Microsoft announced that its next acquisition is Activision Blizzard, which includes King and studios like Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Toys for Bob. It paid $68.7 billion in “an all-cash transaction.” The initial announcements noted Bobby Kotick will remain CEO, however, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer will be in charge.
This deal covers Activision and Blizzard Entertainment, as well as the mobile King Games. The studios covered include Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, and Treyarch. IP included are Diablo, Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Crash Bandicoot, Overwatch, Skylanders, Spyro the Dragon, Starcraft, Tony Hawk, and World of Warcraft. The move means titles will appear on Xbox Game Pass. There is no date for when they will start to be added.
This comes after much sexual misconduct and harassment at the company. The Wall Street Journal reported that Kotick was aware of. Employees staged multiple walkouts over treatment in 2021. However, the last walkout in December 2021 was due to a third of the Raven Software QA team being laid off. Following the dismissals, employees staged a walkout. In his Xbox Wire announcement, Spencer, “As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players.” However, he did not address any of the company’s recent issues. However in a later story from The Wall Street Journal, it cited sources that say Kotick will leave after the acquisition is complete.
The Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition is the second recent major one as of late. In September 2020, the company bought Bethesda.
Published: Jan 18, 2022 10:00 am