Microsoft is Buying Activision Blizzard $68.7B ***Update: Acquisition Finalized***

rikwebb

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Holy Shit.....






Official https://news.microsoft.com/features...ty-of-gaming-to-everyone-across-every-device/


With three billion people actively playing games today and fueled by a new generation steeped in the joys of interactive entertainment, gaming is now the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc., a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher. This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.

When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from the Activision, Blizzard and King studios like “Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush,” in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The company has studios around the word with nearly 10,000 employees.

“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,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “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.”




Post by Phil Spencer https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/01/18/welcoming-activision-blizzard-to-microsoft-gaming/

Creators of Call of Duty, Warcraft, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft and more join Team Xbox
As a team, we are on a mission to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We all know that gaming is the most vibrant and dynamic form of entertainment worldwide and we’ve experienced the power of social connection and friendship that gaming makes possible.

As we pursue that mission, it is incredibly exciting to announce that Microsoft has agreed to acquire Activision Blizzard.

Over many decades, the studios and teams that make up Activision Blizzard have earned vast wellsprings of joy and respect from billions of people all over the world. We are incredibly excited to have the chance to work with the amazing, talented, dedicated people across 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 team across Activision Blizzard.

Until this transaction closes, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft Gaming will continue to operate independently. Once the deal is complete, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me as CEO, Microsoft Gaming.

Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog. We also announced today that Game Pass now has more than 25 million subscribers. As always, we look forward to continuing to add more value and more great games to Game Pass.

The fantastic franchises across Activision Blizzard will also accelerate our plans for Cloud Gaming, allowing more people in more places around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices you already own. Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.

As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.

Around the world, there is no more exciting venue for fun and connection than video games. And there has never been a better time to play than right now. As we extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone, we look forward to welcoming all of our friends at Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming.
 
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Blizzard has been dead for years anyways. Pretty sure this game, announced in 2018, is supposed to be coming out in 2022. Which I guess is still a quicker turnaround time than Starcraft Ghost.

 
Wow this is pretty crazy!

I am now guaranteed to eventually get Gamepass…

and this purely for anything related to StarCraft, Warcraft and the Diablo franchise. Don’t care about COD…
 
Can someone explain to me how this method is profitable?

These guys just keep spending and yet fewer people are buying games and just subbing instead. How do they make profit on these AAA games?
 
Deal to be completed by June 2023



Also if the deal doesn't go through MS would have to pay Activision Blizzard $3bn

 
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I can see this one getting some challenges by DOJ and EU (if applicable) before completion.
Can someone explain to me how this method is profitable?

These guys just keep spending and yet fewer people are buying games and just subbing instead. How do they make profit on these AAA games?
They don't really yet, but in game purchases in cod warzone alone made almost 2 billion in 12 months with in game purchases. So that should paint a picture for this purchase, Wow still makes tens of millions every year.


Edit: for 1 quarter and not the most recent quarter 1.2 billion in 3 months from all games.
https://www.pcgamer.com/amp/activis...12b-in-microtransactions-in-the-last-quarter/
 
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Blizzard has been dead for years anyways. Pretty sure this game, announced in 2018, is supposed to be coming out in 2022. Which I guess is still a quicker turnaround time than Starcraft Ghost.


What about the Activision Part?

I.e COD.
 
I thought the Bethesda acquisition was huge (and it was), but this is some outright ridiculous shit (nearly 70 billion!!!!! :eek:) and totally out of left field. The repercussions for the industry are hard to gauge at this point.
 
Gamepass just got better, but this is bad for gaming consumers in general. If Microsoft isnt winning, theyll just buy the competition. Eventually theyll probably buy Sony or someshit.
 
Can someone explain to me how this method is profitable?

These guys just keep spending and yet fewer people are buying games and just subbing instead. How do they make profit on these AAA games?
Microsoft is a Trillion Dollar company with ridiculous margins, 69 billion is nothing to them, they have nearly double that on hand. Activision for a few quarters of profit? Its damn insane. Activision is the biggest publisher in the world with the biggest IP. Candy crush and COD alone generate more than most other publishers combined.

Its not only profitable, its goddamn way too profitable.
 
Holy shit lol

I dont like so much consolidation, but like Zenimax (Bethesda parent company), Activision/Blizzard has been terrible under its current leadership.

They have so many ips they can bring to gamepass, but the real juggernaut obviously is COD. Edit, oh yeah @jojoRed forgot about Candy Crush

Hopefully they axe Battlepass, I fucking hate. Bring Diablo to Steam baby lol

Xbox/M$ has been stellar, and will surely do better for these properties, but damn it feels off.
 
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