Earlier this week, the FTC filed a request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injuction against Microsoft's attempted takeover of Activision Blizzard, and a U.S. Judge has now granted the request for that restraining order.
The next step is for the Court to decide about whether to grant the FTC's preliminary injunction, which will be determined on June 22nd and June 23rd. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will also submit a brief in opposition to this.
In response to The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson had the following to say:
"Accelerating the legal process in the US will ultimately bring more choice and competition to the gaming market. A temporary restraining order makes sense until we can receive a decision from the Court, which is moving swiftly."
The idea behind this temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction is to ensure Microsoft and Activision Blizzard can't close their deal before the FTC has had a chance to determine whether it "violates U.S. antitrust law".
We're expecting to hear more about the situation between Microsoft, Activision Blizzard and the FTC later this month, and we'll bring you all the important news as it arrives. Let's hope this doesn't drag on for too much longer!