Microsoft today announced that it has agreed to acquire Activision Blizzard in a deal valued at $68.7 billion dollars. This is the second high-profile acquisition made by the company, after Bethesda’s parent company Zenimax Media joined its ranks.
Until the deal closes, Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently. Following the acquisition, it will report to Phil Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
Microsoft plans to “offer as many Activision Blizzard games as [it] can” through both Xbox and PC Game Pass, including both new titles and those from the publisher’s existing catalog.
This comes as no surprise, since Bethesda’s games received a similar treatment last year. In addition, the subscription service is confirmed to have surpassed the 25 million subscribers milestone.
The acquisition “will also accelerate [its] plans for Cloud Gaming,” aiming to offer its community easier access to the new franchises about to become part of its portfolio.
It also comes as Activision Blizzard continues to face criticism following last year’s sexual harassment claims, which painted a damning picture, prompting the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing to file a lawsuit against the publisher.
“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,” Spencer said, addressing the topic.
“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.”
If the Zenimax Online acquisition shook the industry, Activision Blizzard joining Microsoft’s ranks shows that the company is making a serious push into gaming. It will be interesting to see what this will mean for future entries in popular series like Call of Duty as far as console releases go.
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