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FTC Dismisses Meta’s Virtual Reality Acquisition Suit

By  |  February 26, 2023

According to a regulatory filing Friday the Federal Trade Commission will not pursue its antitrust case to reverse Meta’s acquisition of virtual reality startup Within.
The filing that the FTC was abandoning an administrative proceeding against the deal came less than a month after a federal judge denied the FTC’s request for a court order halting Meta’s purchase of Within Unlimited. 

Related: FTC Sues To Block Meta’s Virtual Reality Deal

Within makes a popular game called Supernatural, which lets users take virtual-reality fitness classes. Meta announced in 2021 that it was acquiring Within—the latest in a string of acquisitions that have made Meta a dominant player in the virtual-reality space.

Last year, the FTC sought to halt Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard for fear that the former could eliminate competition to its Xbox ecosystem. In its initial acquisition filing, Microsoft regarded the firm’s acquisition as crucial to constructing its business-focused metaverse.