Activision Blizzard
68.7 billion US dollars: Microsoft buys the makers of “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft” – and thus upgrades the Xbox
Microsoft is acquiring game publisher Activision Blizzard for an incredible $68.7 billion.
©Michael Nelson/DPA
In mid-January 2022 and probably one of the biggest takeovers of the year: Microsoft took over the crisis-ridden game publisher Activision Blizzard for a gigantic sum.
Nobody expected that: on the same day that Activision Blizzard was again from one sex scandal is shaken, the game company is now in the headlines because of another, even bigger news: Microsoft has bought the entire group for 68.7 billion US dollars and secures the title for the largest company takeover in the gaming industry to date. In the official press release It is said that after the takeover, Microsoft will be the world’s third-largest game manufacturer in terms of sales, right after Sony and Tencent. With the purchase, iconic brands such as “Warcraft”, “Diablo”, “Overwatch”, “Call of Duty”, “Starcraft” and also “Candy Crush” become the property of the Windows makers.
Xbox Game Pass benefits greatly
This is good news for gamers, as the games will migrate to the Xbox Game Pass offering after purchase. This is a subscription service that can be used with Xbox One, Xbox Series and Windows 10. It gives users access to tons of games on Xbox and PC for a single monthly subscription price. It is currently unclear whether this also means the end of the monthly payments for “World of Warcraft” and whether the game will also be included in the subscription.
The takeover of Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who reports directly to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, the CEO of the group’s gaming division, is surprising. As indicated at the beginning, Kotick has been criticized for months for poisoning the corporate culture at Activision Blizzard and for years ignoring information and calls for help about sexual assault. To the recent tweet from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella That doesn’t fit, because he writes that gaming should be “safe, inclusive and accessible to everyone”.
Is something finally changing?
So it remains particularly exciting in this respect whether something is moving for the countless complaining employees and whether the working atmosphere at Activision Blizzard improves again. If this is not the case, they are well known for protesting loudly. Either way: You will certainly hear about the biggest company takeover in the games industry to date.