Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard merger temporarily blocked by judge

Microsoft's planned USD 69 billion purchase of video game company Activision Blizzard was blocked by a federal judge Tuesday, giving more time for an antitrust review of the deal.

U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco ruled in support of a temporary restraining order sought by the Federal Trade Commission that will stop Microsoft from closing the deal.

In a court filing Monday, the commission had sought both a restraining order and injunction to stop Microsoft's acquisition of the California company behind hit games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush Saga.

Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game system, has spent months trying to win worldwide approval for the merger. While a number of countries have approved the acquisition, regulators for two important economies the U.S. and the U.K. have taken action to stop it, arguing it could suppress competition in the video game market.

The judge said her order temporarily blocking the deal is necessa