Microsoft now owns Call of Duty, Diablo, and more – how it happened

pcgamesn.com:

Earlier today, the UK’s CMA approved the Microsoft Activision Blizzard merger. Having previously rejected the company’s bid to purchase the creator of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch in April 2023, Microsoft has since altered the terms of its proposed acquisition to fit the CMA’s requirements. The Microsoft Activision Blizzard merger is now closed and completed, as Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says that “as one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people.”

The controversy surrounding the deal stemmed from concerns over potential Xbox exclusivity for Activision Blizzard games, primarily its flagship FPS game series, Call of Duty, the latest installment of which, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, is set to launch in early November.

PlayStation creator Sony argued that the acquisition could result in a worse experience of Activision Blizzard games for PlayStation owners. While Sony and Microsoft were in talks with one another, Sony rejected a deal in January 2022 put to them by Microsoft that offered to keep Activision Blizzard games (including Call of Duty) on PlayStation until 2027.

Following email correspondence between former PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Ryan voiced public disapproval over the list of Activision Blizzard games that Microsoft would be willing to keep on PlayStation. “It was not a meaningful list,” Ryan claimed at the time. “This list represented a particular selection of older titles that would remain on PlayStation, for example Overwatch is on there but Overwatch 2 is not on there, the current version of the game.”

This perhaps prompted Sony’s lengthy March 7