After a year and a half, Microsoft announced that they acquired Activision Blizzard King for $69 Million. This officially brings popular franchises such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, Crash Bandicoot, and more into the Xbox Family.
In an official post on Xbox Wire, Phil Spencer stated that work has begun on integrating Activision and Blizzard games into Xbox Game Pass. He stated:
Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited – and we are too.
Spencer also addressed these games’ larger community of fans, assuring them that multiplatform support for these titles will continue, again stating:
For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard, and King games, we want you to know that today is a good day to play. You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win. We believe our news today will unlock a world of possibilities for more ways to play. Thank you for the ongoing support. We have so much more to come in the months ahead – I’m excited for the future and cannot wait to share it with you.
Rumors of the closure closing have persisted for the last week or so. UK’s competition and market authority the CMA, which was one of the core institutions holding the deal back, had cleared a revised deal recently submitted to them. Although it appeared they were not fully satisfied in the revised deal it was stated the group had little desire to hold the deal back further. This was framed as a victory for competition in the cloud gaming space, saying:
In August this year, Microsoft made a concession that would see Ubisoft, instead of Microsoft, buy Activision’s cloud gaming rights. This new deal will put the cloud streaming rights (outside the EEA) for all of Activision’s PC and console content produced over the next 15 years in the hands of a strong and independent competitor with ambitious plans to offer new ways of accessing that content.
The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers. It will allow Ubisoft to offer Activision’s content under any business model, including through multigame subscription services. It will also help to ensure that cloud gaming providers will be able to use non-Windows operating systems for Activision content, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Additionally, the FTC who had previously lost a heavily publicized court case earlier this year against Microsoft, looks intent on renewing some of their previously lodged objections. The organization is awaiting on decision regarding their verdict appeal, before moving on with an additional in-house trial. With the deal already closed, these will most likely not result in a major reversal of previous decisions.
In other news, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard King, has stated he will remain as the head of the company until the end of 2023. While no official word is given on what will unfold in 2024, all wording suggests Kotick will depart from the company. While nobody knows the exact amount Kotic stands to make in the acquisition, estimates place the amount around 400 Million.
In 2021 amid a backlash by employees at Activision Blizzard against the company, a daming report from The Wall Street Journal implied Kotick was well aware of these claims, including the company being a hostile workplace and sexual harassment claims. These actions have been condemned by both media and employees at the company, though the board of directors cleared him of any wrongdoing, and Microsoft took a largely indifferent stance following the acquisition announcement.
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