Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (2024)

Table of Contents
FTC v. Microsoft: all the news from the big Xbox courtroom battle Ubisoft renamed its subscription service and added a new one focused on classics Microsoft now says the CMA was ‘tough and fair’ over Activision Blizzard deal Microsoft announces more Xbox leadership changes as Activision’s Bobby Kotick departs Microsoft announces more Xbox leadership changes as Activision’s Bobby Kotick departs California settles Activision Blizzard gender discrimination lawsuit for $54 million Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard’s deal for cloud gaming rights, explained Bobby Kotick will stay at Activision Blizzard until the end of this year Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s memo welcoming Activision Blizzard employees to Microsoft Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal approved by UK regulators Microsofteyes closing its giant Activision Blizzard deal next week Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal gets preliminary approval from UK regulator Microsoft to sell off Activision cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft in bid for UK approval Microsoft to sell off Activision cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft in bid for UK approval The latest Call of Duty gets a November release date The first Bethesda games are arriving on Nvidia’s GeForce Now service FTC withdraws its in-house challenge to Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal Microsoftand Activision Blizzard extend merger agreement to October FTC files to block Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard FAQs References

Microsoft has closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, a deal that makes Microsoft one of the biggest gaming companies in the world. Now, popular gaming franchises like Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, and more are in the fold of Microsoft’s ever-expanding portfolio of studios, alongside Bethesda and its own Xbox Game Studios.

Also included as part of the deal is King, the maker of Candy Crush, signaling that Microsoft may utilize the company to compete in the mobile space. In early 2021, Take-Two Interactive (which houses developers like 2K, Private Division, and Rockstar Games) purchased Zynga for $12.7 billion.

The deal’s closing was delayed as regulators worldwide raised issues with Microsoft bringing such a large company in-house. However, after a judge denied the FTC’s attempt to block the deal and Microsoft cut a deal allowing Ubisoft a perpetual cloud streaming license for Activision games, it has received the necessary approvals in the US, UK, and other countries.

The acquisition was announced after several high-profile claims of sexual harassment were levied against Activision Blizzard, and in July 2021, theCalifornia Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzardfor promoting a culture of “constant sexual harassment.” Activision CEO Bobby Kotick announced he will remain in place through the end of 2023 to assist Phil Spencer with the transition.

We’ll be keeping you updated with the latest news on the big acquisition here, with reports that interrogate how the gaming world might change (in good ways and in bad ways) now that one of the largest third-party game studios is under Microsoft’s ownership.

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (1)

    Feb 8

    Tom Warren

    Microsoft says Activision was already planning ‘significant’ layoffs.

    Microsoft has responded to the FTC’s claims that Microsoft laying off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees runs counter to its representations in court. “Activision was already planning on eliminating a significant number of jobs while still operating as an independent company,” says Microsoft lawyers in a new filing today. The FTC is still appealing a district court’s decision not to block Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition.

    Here’s Microsoft spokesperson Becca Dougherty on the FTC’s filing:

    In continuing its opposition to the deal, the FTC ignores the reality that the deal itself has substantially changed. Since the FTC lost in court last July, Microsoftwas required by the UK competition authority torestructure the acquisition globally andtherefore did not acquire thecloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard gamesin the United States.Additionally, Sony and Microsoft signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation on even better termsthan Sony had before.


    FTC v. Microsoft: all the news from the big Xbox courtroom battle

    Tom Warren

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (3)

    Feb 7

    Lauren Feiner

    Microsoft’s recent layoffs contradict what the company promised of its merger, the FTC says.

    The Federal Trade Commission complained to a federal appeals court on Wednesday that Microsoft’s layoff of 1,900 employees in its video games division went against its representations in court as it fought to acquire Activision Blizzard.

    The move undermines Microsoft’s claims that the companies would continue to operate independently, the FTC said, and will make it harder to get “effective relief” if the agency succeeds in its administrative proceeding.


  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (4)

    Jan 16

    Amrita Khalid

    Ubisoft renamed its subscription service and added a new one focused on classics

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (5)

    Ubisoft

    Ubisoft has renamed its monthly subscription service Ubisoft Plus and is combining the old pricing tiers (Multi-Access and PC Access) into one package dubbed Ubisoft Plus Premium. The new plan will allow players to play games on Xbox, PC, and Amazon Luna and is priced at $17.99.

