The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

 

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking a court order to temporarily block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard while its antitrust challenge plays out.  In the complaint filed Monday, the FTC says Microsoft and Activision want to close the deal soon despite legal opposition in the U.S. and the U.K. The FTC initially sued in December to block the deal, citing concerns about Microsoft's control over consumer access to Activision's games and potential harm to competition It's latest filing seeks a temporary restraining order and injunction to prevent the $69B deal from closing before the case is heard. Microsoft aims to close the acquisition before the July 18 deadline, while the FTC seeks to prevent it to avoid complications post-closing. An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 2. The timing of the complaint coincides with Microsoft's appeal against U.K. regulators' decision to block the merger. European regulators have already approved the merger.