Microsoft has announced that they have officially completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The $68.7 billion deal will see Microsoft acquire iconic gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Candy Crush.
“I’ve long admired the work of Activision, Blizzard, and King, and the impact they’ve had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture.” Said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.
“Whether it was late nights spent playing the Diablo IV campaign with friends from start to finish, gathering the entire family in the rec room for our weekly Guitar Hero night, or going on an epic streak in Candy Crush, some of my most memorable gaming moments came from experiences their studios have created.
“It is incredible to welcome such legendary teams to Xbox.”
“As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone.
“We are intentional about inclusion in everything we do at Xbox – from our team to the products we make and the stories we tell, to the way our players interact and engage as a wider gaming community.
“Together, we’ll create new worlds and stories, bring your favorite games to more places so more players can join in, and we’ll engage with and delight players in new, innovative ways in the places they love to play including mobile, cloud streaming and more.”
Spencer continued: “Players have always been at the center of everything we do. And as we grow, we’ll continue to keep players at the heart of it all. We’ll continue to listen to your feedback, build a community where you can be yourself, where developers can do their best work, and continue to make really fun games.
“As promised, we will also continue to make more games available in more places – and that begins now by enabling cloud streaming providers and players to stream Activision Blizzard games in the European Economic Area, a commitment made to the European Commission.
“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.
“We know you’re excited – and we are too.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also commented on the completion of the deal, describing the news as a “great day for gamers everywhere.”
“Today is a great day for gamers everywhere,” Nadella said. “Together with Activision Blizzard, we will deliver on our vision to help people connect and play great games wherever, whenever, and however they want”
Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022. Since the announcement, both companies have worked hard to appease global regulators as concerns regarding exclusivity and the cloud gaming market emerged.
The most notable opposition came from the FTC (USA), European Commission and the CMA (UK), with the latter deciding to approve the deal earlier today. After initially deciding to block the merger, the UK regulator chose to approve the deal after Microsoft agreed to sell the cloud gaming rights for all Activision Blizzard titles to Ubisoft. Microsoft have also agreed various long-term deals to bring Activision Blizzard titles to other cloud gaming services, a move which gained approval from the European Commission.
As for exclusivity concerns, Microsoft and Sony have agreed a deal that will see Call of Duty continue to release on PlayStation. The agreement will reportedly last for 10 years, meaning that Call of Duty titles will continue to come to PlayStation platforms until at least 2033.