    Premium members will get day one (and occasionally early) access to new releases, as well as their pick of premium editions, DLC, and monthly awards. If you already subscribe to PC Access, you’ll keep your plan as is, and you can continue to pay the old monthly fee of $14.99.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (6)

    Jan 2

    Tom Warren

    Microsoft now says the CMA was ‘tough and fair’ over Activision Blizzard deal

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (7)

    Image: Getty Images

    Microsoft president Brad Smith wasn’t happy with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year after the regulator blocked Microsoft’s giant Activision Blizzard deal. Now that Microsoft has restructured its deal and won approval in the UK, Smith has kinder words for the CMA, describing the regulator as “tough and fair” in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program.

    Smith originally criticized the CMA and said confidence in the UK had been “severely shaken” after the regulator moved to block Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal in April last year. He called it the “darkest day” for Microsoft in its four decades of working in Britain and went a step further, saying “the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business” than the UK.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (8)

    Dec 20, 2023

    Ash Parrish

    The Great Christmas Corporate Shuffle.

    There’s a great corporate shuffling going on at Microsoft today. Matt Booty, Microsoft’s president of game content and studios, sent a memo to employees announcing that Jill Braff would be the new head of its ZeniMax and Bethesda studios.

    Read it in full in our updated story about other changes at Xbox.


    Microsoft announces more Xbox leadership changes as Activision’s Bobby Kotick departs

    Tom Warren

    andAsh Parrish

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (10)

    Dec 20, 2023

    Tom WarrenandAsh Parrish

    Microsoft announces more Xbox leadership changes as Activision’s Bobby Kotick departs

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (11)

    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

    Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down officially December 29th. Microsoft has not appointed a direct replacement and instead has rolled the suite of Activision Blizzard executives — including Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, Activision publishing president Rob Kostich, and Activision Blizzard vice chair Thomas Tippl — under Microsoft’s game content and studios president Matt Booty.

    Kotick’s departure comes just two months after some big Xbox leadership changes that saw Sarah Bond promoted to Xbox president, leading all Xbox platform and hardware work, and Matt Booty promoted to president of game content and studios, including overseeing Bethesda and ZeniMax studios. Now Booty is getting even more responsibilities with Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and Xbox Game Studios all under his watch.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (12)

    Dec 16, 2023

    Jay Peters

    California settles Activision Blizzard gender discrimination lawsuit for $54 million

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (13)

    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

    A California regulator has settled its blockbuster lawsuit that alleged a culture of sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard. Now under the ownership of Microsoft, the gaming company will pay about $54 million as part of the settlement, according to a press release from California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD).

    The CRD (formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing or DFEH) filed this lawsuit in July 2021, alleging that Activision Blizzard had a “frat boy” culture where women were subject to sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. Following the suit, employees walked out, executives including then-Blizzard president J. Allen Brack and Blizzard’s former SVP of HR left the company, and, months later, The Wall Street Journal reported that CEO Bobby Kotick had known of sexual misconduct allegations for years.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (14)

    Oct 13, 2023

    Sean Hollister

    Bobby Kotick will apparently leave Microsoft to focus on philanthropy.

    We knew the Activision Blizzard King CEO would stick around through the end of the year, but it seems he’s done after that.

    He told Bloomberg he wants to focus on philanthropy, help reform education, and is thinking about how to “reduce hatred and intolerance in the world.”

    In 2021, a bombshell report at the WSJ alleged Kotick was personally part of ABK’s sexual misconduct problem. Last year, he donated to a 2020 election protestor.


  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (15)

    Oct 13, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard’s deal for cloud gaming rights, explained

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (16)

    Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd / picture alliance via Getty Images

    Microsoft’s giant Activision Blizzard deal is complete, and it means Ubisoft has now obtained cloud streaming rights for Call of Duty, all other current Activision Blizzard games, and any coming over the next 15 years. It was a key concession from Microsoft that helped get the deal over the line with UK regulators. But what does it all mean?

    Ubisoft will now control where Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games show up on cloud gaming services, with the exception of EU countries and the various cloud gaming deals Microsoft signed previously. If you live in a country that’s part of the European Economic Area (EEA) — which includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway — then you’ll get a free license to stream via “any cloud game streaming services of their choice” all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games that you have purchased.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (17)

    Oct 13, 2023

    Ash Parrish

    Bobby Kotick will stay at Activision Blizzard until the end of this year

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (18)

    Now that the Microsoft acquisition is complete, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, is set to leave the company after the end of this year.

    In an email sent to employees and published on Activision Blizzard King’s website, Kotick wrote that he’s excited about the future of the company under the bright green Xbox umbrella. He also wrote that in order to facilitate a smooth transition, he intends to stay on temporarily as CEO of ABK, reporting to the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (19)

    Oct 13, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s memo welcoming Activision Blizzard employees to Microsoft

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (20)

    Image: Laura Normand / The Verge

    Microsoft just finalized its giant $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard earlier today. Xbox chief Phil Spencer has now welcomed Activision Blizzard King employees to Xbox in an internal memo to all of Microsoft’s full-time employees today.

