Microsoft has acquired Activision Blizzard

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Microsoft has just announced that they have purchased video game studio Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion US dollars. You can check out the full official statement from Microsoft here.

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This news comes after many calls over the past several months for former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick to step down, following several investigations into the company which concluded that sexual abuse and other mistreatments of workers had happened for years under his watch. Following today's acquisition, Microsoft has stated that Phil Spencer will be referred to as CEO.

EDIT: Bobby Kotick will still remain Activision CEO after this acquisition. Whether he holds this is a permanent or temporary position remains to be seen.

Activision owns the rights to several big name game IPs. These series include, but are not limited to:

• Call of Duty
• Overwatch
• Crash Bandicoot​
• Spyro the Dragon​
• Diablo​
• World of Warcraft​

Needless to say there is a lot to take in from today's news, both in regards to the future of these series as well as the future for Activision and its employees as a whole.


Credits
Editing: Sari
Social Media: @Zerp

Author's Note: How do you feel about this recent news? Let us know in the comments below!

 

At this point I wouldn't even be surprised if they bought up Sega.

For real though, excluding maybe indie studios, can this PLEASE be the last Microsoft acquisition? They're getting a bit nuts at this point.

 

At this point I wouldn't even be surprised if they bought up Sega.

For real though, excluding maybe indie studios, can this PLEASE be the last Microsoft acquisition? They're getting a bit nuts at this point.

I don't expect this to be their last acquisition (or attempt at one) myself really. Corporations will do as many acquisitions and merges as they're allowed to get away with, which in the US is a lot.

They even tried to buy Nintendo once, a little over 20 years ago.

 

Now if we want Doomslayer, Dragonborn, VaultBoy, Diablo, Tracer, Kerrigan, Crash, Spyro, and Call of Duty in Smash, we need to consider Microsoft in the mix.

Thankfully, I don’t think Microsoft has much stake in the Japanese game market based on what I experienced. Them acquisitioning Capcom, Namco, Sega, or Nintendo is very unlikely. If I had to wager, the next company Microsoft could acquire would be Ubisoft potentially.

 

This is likely because of the absolute chaos going on at Activision. Xbox doesn’t need Activision but now that they got em I’m guessing their first priority will be to establish a much better workplace culture.

 

I do kinda wish it was THQ who bought Crash, Spyro and Tony Hawk from Activision (preferably in the 2010's), but whatever. Hopefully this means AB employees will have better working conditions.

 

It's funny how between all these mature triple aaa games there is a picture of a freemium mobile game

 

Gaming is dead lol

 

Would love to know just how long in the works this purchase has been.

 

And then the large bass ate the flailing guppy that was Activision/Blizzard as they tried to recover from their own bullsh*ittery.

 

Alternate title: Activision scams Microsoft into buying a frathouse of misogyny and cringe for $70,000,000,000.

For real though, excluding maybe indie studios, can this PLEASE be the last Microsoft acquisition?

You say that like promising young talent getting dragged into the abusive environment we call "AAA games" is somehow preferable to corporate consolidation.

 

Alternate title: Activision scams Microsoft into buying a frathouse of misogyny and cringe for $70,000,000,000.



You say that like promising young talent getting dragged into the abusive environment we call "AAA games" is somehow preferable to corporate consolidation.

Given the fact that studio MDHR is taking all of the time they need on Delicious Last Course, I think it's safe to say Microsoft treats their smaller-scale developers with the respect they deserve.

 

Activision can never truly be forgiven, especially when you look back at the company's greedy practices.

 

This is likely because of the absolute chaos going on at Activision. Xbox doesn’t need Activision but now that they got em I’m guessing their first priority will be to establish a much better workplace culture.

When everyone starts turning their backs and boycotting on Activision because of the toxic workplace, Phil Xbox Spencer instead spends billions to be its new owner so he can clean up the mess.

An absolute power move.

 

Now buy Konami I literally beg you

Now if we want Doomslayer, Dragonborn, VaultBoy, Diablo, Tracer, Kerrigan, Crash, Spyro, and Call of Duty in Smash, we need to consider Microsoft in the mix.

Don't we have enough Smash?

At this point I wouldn't even be surprised if they bought up Sega.

At least they'll pump out way more unfinished garbage with a larger team

 

Gachabros, I think we need to kneel before our true mobile game superior... the Candy Crush Candy

Now buy Konami I literally beg you

 

I can’t comprehend with the fact that Microsoft/Xbox owns Crash and Spyro now.

 

This is weird. The only real reason Micro bought out Activision is because they wish to make their own Smash competitor one day. With all the IP giants they now have under their belt, it'd be dumber not to start development on the alternative reality grab behind the merger.

 

Since Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard, then Sony should by Konami to counterback it.
Plus, Sony could also buy Capcom, Square Enix and even SEGA to beat Microsoft, but Sony doesn't have too much money, but still PS5 is selling good, so it can increase it's amount of money to but those companies.

