Live: Microsoft agrees to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

techradar.com:

And remember that little company called Nintendo? You may have heard of it — it's got that Mario guy and the green fairy dude. As our own Daryl Baxter points out, its valuation is looking like an absolute bargain in comparison to the Activision Blizzard deal:

Food for thought — Nintendo is valued around $61 billion currently, roughly $8 billion less than this deal.Makes you wonder.January 18, 2022

A comparison to previous purchases

This isn't the first time Microsoft has moved to purchase games studios in an effort to shore up its own first party catalogue. Back in September of 2020 it announced its (now completed) intent to purchase Bethesda Softworks, home of The Elder Scrolls, Doom, Fallout, Prey and Dishonored franchises among others.

At the time its $7.5 billion deal seemed a real fortune. But it is absolutely dwarfed by the scale of the $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard deal. It's a very different purchase of course – Bethesda offered prestige titles, released on a much slower cadence than the popular annualized franchises, mobile titles, and esports potential that the Activision Blizzard deal could offer.

As video game critic Alex Donaldson points out, Microsoft's first party stable is now bursting with beloved gaming franchises. It's come a long way in a few short years:

Fondly remembering the days when Xbox had to use a third party character, an unnamed man from a game that was ultimately cancelled, and CAR to promote their brand pic.twitter.com/gVj9io8uMDJanuary 18, 2022

Activision Blizzard games coming to Xbox Game Pass 

Microsoft is planning to add as many franchises across Activision Blizzard to Xbox Game Pass as possible. 

In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Spencer said: “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision