Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard in record-setting $68.7 billion deal

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Microsoft announced today it would be acquiring Activision Blizzard, adding some of the biggest franchises in gaming to its portfolio, including World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. The deal is currently the largest in the history of the video game industry, beating the record set only last week when Take-Two acquired Zynga for $12.7 billion. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will remain in his current role. While the announcement does not comment on whether or not Activision games will now be exclusive to Microsoft platforms, it does reference Microsoft's intention bolster Game Pass with Activision's portfolio, also announcing that Game Pass has recently reached a milestone subscriber count of 25 million. The deal is expected to close in the fiscal year 2023 and will make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.

The merger comes at a tumultuous time for Activision Blizzard, after both the State of California and the SEC began investigating reports of sexual misconduct and worker discrimination at the company last summer. This controversy drew responses from across the industry, with PlayStation boss Jim Ryan reportedly condemning the company in an internal memo to employees, and Xbox CEO Phil Spencer stating in November that he would be "evaluating" his relationship with Activision Blizzard moving forward and that he was "disturbed and deeply troubled" by the reports. In an interview with The New York Times last week, Spencer said "we have changed how we do certain things with them, and they’re aware of that. But I also — this isn’t about, for us as Xbox, virtue-shaming other companies. Xbox’s history is not spotless." In a press release accompanying the acquisition announcement, Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella said “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.” To add to Activision's woes, the last Call of Duty release, Vanguard, reportedly performed below expectations and failed to beat the previous year's release, with some rumours circulating that the next Call of Duty may be moved up in the schedule to compensate.

This acquisition continues Microsoft's recent trend of major acquisitions across the gaming industry. Last September, they acquired publishing giant Zenimax, and have been purchasing scores of smaller studios for the past several years, including Obsidian, Double Fine and Ninja Theory.

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Megadriver94

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In my first year at MSFT, we passed 1 billion in revenue for the first time. Now they are buying $70 billion game companies. I've watched the tech world become completely transformed from dominated by IBM to what it is today. The only thing that hasn't changed is the jealousy I see in the comments.
Yes, there is change, but there really needs to be less monopolizing in the tech scene as well.
>OOH your just jealous and/or envious
Perhaps, yes. But really, just as you think that "toxicity" in gaming is a problem like the current overlord at Xbox game studios would like to have people believe, you fail to see how monopolistic this can end up. Shrugging it off as simple "envy or jealousy" doesn't make it go away. Big Tech is capable and INDEED HAS shown to abuse their power. Not just Microsoft and Twitter, But also Facebook, and Google aka Alphabet stock. But hey, that doesn't matter to you so long as Phil Spencer gets his fat paycheck and you are satisfied by the proper stimuli, good sheep.
 

Social_Outlaw

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So let me get this Straight, my memory is quite hazy


Sony:

Used to getting content regarding to Call of Duty First

Sony having Spiderman exclusive to PlayStation Only as Well as Wolverine (in development)

Sony Games going to PC.

Xbox:

Owns Bethesda and Activision (Not fully until Next year)

Gamepass

Backward compatibility


Yeah, I'ma say it, this generation for Playstation gamers is about to be looking rough. Sony already have a Monopoly on their Digital market, especially for people that bought the Digital PS5, so at least I don't feel to bad about this news, but at the same time, this is like a Double-Edge Sword from Microsoft. I know At least Two or Three of theses IP's are going to be exclusively for Xbox consoles (They already did it for the next Elder scrolls). This is very alarming to say the least.
 

Valwinz

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When you finally saved up enough money to buy a PS5 from a scalper but Microsoft bought up all the games for it.
:cry:
 

Cortador

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100% not happening, COD is way too big a franchise to be removed from its second biggest platform. Also Microsoft acquiring a game doesn't immediately mean it will be an Xbox exclusive, look at Minecraft.

Or MLB 21. Outside of Nintendo IPs, the era of True Exclusives is slowly coming to end.

Play the game you want on the console/PC of your choice.
 

TomSwitch

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Not really, no.


Maybe they'll include some exclusive Xbox/PC content, but the main game will be available as a multiplatform.

Think of Marvel's Avengers, the PS4 version has Spider-Man while the others don't. It's a shitty ass game, but you get the point.
I own a PS5, increasingly see grass greener on the other side. This is a show of commitment from Microsoft to gaming.
 

console

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StarCraft and WarCraft developers are leave Blizzard company and joined Frost Giant Studios. It will be new WarCraft 4 and other new games created by Frost Giant Studios.

If we and people are big fans of StarCraft and WarCraft should go to check on Frost Giant Studios for more new update in near future.

Don't forget it. ;)
 
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Jayinem

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Not sure if it's been said in this thread or not but in that video Angry Joe said Bobby is OUT once the acquisition is finalized.
 

Jayinem

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might as well have bought Disney, all their movies are trash now anyway...

Speaking of Disney, a couple of interesting net worths.

Disney 93 billion
Nintendo 71 billion
Sony 145 billion
Microsoft 2.3 trillion

If they were all 3 willing to sell (which of course they won't)) MS could buy them all even assuming they would jack up the price they would still have well over a trillion dollars before they even made any money back off of them which they would make plenty.
 
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Xzi

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Speaking of Disney, a couple of interesting net worths.

Disney 93 billion
Nintendo 71 billion
Sony 145 billion
Microsoft 2.3 trillion

If they were all 3 willing to sell (which of course they won't)) MS could buy them all even assuming they would jack up the price they would still have well over a trillion dollars before they even made any money back off of them which they would make plenty.
You're probably looking at Microsoft as a whole though, they were previously split up in an antitrust case. Their Xbox division definitely does not have trillions of dollars to spend on acquisitions.
 

Viri

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Bobby walks away with billions of dollars, he doesn't give a fuck about being ousted.

Also, out of all their ips, the only one I care about is Star Craft, and that's dead. So this buyout has no impact on me.
 

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