A federal court has issued a restraining restraining order that will prevent Microsoft from completing its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard until it can consider a preliminary injunction requested by the Federal Trade Commission, The Verge reports.
While the FTC is attempting to stop Microsoft from finalizing its deal before the deadline of July 18, Microsoft stated that the injunction was a good thing, as it would speed up the legal process.
The restraining order means Microsoft can’t complete its acquisition of Activision until “after 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the fifth business day after the Court rules on the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction.” If the injuction is also granted at that time, it means that the FTC will be able to argue its case in court before Microsoft is able to complete its deal.