    “We couldn’t be more excited that Activision Blizzard employees are our colleagues, co-workers, and teammates,” says Spencer. “Bobby Kotick has agreed to remain in his role through the end of 2023, reporting directly to me, to ensure a smooth and seamless integration. We look forward to working together as a unified team and we will share more updates on our new organizational structure in the coming months.”

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (21)

    Oct 13, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox

    Microsoft has finalized its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the publisher ofCall of Duty,World of Warcraft, andDiablo. The Verge exclusively reported last week that Microsoft was planning to close today, and now it’s official. The acquisition required 20 months of battles with regulators in the UK and US, but Microsoft has closed its Activision Blizzard deal after defeating the Federal Trade Commission in a US federal court and restructuring the deal to appease the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK.

    “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,” says Xbox chief Phil Spencer. “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.”

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (22)

    Oct 13, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal approved by UK regulators

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (23)

    Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

    Microsoft’s$68.7 billion dealto acquire Activision Blizzard has beenapproved by UK regulators. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that the deal can proceed after Microsoft recently restructured the dealto transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. The decision clears the way for the deal to close now that the UK regulator has given the green light.

    “The CMA has decided to give Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) consent to acquire Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) (the Parties) excluding Activision’s cloud streaming rights outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) (the Merger) subject to the condition that the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights completes prior to completion of the Merger,” reads a statement from the CMA.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (24)

    Oct 10, 2023

    Jay Peters

    Playing video games over something like Neuralink? Bobby Kotick thinks it might be something we actually do.

    Windows Central has some details about an all-hands meeting that took place on Tuesday, including some pontificating by Kotick about how a Neuralink-like brain interface could be a future way we interact with video games and hints about some kind of revival for Guitar Hero.

    Since Kotick is expected to depart sometime after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision closes (which is expected to happen imminently), anything could change about Activision's plans after Microsoft takes over. I’m crossing my fingers that Microsoft does actually bring back Guitar Hero, though.


  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (25)

    Oct 6, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Microsofteyes closing its giant Activision Blizzard deal next week

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (26)

    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

    Microsoft is planning to finalize its $68.7 billion proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard next week. A source familiar with Microsoft’s plans tells The Verge that the company is eyeing up Friday October 13th as the closing date where it announces to the world that the 20-month process to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard is over.

    That date will still depend on the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority though, a regulator that blocked Microsoft’s deal earlier this year. Microsoft recently restructured the dealto transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft, and the Xbox maker secured preliminary approval from the CMA late last month as a result.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (27)

    Sep 22, 2023

    Thomas Ricker

    Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal gets preliminary approval from UK regulator

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (28)

    Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

    The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given preliminary approval for Microsoft to proceed with its $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal. The CMA had originally blocked the acquisitionover cloud gaming concerns, but Microsoft recentlyrestructured the dealto transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft.In a memo to employees (included below), Xbox boss Phil Spencer called it “a positive development and a welcome indicator that our hard work is bringing us closer to our goal.”

    “The CMA considers that the restructured deal makes important changes that substantially address the concerns it set out in relation to the original transaction earlier this year,” the CMA said in a press release, and “opens the door to the deal being cleared.”

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (29)

    Aug 22, 2023

    Sean Hollister

    Linux could (but probably won’t) be a surprise beneficiary of the Microsoft-Activision deal.

    According to the CMA:

    Ubisoft will also be able, for a fee, to require Microsoft to adapt Activision’s titles to operating systems other than Windows, such as Linux, if it decides to use or license out the cloud streaming rights to Activision’s titles to a cloud gaming service that runs a non-Windows operating system.

    This would have been a bigger deal when the Linux-based Google Stadia still existed and Ubisoft wanted it to succeed. Still, could be relevant someday!


    Microsoft to sell off Activision cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft in bid for UK approval

    Tom Warren

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (31)

    Aug 22, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Microsoft to sell off Activision cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft in bid for UK approval

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (32)

    Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

    Microsoft is restructuring its proposed Activision Blizzard deal to transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. The transfer of rights is designed to appease regulators in the UK that are concerned about the impact Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion deal will have on cloud gaming competition. The restructured deal has triggered a new regulatory investigation in the UK that could last until October 18th.

    “To address the concerns about the impact of the proposed acquisition on cloud game streaming raised by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, we are restructuring the transaction to acquire a narrower set of rights,” says Microsoft president Brad Smith. “This includes executing an agreement effective at the closing of our merger that transfers the cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment SA, a leading global game publisher. The rights will be in perpetuity.”

