4 takeaways from Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard bombshell

digitaltrends.com:

Microsoft has announced its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard in the priciest deal in video game history. To call this significant would be an understatement. It is, without question, the single biggest event to ever happen in the gaming world. To put it in perspective, Microsoft just gained the rights to Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, and Candy Crush … to name a few.

There’s a lot to unpack here. The implications of such a deal are so astronomical that it’s hard to imagine what it’ll do to the gaming world. This isn’t quite like Microsoft acquiring Bethesda and gaining exclusivity rights to beloved franchises like Doom. Microsoft is essentially purchasing the western gaming market and that’s going to change the way you play games, whether you’re an Xbox fan or a hater.

Here are some of the most immediate takeaways from the unprecedented deal.

One of the reasons that the news is so significant is its timing. Activision Blizzard has been mired in high-profile controversy for months now. The company was sued by the state of California for its alleged history of toxic workplace culture. That story dominated the gaming news cycle in 2021 and it wasn’t set to go away any time soon. Even just last week, reports were pouring in alleging that Activision Blizzard was meeting striking employees demanding change with “radio silence.”

Microsoft is purchasing a live grenade. With all the video games, it’s also picking up a boatload of controversy. Considering Activision Blizzard was at rock bottom, the acquisition will hopefully be a positive for the publisher. When the news hit, reports noted that Microsoft executive vice president of gaming Phil Spencer was deeply troubled by the