Microsoft acquisition saga finally over as Activision deal comes to a close
Activision/MicrosoftMicrosoft has finally managed to put an end to their largest acquisition ever, Activision Blizzard King. After a process spanning more than a year and a half, Microsoft officially owns Activision, including all its development teams and popular IPs.
Following an extensive process initiated in January 2022, October 13 marks the triumphant conclusion for Microsoft, who managed to officially complete the purchase of Activision Blizzard King, which includes all its development teams and popular IPs such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo, among others.
During this extensive procedure, the company battled against different antitrust authorities, with the FTC US and CMA UK being the biggest hurdles faced. Fortunately, with the UK CMA’s green light, the deal has officially concluded.
Microsoft officially own Activision Blizzard following acquisition
On October 13, Microsoft have officially announced that Activision Blizzard King will be part of Microsoft Xbox, as the company now owns all of the publisher’s development studios and IPs.
Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, shared a statement on Xbox Wire, sharing the news with players and fans all over the world: “We officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history across console, PC, and mobile.”
Then, he continued, “Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win.”
Regarding the availability of Activision Blizzard’s games on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft stated: “Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months.”
Microsoft is expanding its Xbox Game Studios by incorporating over 30 game studios from all Activision, Blizzard, and King divisions, with over 8,500 Activision employees now part of the company.
Xbox / KlobrilleBobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s CEO, will continue to assist with the transition until the end of 2023. “I am fully committed to facilitating this transition. Phil has asked me to remain as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will fulfill this role until the end of 2023,” he stated.
After a lengthy 633-day battle, marked by the initial rejection of the deal by the UK CMA due to concerns related to cloud technology and followed by a lawsuit from the US FTC, Microsoft successfully pushed the deal forward, heralding the “beginning of a new chapter.”
For more on Activision Blizzard, be sure to check out all the information revealed about Diablo 4’s Season 2 or everything we know so far about Call of Duty’s next installment, Modern Warfare 3.