Microsoft to defend Activision deal in gamers' lawsuit in US court

FILE PHOTO: Gamers play Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 at the Paris Games Week (PGW), a trade fair for video games in Paris, France, October 25, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Friday will defend its $69 billion planned acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard Inc, in a private antitrust lawsuit in San Francisco federal court brought by video gamers who claim the deal will harm industry competition and should be stopped.

At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley will weigh a request that she issue a preliminary injunction barring the proposed acquisition.