GAMING giant Xbox has announced a deal to buy Activision Blizzard in a deal worth almost $70 billion dollars. The deal means that Xbox will soon own Activision Blizzard’s most well known franchises like Call of Duty, Overwatch, Warcraft and many more.
Activision Blizzard will report to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer after the deal is closed. Current Activision CEO Bobby Kotick expects the deal to close in 2023. Activision Blizzard will still run as an independent company until this happens.
This deal will be welcomed by Xbox gamers as many of Activision Blizzard’s games will be released on Xbox Game Pass, a video game subscription service that allows Xbox users to access a huge range of games for a monthly subscription.
Today is a historic moment. We are excited to announce that the world-renowned franchises and talented people at @ATVI_AB will be joining Team Xbox!
Full announcement details here: https://t.co/RwF0QgXVwE pic.twitter.com/jIXuYCcndG
— Xbox (@Xbox) January 18, 2022
One of the main concerns regarding this deal is whether games like Call of Duty will become exclusive only to Xbox in the future or still be sold on other consoles like PlayStation. A Microsoft PR statement was released to clarify the matter. ”AB games exist on a variety of platforms today, and we plan to continue supporting those communities moving forward.
The acquisition is about increasing the availability of Activision Blizzard content across more platforms, including mobile.” With this statement, Activision Blizzard’s big titles will still launch across all platforms.
It has been a controversial year for Activision Blizzard. In 2021, following an investigation into a possible toxic work environment, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a suit against Activision Blizzard alleging sexual harassment and employment discrimination.
CEO Bobby Kotick will remain CEO at the company during this acquisition despite all the controversy surrounding him and Activision Blizzard.
