"Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by judge, defeating FTC"

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Microsoft, allowing the tech giant to proceed with its $69 billion acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard. The judge stated that the merger deserved scrutiny but found that federal regulators failed to demonstrate how it would cause serious harm to competition. The ruling is a setback for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which sought to block the deal. The FTC has not yet announced whether it will appeal the decision. The acquisition still faces opposition from the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority, but Microsoft and the regulator have jointly applied to put a hearing on hold to resolve their differences.