Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard in a gigantic deal that will change the video game industry.
Microsoft’s deal to purchase Activision Blizzard is worth $68.7 billion and will go down as the biggest deal in the gaming industry if the acquisition goes through. Activision Blizzard has a number of iconic series such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Tony Hawk, Overwatch, Diablo, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Starcraft, Candy Crush, and more. This will significantly bolster Xbox’s lineup of first-party offerings.
“Until this transaction closes, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft Gaming will continue to operate independently. Once the deal is complete, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me as CEO, Microsoft Gaming,” announced Phil Spencer. “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog. We also announced today that Game Pass now has more than 25 million subscribers. As always, we look forward to continuing to add more value and more great games to Game Pass.”
Activision Blizzard features many different divisions and development teams including Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch, and more.
Microsoft also pledges to change the work culture at Activision Blizzard.
“As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.”
