PlayStation fans' emergency attempt to block Xbox Activision deal rejected by court

The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency temporary injunction request filed by a group of gamers attempting to stop Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard.

As far as Microsoft is concerned, things have been going pretty well regarding its proposed acquisition of Activision. Earlier this month, it won its court battle against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is a huge step forward. However, it still needs to convince the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that the deal is fair - the UK regulator rejected the buyout once already back in April.

If the buyout is fully approved, Microsoft will own the Call of Duty IP. Take a look at some funny wins and fails from Call of Duty: Warzone below.

However, as Variety reports, a group of gamers attempted to take matters into their own hands this week by filing for an emergency temporary injunction in order to stop the buyout from going ahead. The lawyer representing the group, Joseph Alioto, stated in the application: “The merger between Microsoft and Activision would be one of, if not the largest technology mergers in history, at a time when concentration among technology companies is already threatening the competitive balance of our economy and even our political systems.”

On Tuesday (18 July), this request was officially denied, without explanation, by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Eurogamer reports that the request was submitted by the same group of gamers who filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft last December - this lawsuit was dismissed in March 2023. It’s also reported that the Ninth Circuit of Appeals denied the gamers’ request for an injunction to halt the buyout earlier this month.

Yesterday (19 July), it was confirmed that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have extended their merger agreement deadline to 18 October. On Twitter, Xbox boss Phil Spencer wrote: “We're optimistic about getting this done, and excited about bringing more games to more players everywhere.”