US Supreme Court Denies Game Group’s Request For Injunction On Microsoft ABK Merger

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have picked up another win against those looking to block the controversial $69 billion merger as both parties prepare to finalize the deal. Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request of a private gamer group for a preliminary injunction to prevent the deal from being finalized while they’re waiting for the lawsuit to move forward.

Readers will remember that the said group filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft late last year, which was dismissed by the presiding judge back in March due to lack of details. The plaintiffs were allowed to re-file the lawsuit with additional data to support their claims, which they did in April. The preliminary injunction that they filed for alongside the new lawsuit, however, has now been denied.

The US Supreme Court’s decision is just the latest in a string of wins for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard following the denial of the FTC’s similar request for an injunction and the Ninth Circuit’s refusal to grant them an appeal. The deadline for the merger has also been extended to October, giving both parties a little more time to negotiate with regulatory bodies and work out the kinks in the deal at the risk of a higher termination fee.