A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary block of Microsoft's $68.7B acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The ruling is in response to a request from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a longer-term injunction, which the court will consider at a hearing later this month. Tuesday's order prevents the companies from finalizing the deal while awaiting a decision on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction.
Despite facing the FTC's lawsuit, both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard said they are optimistic about the merger and believe that the injunction request will actually accelerate the legal process.
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