Microsoft buying Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for nearly $70bn

eurogamer.net:

Microsoft is buying Call of Duty and World of Warcraft maker Activision Blizzard in an astonishing, industry-shaking deal worth $68.7bn.

The deal, which is expected to be approved in 2023, was confirmed by Microsoft in a blog post from Xbox boss Phil Spencer.

The monumental acquisition — by far the largest ever seen in video games, and the largest in Microsoft's history — means Microsoft will own blockbuster franchises such as Call of Duty, Spyro, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk from Activision, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone and StarCraft from Blizzard, as well as Candy Crush from mobile arm King.

Microsoft will take over Activision, Blizzard, and all of its subsidiary studios — including Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob and Treyarch. That accounts for around 10,000 employees.

The deal comes after a turbulent period for Activision Blizzard, after numerous reports of employee misconduct and toxic workplace conditions and intense pressure on the company's hugely controversial boss Bobby Kotick. For now — at least until that 2023 date — Kotick will stay in place, but Spencer did have this to say:

«Until this transaction closes, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft Gaming will continue to operate independently,» Spencer wrote. «Once the deal is complete, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me as CEO, Microsoft Gaming.

In a Microsoft statement, the company also said: „Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company's culture and accelerate