FTC and Microsoft clash over $69 billion Activision buyout.

The US Federal Trade Commission argues that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard should be temporarily blocked until the agency's in-house court rules on whether the deal harms competition in the video game industry. The FTC claims that the combined company would have the ability and incentive to harm competition in various markets related to consoles, subscription services, and the cloud for gaming. Microsoft argues that the deal would benefit gamers and gaming companies and has offered to sign a legally binding consent decree to provide "Call of Duty" games to rivals for a decade. The hearing is scheduled to proceed through June 29, and a decision isn't expected until after the Fourth of July holiday.