Gamers suing Microsoft to prevent merger with Activision

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) was hit with a private consumer lawsuit yesterday claiming the technology company’s $69 billion bid to purchase Call of Duty maker, Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), would unlawfully curtail competition in the video game industry. That lawsuit was filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey.

The proposed merger, which would be the largest-ever acquisition in the video-gaming market., has been been controversial since its initial announcement. The FTC also recently filed a lawsuit alleging that the merger would pose serious harm to competition in the video game industry. Microsoft disagreed, stating that the Activision acquisition would “bring Call of Duty to more gamers and more platforms than ever before.”