 

This is weird. The only real reason Micro bought out Activision is because they wish to make their own Smash competitor one day. With all the IP giants they now have under their belt, it'd be dumber not to start development on the alternative reality grab behind the merger.

Is it not much more likely its for Gamepass?

 

Since Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard, then Sony should by Konami to counterback it.
Plus, Sony could also buy Capcom, Square Enix and even SEGA to beat Microsoft, but Sony doesn't have too much money, but still PS5 is selling good, so it can increase it's amount of money to but those companies.

That would not be a good idea. The world needs less corporate consolidation, not more.

Like, Microsoft shouldn't be allowed to buy Activision, but the most likely thing is that they will be allowed to.

 

That would not be a good idea. The world needs less corporate consolidation, not more.

Like, Microsoft shouldn't be allowed to buy Activision, but the most likely thing is that they will be allowed to.

Than Microsoft should sell Activision Blizzard. It feels unfair for Sony fans and Sony itself.

 

Than Microsoft should sell Activision Blizzard. It feels unfair for Sony fans and Sony itself.

Since when is business fair?

 

Since when is business fair?

I don't know.
Microsoft should stop buying huge companies, because Microsoft will become another EA-type company and people would stop playing their games.

 

I don't know.
Microsoft should stop buying huge companies, because Microsoft will become another EA-type company and people would stop playing their games.

People haven't stopped playing EA or Tencent games tbf.

I also don't like that Microsoft are gobbling everything up but to pretend that the best solution is more buy outs? An't it.

 

People haven't stopped playing EA or Tencent games tbf.

I also don't like that Microsoft are gobbling everything up but to pretend that the best solution is more buy outs? An't it.

Yeah, Microsoft is a glutton.

 

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Microsoft has just announced that they have purchased video game studio Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion US dollars. You can check out the full official statement from Microsoft here.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

This news comes after many calls over the past several months for former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick to step down, following several investigations into the company which concluded that sexual abuse and other mistreatments of workers had happened for years under his watch. Following today's acquisition, Microsoft has stated that Phil Spencer will be referred to as CEO.

EDIT: Bobby Kotick will still remain Activision CEO after this acquisition. Whether he holds this is a permanent or temporary position remains to be seen.

Activision owns the rights to several big name game IPs. These series include, but are not limited to:

• Call of Duty
• Overwatch
• Crash Bandicoot​
• Spyro the Dragon​
• Diablo​
• World of Warcraft​

Needless to say there is a lot to take in from today's news, both in regards to the future of these series as well as the future for Activision and its employees as a whole.


Credits
Editing: Sari
Social Media: @Zerp

Author's Note: How do you feel about this recent news? Let us know in the comments below!

How many companies has Microsoft obtained by now? They gotta chill lol

 

I don't know.
Microsoft should stop buying huge companies, because Microsoft will become another EA-type company and people would stop playing their games.

EA isn't infamous for buying lots of companies, they're infamous for half-assing games yet still asking for full price, copy-pasting FIFA games and being the frontliner for aggressive microtransations. They do buy studios, but that's not the thing they're known for.

Microsoft is nowhere near as bad as EA.

 

EA isn't infamous for buying lots of companies, they're infamous for half-assing games yet still asking for full price, copy-pasting FIFA games and being the frontliner for aggressive microtransations. They do buy studios, but that's not the thing they're known for.

Microsoft is nowhere near as bad as EA.

Yeah, Microsoft became worse after buying Activision Blizzard, since Activision is also one of possibly hated companies along with Blizzard.

 

Yeah, Microsoft became worse after buying Activision Blizzard, since Activision is also one of possibly hated companies along with Blizzard.

The hope is though that the buyout will at least lead to reform in the work place culture. The controversy there is the big reason why Activision probably aggred to the sale on the first place.

 

Yeah, Microsoft became worse after buying Activision Blizzard, since Activision is also one of possibly hated companies along with Blizzard.

You're just thinking on a very surface level.

Buyouts like that don't just happen overnight, these can take a long while to do, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were negotiations even before allegations started to pop up.

And you don't just buy a PR disaster like Activision Blizzard for nearly 69 billion dollars without the intent of really making the absolute best out of it. They'll definitely clean up the messes. It would be an insane waste of money otherwise.

Personally, while I'm not a fan of companies establishing a monopoly by buying everything, I'm willing to make an exception for this time because this was baiscally the only way we could've seen some real changes in Activision. No way would Kotick and other slimy executives have left on their own because Activision was still printing money.

 

Hi my name is Xombie//RhythmBear I have a WiiU and would like to play 1v1 or 1v1v1v1. Add my Nintendo Network ID @ OmnistOmnivore

 

As long as WoW survives IDC who owns blizzard.