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (33)

    Aug 7, 2023

    Ash Parrish

    The latest Call of Duty gets a November release date

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (34)

    Image: Activision

    Surprising absolutely no one, Activision Blizzard has announced the latest Call of Duty game.

    Posts today from developer Sledgehammer Games and the official Call of Duty accounts confirmed Modern Warfare III (not to be confused with 2011’s Modern Warfare 3, of course) will launch on November 10th.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (35)

    Aug 3, 2023

    Umar Shakir

    The first Bethesda games are arriving on Nvidia’s GeForce Now service

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (36)

    Image: Bethesda

    Bethesda’s popular Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein games are making their way onto the GeForce Now cloud gaming service this month, Nvidia announced in a blog post. While Nvidia didn’t reveal the specific titles in each franchise (although the post teases an image of Wolfenstein: The New Order), you must have the Ultimate or Priority membership to get access when they drop.

    The new additions are the first Bethesda titles available for streaming on GeForce Now and stem from a 10-year agreement between Nvidia and Microsoft, which owns Bethesda, that brings Xbox PC games onto the platform. Microsoft made the deal as part of its efforts to appease regulators as it moves closer to acquiring Activision Blizzard. The new Bethesda game additions come after the launch of GeForce Now’s new Ultimate tier in January that lets subscribers play games that are remotely rendered on “SuperPOD” servers running RTX 4080-class graphics cards.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (37)

    Jul 20, 2023

    Tom WarrenandRichard Lawler

    FTC withdraws its in-house challenge to Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (38)

    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suspending its administrative challenge (PDF) seeking to block Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard. The FTC had taken a two-pronged approach against the $68.7 billion deal, filing this case last December that was scheduled to go before its own administrative judge on August 2nd.

    The other part was its pursuit of a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would have stopped Microsoft closing its deal while the FTC’s administrative process continued. A US federal judge denied the injunction request earlier this month, and an appeals court also turned down its request to put an emergency hold on the deal. The FTC is still appealing the preliminary injunction denial, though.

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (39)

    Jul 19, 2023

    Tom Warren

    Microsoftand Activision Blizzard extend merger agreement to October

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (40)

    Photo by Hakan Nural / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to extend their merger agreement pending the outcome of negotiations with UK regulators. Both parties will now have until October 18th to finalize the transaction, after missing yesterday’s original deal deadline.

    “The recent decision in the US and approvals in 40 countries all validate that the deal is good for competition, players, and the future of gaming,” tweeted Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision Blizzard’s CCO and EVP of corporate affairs. “Given global regulatory approvals and the companies’ confidence that CMA now recognizes there are remedies available to meet their concerns in the UK, the Activision Blizzard and Microsoft boards of directors have authorized the companies not to terminate the deal until after October 18.”

    Read Article >

  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (41)

    Jul 17, 2023

    Richard Lawler

    Microsoft and Activision might push back their deadline to complete the merger.

    A report from Bloomberg based on unnamed sources says the two companies aren’t likely to make their agreed July 18th deadline to close the deal, but rather than have Microsoft pay the game publisher a $3 billion breakup fee they’ll just extend it and try to get it down a little later.

    As Tom wrote earlier, despite a courtroom win in the US, the UK’s CMA has set August 29th as the target date for its order, making an extension even more likely.


  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (42)

    Jul 14, 2023

    Sean Hollister

    MicroActiBlizz might divest the UK streaming rights to its games to appease regulators.

    Bloomberg says Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are only “considering giving up” those UK rights, but I suspect it might genuinely work if they do.

    The CMA’s primary remaining objection to the $68.7 billion deal was a fear that Microsoft would make Activision games exclusive to its own cloud gaming service. (There’s a bit more to it, but still.) If Microsoft permanently removed its own ability to do so...


  • Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (43)

    Jun 12, 2023

    Tom Warren

    FTC files to block Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard

    Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (44)

    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

    The Federal Trade Commission is asking for US courts to stop Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard while the government’s bigger case to block the merger plays out. The FTC originally filed a legal challenge to try and block Microsoft’s proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition in December, and now it’s seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction from a US federal district court.

    “Both a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction are necessary because Microsoft and Activision have represented that they may consummate the proposed acquisition at any time,” reads the FTC’s complaint.

    Read Article >

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition (2024)

FAQs

Will the Microsoft and Activision deal go through? ›

Microsoft closes $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard after lengthy regulatory review. More than 20 months after agreeing to the company's largest purchase ever, Microsoft has closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

What was the reason for Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard? ›

This was at the height of the metaverse trend and would be the largest gaming industry deal in history. Microsoft is said to have wanted to acquire Activision Blizzard to further improve its presence in the gaming industry, and the metaverse, and to consolidate itself as the de facto king of cloud gaming.

