Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard in $70 billion deal

gamepur.com:

In a stunning and unexpected move, Microsoft is pitching to acquire Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion USD, one of the largest company acquisitions in gaming history. This elevates Microsoft to the third largest gaming company by revenue, only overshadowed by Tencent and Sony. This deal is expected to close in the fiscal year of 2023, according to an email shared by Kotick to his employees:

A press release confirmed the acquisition, adding hit gaming titles such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush into the Microsoft fold, which already includes industry titans such as Zenimax/Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment. The acquisition amount was confirmed by industry reporter Dina Bass via Twitter: “Microsoft is nearing a deal to buy Activision Blizzard, sources tell us. Deal value is nearly $70 billion.”

Activision Blizzard has recently come under fire for a litany of systemic abuse against employees, including “frat boy” behavior by lead Blizzard developers, and accusations of abuse from CEO Bobby Kotick — in some cases dating back a decade or more. While the company has stated that is actively investigating these accusations and committed to improving workplace safety, it appears that Bobby Kotick will remain as CEO until the deal finalizes — after which Activision Blizzard will report to Phil Spencer, according to The Verge. Increasing calls for changes in the workplace from organizations such as A Better ABK, a workers collective of Activision-Blizzard employees, continue.

This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.