US gamers have sued Microsoft in an attempt to block its merger with Activision

A group of self-identified gamers has grouped together to sue Microsoft over its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. On Tuesday, a private lawsuit was filed in California.

Plaintiffs argued in a complaint (via Reuters) filed on Tuesday in a federal court in California that the $69 billion deal could significantly reduce competition or create a monopoly in violation of the Clayton Act.

Ten video game players from California, New Mexico, and New Jersey filed the private antitrust action.

According to their joint statement, they are united by a "express interest and intent in ensuring that the industry remains competitive, with the utmost innovation, output, choice, and price constraints, now and in the future."

While the majority of the plaintiffs stated that they play games on multiple platforms, eight stated that they use PlayStation consoles, while three use Xbox systems.

The lawsuit claims that if Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through, the video game industry may lose a significant amount of competition and Microsoft may have a disproportionate amount of market power, giving it the ability to shut down competitors, restrict output, limit consumer choice, raise prices, and further stifle competition.

The US Federal Trade Commission announced earlier this month that it would file a lawsuit to prevent the proposed acquisition, which it claims would allow Microsoft to "suppress competitors" to its Xbox consoles, subscription content, and cloud gaming business.

Microsoft president Brad Smith responded to the news by saying the company was confident in its case and would try to prove that the deal was not anti-competitive.