Microsoft Completes its Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

After the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard earlier today, the software giant has gone forward and completed the $68 billion deal. With Activision Blizzard now part of Microsoft, the company now owns some of the most popular gaming franchises on the market including Call of Duty, Diablo, as well as mobile games like Candy Crush.

“Today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox,” said Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming. “They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history across console, PC and mobile. From Pitfall to Call of Duty, World of Warcraft to Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga to Farm Heroes Super Saga, their studios have pushed the boundaries of gaming for players around the world.”

Two years ago, Microsoft already made a massive acquisition with Bethesda/Zenimax Media, the home of blockbuster franchises such as Fallout, Doom, and The Elder Scrolls. However, today’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is on a whole other level. The scale of this deal is so unprecedented that Microsoft faced significant roadblocks in the US and the UK, and Microsoft had to agree to sell cloud licensing rights for Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft to get the deal approved by the UK’s CMA.

Today, Phil Spencer said that Microsoft is committed to helping the “legendary teams” at Activision Blizzard to “do their best work.”  In a separate announcement, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that he will remain CEO of the company throughout 2023 to help with the transition. Kotick will report directly to Spencer, who also said that Microsoft will start working on making Activision Blizzard games available for more gamers.

“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,” Spencer said.

Activision Blizzard said earlier this week that we shouldn’t expect to see Diablo IV or the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 land on Game Pass anytime soon, but eventually, all new Activision Blizzard games should become available on Game Pass on day one. This could definitely make Game Pass an even better deal for gamers, though this blockbuster acquisition isn’t just about growing the number of Game Pass subscribers. Microsoft is planning to launch mobile game stores on iOS and Android next year, and the company is counting on Call of Duty Mobile, Candy Crush, and other mobile games from Activision Blizzard to spearhead that effort.