Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

Microsoft announced today its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, the company behind popular franchises such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush, for $68.7 billion.

With the acquisition, Microsoft will become “the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.”

Once the deal gets approved, Microsoft plans to bring many Activision Blizzard titles such as Overwatch and World of Warcraft via Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscription service. Game Pass already has more than 25 million subscribers.

“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”

The acquisition will bring more teams of developers and franchises to the company, such as Major League Gaming, Beenox, Blizzard Entertainment, High Moon Studios, and others.

However, Activision Blizzard still faces lawsuits due to sexual harassment and discrimination cases. Many employees have called for Bobby Kotick to leave his position. “Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming.”

Both companies made no mention of the lawsuits against Activision Blizzard.

[Sources]: Activision Blizzard: Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone, across every device – [Archive]. Xbox: Welcoming the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming – [Archive].