US FTC seeks the court to prevent Microsoft from purchasing Activision

The FTC requested a federal judge to halt any final agreement before 11:59 p.m. ET on June 15, claiming Microsoft and Activision had indicated the transaction may complete as soon as this Friday.

In this illustration from January 18, 2022, the Activision Blizzard logo is featured on top of a smartphone with the Microsoft logo. Reuters / Illustration by Dado Ruvic

On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission requested a judge to temporarily delay Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in order to prevent the $69 billion transaction from going through before the government's case against it is heard.

The FTC said Microsoft and Activision had signaled the deal could close as soon as Friday and asked a federal judge to block any final agreement before 11:59 p.m ET June 15.

The FTC said the deal, which would be the largest for Microsoft and the largest in the history of the video game industry, would give Microsoft the “ability and increased incentive to withhold or degrade Activision’s content in ways that substantially lessen competition.”