Activision Blizzard: US judge blocks takeover by Microsoft until further hearings

A US district judge has granted the Federal Trade Commission's request to temporarily block Microsoft's $69bn buyout of video game maker Activision Blizzard and set a hearing next week. Microsoft's bid to acquire the Call of Duty video game maker has been approved by the EU but blocked by British competition authorities, while the FTC, a US authority, has argued the transaction would give Microsoft's video game console Xbox exclusive access to Activision games, leaving Nintendo consoles and Sony's PlayStation out in the cold. Microsoft has said the deal would benefit gamers and gaming companies alike, and has offered to sign a legally binding consent decree with the FTC to provide Call of Duty games to rivals including Sony for a decade. On Tuesday, Judge Edward Davila scheduled a two-day evidentiary hearing on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction for 22 and 23 June in San Francisco. Without a court order, Microsoft could have closed on the deal as early as Friday.