Fate of record tech industry tie-up heads to judge as Microsoft defends $69B Activision deal

The fate of what could be the priciest merger in tech industry history is now in the hands of a federal judge who must decide whether to stop Microsoft from closing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard. Federal antitrust enforcers have sued to block the $69 billion acquisition they say will harm competition between Microsoft and gaming industry competitors such as Sony and Nintendo. But Microsoft has largely had the upper hand in the 5-day San Francisco federal court hearing that ends Thursday, calling in its CEO Satya Nadella and other executives, including longtime Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, to testify in favor of the merger.