The US Federal Trade Commission is asking for US courts to prevent Microsoft from completing its Activision Blizzard acquisition while the government is involved in a bigger case to block the deal.
In a complaint statement, the FTC said: "Both a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction are necessary because Microsoft and Activision have represented that they may consummate the proposed acquisition at any time."
In a response to the action from the FTC, Microsoft's vice chair and president Brad Smith tweeted that "this benefits everyone. We always prefer constructive and amicable paths with governments but have confidence in our case and look forward to presenting it."
<social>https://twitter.com/BradSmi/status/1668377876679516160</social>
It seems Microsoft remains confident it'll be able to prove that the Activision Blizzard deal is solid, but even if that is the case in court, it's highly unlikely now that the gaming giant will be able to finish the merger around it's proposed deadline of this summer.