Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard

Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal expected to close sometime in Microsoft’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, the company announced.

The acquisition includes Activision Blizzard and all of its subsidiaries, such as Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch, and every other team.

Franchises acquired in the acquisition include Call of Duty, Warcraft, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft, and many more.

Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently until the transaction closes, and Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as its CEO. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Upon close, Microsoft will add “as many Activision Blizzard games as we can” to Xbox Game Pass, including new titles and back-catalog titles.

According to Spencer, “Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.”

According to Bloomberg, citing “a person familiar with the company’s thinking,” Microsoft plans to keep making some of Activision’s games for PlayStation consoles, but will also keep some content exclusive to Xbox.