Microsoft Lawyer’s 10-Day Race to Save the Biggest Gaming Deal

Beth Wilkinson had 10 days to save Microsoft Corp.’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., the biggest gaming deal ever.

The veteran trial lawyer had just over a week from the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to seek an injunction to block the deal to implement a trial strategy and prep witnesses — including Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick. Shortly after the trial started on June 22, Wilkinson used a white board to debunk an FTC witness’s claim that the deal would push 20% of a rival’s users to Microsoft’s Xbox.

The long hours paid off. ...