WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday argued in federal court for a preliminary injunction to temporarily block Microsoft’s acquisition of videogame maker Activision Blizzard, which would stop the deal from closing before the government’s case against it is heard by an administrative judge.
“If this deal is completed, the combined company ... is likely to have the ability, an incentive, to harm competition in various markets related to consoles, subscription services and the cloud [for gaming],” FTC lawyer James Weingarten said in the government’s opening arguments in what is expected to be a five-day evidentiary hearing.