Who won the Activision deal? ›

Following the CMA's approval of the revised terms on October 13, 2023, Microsoft completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard the same day.

What is Microsoft's biggest deal with Activision Blizzard? ›

The announcement came after Microsoft cleared a final regulatory hurdle to the deal from Britain's competition watchdog. The $69-billion purchase of Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard makes Microsoft the third-largest gaming company in the world by revenue, behind China's Tencent and Sony in Japan.

What happens if Xbox buys Activision? ›

From a development perspective, the acquisition has the potential to prevent indie games from being made. It's likely Microsoft would focus its budget on pushing in-house content into its Game Pass service rather than giving smaller indie studios the budget to develop their own games for Xbox, Ward says.

Who has approved Microsoft Activision deal? ›

British regulators on Friday gave final approval to Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of the video game publisher Activision Blizzard, the last major obstacle for a deal that at one point seemed to be falling apart because of government objections on both sides of the Atlantic.

What happens to my Activision stock when Microsoft buys it? ›

Example: If you have 100 shares underlying Activision Blizzard stock options at an exercise price of $70.00 at the time of closing, you will receive a cash payment of the difference between the merger consideration ($95.00) and the exercise price ($70.00) for each share underlying such vested stock option, resulting in ...

Is Microsoft buying Activision a good thing? ›

What Microsoft Gains With Activision. As Singh put it, in one shot, the Activision purchase enables Microsoft to shorten time-to-market with new gaming products, expand its reach, and deepen its penetration in those markets.

Why couldn t Microsoft buy Activision? ›

The reason the purchase was bogged down by legal action is competition. By acquiring Activision Blizzard, critics argued, Microsoft's gaming division would simply own too much of the industry, unfairly limiting its competitors and ultimately harming consumers.

Is Activision leaving Call of Duty? ›

Microsoft's original deal offer to Sony in January 2022 included keeping “all existing Activision console titles on Sony, including future versions in the Call of Duty franchise or any other current Activision franchise on Sony through December 31st, 2027.” The deal terms have clearly changed since that opening offer, ...

What is the status of Activision takeover? ›

Microsoft closed its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard after CMA cleared the acquisition, saying the restructured deal substantially addressed its earlier concerns. U.S. FTC asks an appeals court in California to overturn a lower court decision that the acquisition is legal.

Is Microsoft paying cash for Activision? ›

Microsoft valued the Activision deal at $68.7 billion when it announced the acquisition in early 2022, “inclusive of Activision Blizzard's net cash,” though Microsoft agreed to pay $95 in cash for each share of the game-maker, closer to $75 billion.

Will the Activision deal go through? ›

Microsoft Closes $69 Billion Activision Deal, Overcoming Regulators' Objections. The megadeal could strengthen Microsoft's standing in the video game industry, after a year and a half of negotiations with regulators around the world. Kellen Browning reported from San Francisco, and David McCabe from Washington.

Who owns Blizzard now? ›

In October 2023, Microsoft acquired parent company Activision Blizzard, maintaining that the company will continue to operate as a separate business. While part of the larger Microsoft Gaming division, Blizzard Entertainment retains its function as the publisher of games developed by their studios.

Will Microsoft make Activision exclusive? ›

Clearing up a misconception, the Activision/Blizzard deal is not about getting more exclusives. TL;DR: A/B deal is about increasing revenue for Xbox, not getting more exclusives. Games like COD or Diablo are never going to be exclusive because they make too much money on other platforms.

What will happen to Activision stock after merger? ›

Activision stockholders will receive $95 for each share of Activision they owned prior to the close.

Is Microsoft buying Activision final? ›

Microsoft completes blockbuster Activision Blizzard takeover after UK removes final hurdle. Microsoft has completed its takeover of Activision Blizzard, the maker of “Call of Duty” and other hit video games, closing one of the biggest tech deals of all time.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Gregorio Kreiger

Last Updated:

Views: 5699

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (77 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gregorio Kreiger

Birthday: 1994-12-18

Address: 89212 Tracey Ramp, Sunside, MT 08453-0951

Phone: +9014805370218

Job: Customer Designer

Hobby: Mountain biking, Orienteering, Hiking, Sewing, Backpacking, Mushroom hunting, Backpacking

Introduction: My name is Gregorio Kreiger, I am a tender, brainy, enthusiastic, combative, agreeable, gentle, gentle person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.