The $68.7 billion purchase agreement between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, the company behind Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty, has been concluded.
After 20 months of legal wrangling with US and UK authorities, Microsoft has finally concluded the Activision Blizzard purchase.
This came about when the company prevailed against the Federal Trade Commission in a US federal court and restructured the agreement to please the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Xbox Chief Phil Spencer said, “We love gaming. We play games, create games, and know first-hand how much gaming means to all of us as individuals and collectively, as a community. And today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox.”
“As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone,” he added.
Microsoft’s Acquisition Of Activistion
This is Microsoft’s biggest acquisition to date. Microsoft announced that it will now be the “third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony” at the time of this massive transaction, which is also the corporation’s largest-ever push into the gaming industry.
Activision Blizzard’s titles will soon be available on Xbox Game Pass, according to Microsoft’s plans.
Spencer stated, “Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited – and we are too.”
Activision Blizzard clarified earlier this week that Xbox Game Pass will not be receiving Modern Warfare 3 or Diablo IV this year.
Since claiming 25 million users along with the first Activision Blizzard merger announcement in January 2022, Microsoft has not released any information on Xbox Game Pass subscription figures.
In addition to the game studios in more than 11 sites for the mobile gaming King side of the deal, Microsoft will now add more than nine game studios from the Blizzard side alone to its Xbox Game Studios.
After the acquisition, Microsoft also became a publishing powerhouse, hiring additional people in the process.
Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, will stay on until the end of 2023 to assist with the transition.
Also Read: Minecraft Bedrock Beta & Preview 1.20.50.20 Download Guide
