Microsoft Xbox acquires Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard for an estimated $70 billion
Microsoft Xbox has officially acquired Activision Blizzard, publisher of highly popular franchises such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft, for a reported sum of $70 billion.
Xbox, the gaming division of tech giant Microsoft, is one of the biggest publishers and console developers of the video game industry. From Halo and Forza to Gears and Age of Empires, the studio has many top-tier franchises under its belt.
Activision Blizzard, the famed publisher behind Call of Duty, has been going through a rough phase recently. Not only did many veteran developers leave the company but investors and fans were also uncertain of the current management.
As such, the monumental acquisition would not only add a major development and franchise catalog to Xbox’s portfolio but could also usher in a new era for Activision Blizzard.
Over the last few years, Xbox has been expanding at an exponential rate. From veteran studios like Rare to young studios like Ninja Theory, Microsoft has acquired a versatile team of amazing studios under its umbrella.
The company's biggest acquisition prior to Activision Blizzard came in 2020, when Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. While that certainly was a monumental shift in the company’s portfolio, this is a far bigger one.
According to several reports, Microsoft spent around $70 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, making it the biggest acquisition of the gaming industry till date.
Xbox head Phil Spencer said in an Xbox Wire post:
He also said:
While Bobby Kotnick will continue to serve as the CEO of Activision Blizzard, similar to Todd Howard over at Bethesda, it’ll be interesting to see how Activision Blizzard prospers under the Xbox leadership.
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