The fuse was lit by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreir. Then the clap of thunder hissed, and everyone heard it. Via a post on its official blog, Microsoft announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard. An agreement worth 68.7 billion dollars (60 billion) according to Reuters, i.e. a deal never reached in the sector: it explodes the recent takeover of Zynga by Take-Two (GTA), estimated at 12.7 billion dollars. Nevertheless, Microsoft specifies that the acquisition is not finalized and that the organization remains the same for the moment. This is Phil Spencer, boss of Xbox, who explains it:
Until this transaction is negotiated, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft Gaming will continue to operate independently. Once the acquisition is complete, I will be the referent of the Activision Blizzard teams
In September 2024, Microsoft acquired Zenimax Media (Bethesda) for $8.1 billion. With such an acquisition, the American giant got its hands on many video game licenses: Elder Scrolls or Fallout. But it’s all the more colossal with Activision: Sekiro, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk, and of course Call of Duty. And that’s not counting the Blizzard franchises: World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Diablo and Starcraft, which will also be owned by Microsoft. An acquisition justified in the following way by Phil Spencer:
As a team, we aim to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We all know that gaming is the most engaging and dynamic form of entertainment on the planet, and we’ve all experienced the power of social connection and the friendships gaming can foster.
And to do so, he even mentions the Game Pass. Proud to say that it is now at 25 million subscribers, the Xbox subscription service hopes to offer the maximum possible game in its catalog, as there are many Activision Blizzard licenses and franchises.
As mentioned earlier in the article, an agreement has been reached but the takeover has not yet been finalized. It will probably be assessed by the European Commission to see if the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is not contrary to antitrust law. If the European Commission considers that this acquisition places Microsot in a dominant position, then it can refuse it.
Source : Microsoft, Reuters, wall street journal and VGC
