Friday, a San Diego judge decided to take the case of gamers vs Electronic Arts and Origin Systems under additional consideration.

　　This was to be the day when Judge Judith McConnell decided if Ken Hinter, et al. vs Electronic Arts, et al. would be granted certification to proceed as a class action lawsuit. Instead, the judge has "taken under submission" the request, which means she wants more time. Attorney for the plaintiffs (gamers) George Schultz told GameSpot News on Friday that this typically means a wait of about a week - at which time a decision will be tendered to both sets of attorneys in writing.

　　Initially, Judge McConnell rendered a "tentative decision" against certification when she called the court to order today. In effect, she rejected the plaintiffs' request but allowed for short verbal arguments from both sides

　　Both Schultz and his partner in this case, and attorneys for Electronic Arts attended the session in McConnell's courtroom. Each side argued for about 30 minutes. Judge McConnell could have then quickly modified the tentative decision to a full decision but she declined - obviously influenced sufficiently by plaintiff's attorney's argument. Her decision to reject the request for certification remains tentative.

　　GameSpot News will alert you to her final decision when it is made public.