Well we didn’t see this coming – Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty for a whopping $70 billion.
Microsoft announced the huge deal in a blog post, describing how the gaming giant is set to become even bigger with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It means that Microsoft will soon increase its total first party studios to 33.
The blog post reads: “Over many decades, the studios and teams that make up Activision Blizzard have earned vast wellsprings of joy and respect from billions of people all over the world.
“We are incredibly excited to have the chance to work with the amazing, talented, dedicated people across Activision Publishing, 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 every team across Activision Blizzard.”
The post goes on to explain how the two companies will operate until the deal is closed. Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently, but Activision will soon report to the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. That means Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as his current role as CEO of Activision Blizzard for the time being.
What does this mean for gamers?
The publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch has been in troublesome waters for the last six months. It’s embroiled in a lawsuit over its ‘frat boy’ working culture and a heap of sexual assault allegations. Spencer hints at what Microsoft will be doing to alter the company culture at Activision Blizzard, saying, “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.”
Spencer promises that Xbox aims to offer as many Activision Blizzard games on Game Pass as possible. That’s promising news for Xbox players! As for whether PlayStation consoles will still be supported by Activision Blizzard games, it remains to be seen. The blog post does say, however, that, “Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.” That’s surely good news for PlayStation players
While this news brings up a lot of questions, it’ll be a long while before we have the answers. The deal is expected to finalised towards the end of Microsoft’s fiscal 2023 year, which ends on June 30th 2023.
What do you think of Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard? Let us know across our social channels.
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[Featured Image Credit: Activision Blizzard/Microsoft]