The first pretrial hearing on Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is scheduled for January 3.

CTOnews.com, December 31 (Xinhua)-- according to Reuters, the judge is scheduled to hold the first pretrial hearing on January 3 in the US government's lawsuit against Microsoft for its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

CTOnews.com reported that earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces antitrust laws, asked a judge to block the deal on the grounds that the merger would give Microsoft's Xbox exclusive access to Activision games and snub Nintendo and Sony's PlayStation.

Microsoft retorted that the deal would benefit both players and gaming companies and offered a legally binding agreement with the Federal Trade Commission to provide competitors, including Sony, with a 10-year right to use call of Duty.

Reuters sees the case as a sign of the US government's tough attitude towards antitrust enforcement. But antitrust experts said the FTC would face a tough defence to persuade judges to block the deal because Microsoft made voluntary concessions to allay concerns that it might dominate the gaming market.