer would be doing.

Aloymetal1d 1h ago

Oh, that's coming, it's a mandatory thing just wait for next gen and you'll see infinite articles from the shills and the green fanbase saying ''tHiS GeN WiL Be dIfFerEnT''

stonecold317h ago

over twitter xbox fanboy you tube are saying saying sony is broke cant afford warner bros.

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