In a startling announcement, Microsoft has announced that it has officially bought Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. This will make Microsoft the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.
Activision Blizzard hold key gaming franchises including Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch and Diablo as well as many other iconic properties.
Microsoft has made this deal, to "accelerate the growth" in their gaming business across a variety of platforms including "mobile, PC, console and cloud". The chairman and CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella has stated that “Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” and that “...we’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”
The deal is surely set to shake things up in the gaming world, with Microsoft surely hoping that this will make many people see them as the dominant company when it comes to gaming. With these giant franchises that Microsoft now own, Xbox game pass subscribers will hopefully be able to play new Call of Duty games and upcoming titles like Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 day one of release on Game Pass.
Xbox are also planning on releasing previously released games from the Call of Duty franchise to the Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass too. With Xbox embracing backwards compatibility and having a large library of older games, players should expect to be able to play all previous Call of Duty, Diablo, and Warcraft games at some point down the line.
Under Activision Blizzard, classic franchises such as Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon will now be in Microsoft's hands as well. This deal is sure to upset competitors, especially Sony, if some of these franchises are to become exclusive to Microsoft products.
Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft gaming, stated on Twitter that "We're looking forward to working with our talented, dedicated friends across Activision Blizzard. As a company we're committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming among both employees and players."
Franchises that Microsoft now own:
Call of Duty
Diablo
World of Warcraft
Starcraft
Crash Bandicoot
Guitar Hero
Tony Hawk Pro Skater
Fallout
Doom
Quake
Psychonauts
Elder Scrolls
Prey
Wolfenstein
Dishonored
Minecraft
Candy Crush
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Source - Microsoft News
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