The Rundown: What's happening with Microsoft's Activision Blizzard merger?
Microsoft is currently attempting to leap over a series of regulatory hurdles in a bid to seal its proposed $68.7 billon acquisition of Activision Blizzard. If completed, the deal will significantly bolster Microsoft's first-party credentials, inducting key franchises like Call of Duty and major studios such as Blizzard Entertainment, Infinity Ward, and Sledgehammer Games into the Xbox Game Studios family.
As it stands, the deal is being investigated by regulators such as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United Kingdom and U.S. over concerns it could harm competition by allowing the Xbox maker to turn lucrative Activision Blizzard properties into platform exclusives.
Microsoft says it will continue working with regulators to allay those fears, and has repeatedly stated its intention to allow major Activision Blizzard franchises, including Call of Duty, to remain on rival platforms for the foreseeable future. It also believes Sony is attempting to undermine its efforts by misleading regulators, and has publicly called out the company as a result.
Despite being met with resistance in some countries, the deal has already been approved in a few regions such as Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
The colossal scale of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal might've caught some by surprise, but the writing has been on the wall for some time. The Xbox maker has thrown down the M&A gauntlet in recent years, taking charge of major franchises like Minecraft, Fallout, DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, and their respective developers in a deluge of deals worth billions.
The Xbox Game Studios family currently comprises 23 studios, and that number could rocket skyward if the company manages to seal its
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