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    Microsoft buying Activision for $68.7B is one of the biggest entertainment deals in history

    Almost at par with Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox
    Jan 19, 2022
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    TECH giant Microsoft is set to grow even bigger, as it announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc., publisher of Call of Duty, World of WarCraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and more.

    The deal values Activision at $95 a share or $67.8 billion — an amount that puts it almost at par with the Walt Disney Co.’s $71.3 billion deal to acquire 20th Century Fox in 2020, as well as telecommunication company AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner back in 2016, for $85 billion.

    Microsoft will add Activision’s franchises to its Xbox Game Pass service once the deal is finalized. Game Pass, which currently has 25 million subscribers, allows members to download a library of games on Xbox and PC, as well as on Android and iOS for a monthly fee.

    “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,” says Microsoft’s CEO of gaming Phil Spencer in a statement.

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella added: “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.”

    Nadella also said that the company’s acquisition of Activision will “play a key role in the development of our metaverse platforms.”

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      What is Activision Blizzard?

      As one of gaming’s biggest holding companies, Activision Blizzard encompasses a number of high profile development studios, including Blizzard (WarCraft, StarCraft, Diablo), Beenox (Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War), Demonware (multiplayer netcode), Digital Legends (mobile games The Respawnables and Afterpulse), High Moon Studios (Call of Duty supporting studio), Infinity Ward (Call of Duty: Warzone), King (Candy Crush), Major League Gaming (professional esports), Radical Entertainment (Prototype), Raven Software (Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Warzone), Sledgehammer Games (Call of Duty: Vanguard, Call of Duty: WWII), Toys for Bob (Crash Bandicoot 4, Spyro Reignited), and Treyarch (Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4).

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      Microsoft’s acquisition comes at a beleaguered time for the publisher, which is facing a lawsuit from the state of California over an alleged “frat boy” workplace culture, as the suit from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing termed it. Accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct within the company have prompted widespread calls for the change and the resignation of Activision CEO, Bobby Kotick.

      According to a report by the Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the deal, Kotick is expected to depart the company once the deal is finalized.

      Activision will report directly to Phil Spencer, Microsoft CEO of gaming.

      By purchasing Activision Blizzard Inc., Microsoft said that it is poised to become the third-largest gaming company by revenue, after Tencent and Sony.

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