U.S. Supreme Court denies gamers request to block Activision/Microsoft deal (update)
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Update 4:20pm: Adds Republican lawmakers asking FTC to drop fight with Microsoft over Activision deal.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by some video gamers to halt Microsoft' (NASDAQ:MSFT) planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision (NASDAQ:ATVI). 
The gamers, who were defeated in their efforts to block the videogame megadeal in March, filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court on Monday to block the deal. The application from the video gamers was denied on Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a court filing.
The news comes as a midnight termination deadline for the $69 billion deal nears. The two companies aren't likely to close by the deadline, but they don't intend to walk away from each other and are instead working on an extension to the termination deadline, according to media reports.
The gamers originally sued Microsoft (MSFT) in December, trying to get the court to stop the software giant from completing its acquisition of Activision (ATVI).
The Federal Trade Commission also failed in its effort to block the Activision (ATVI) deal a week ago when a federal judge in San Francisco denied the antitrust regulator's request for a preliminary injunction. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley made the ruling and also ruled against the video gamers in March.
On Friday the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the FTC's request to temporarily halt the deal while the agency appeals.
The FTC is evaluating its options after losing court battles last week to try to halt the deal. The options for the FTC include pursuing its fight in the internal FTC court, continuing its appeal in federal court, settling with Microsoft (MSFT), or simply walking away, according to a Reuters report on Monday.
Separately, 22 Republican lawmakers signed a letter to the FTC on Monday asking the regularator to drop its battle against the transaction.
"We write to express our concerns, and to urge you to drop this matter and refocus the FTCâs resources on work that supports the interests of American consumers," the lawmakers, including Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote in the letter on Moday.
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