Microsoft announces acquisition of Activision Blizzard deals totaled $68.7 billion

Microsoft announced the acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard for $95 per share, bringing the total transaction value to $68.7 billion, which is also Microsoft’s largest acquisition in history. After the acquisition, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest game company after Tencent and Sony.

Activision Blizzard owns many high-quality IPs, which have always been loved by gamers like Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Call of Duty, and Overwatch. Activision Blizzard has studios around the world and employs nearly 10,000 people. After the deal closes, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft’s gaming divisions will remain separate operations, Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as Activision Blizzard’s CEO, and Activision Blizzard’s business will report to Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head of gaming.

Microsoft said it will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as possible in Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass in the future, including Activision Blizzard’s past classics and new games. There are currently over 25 million Game Pass subscribers, and as always, look forward to continuing to add more value and more exciting games to Game Pass.

Activision Blizzard will also accelerate Microsoft’s cloud gaming initiative, allowing more gamers around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices. Microsoft believes that Activision Blizzard’s games are popular on a variety of platforms, and plans to continue to support these original communities moving forward.

“For more than 30 years our incredibly talented teams have created some of the most successful games,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard. “The combination of Activision Blizzard’s world-class talent and extraordinary franchises with Microsoft’s technology, distribution, access to talent, ambitious vision and shared commitment to gaming and inclusion will help ensure our continued success in an increasingly competitive industry.”