US antitrust agency the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly set to file an injunction with a federal court in an effort to temporarily halt Microsoft's $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
The FTC sued to block Microsoft's proposed deal back in December, claiming it would allow the company to suppress its games industry competition. The hearing for that case - which will be deliberated by the FTC's own internal administrative law judge - is set for 2nd August, after Microsoft's 18th July merger deadline expires.
As reported by CNBC, citing a source familiar with the matter, the FTC is now taking steps to prevent Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal from going ahead before its internal hearing can take place, by filing for an injunction with a US District Court.