Microsoft has now formally acquired Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn – the biggest company buyout in video games industry history.
Today’s long-awaited deal closure finalises a process that has dragged on through almost two years of regulatory approvals and legal wrangling. Finally, however, it is done – hours after the UK ultimately gave the deal a green light.
Microsoft now owns Activision, including the world’s biggest first-person shooter franchise Call of Duty, alongside the rights to Spyro, Skylanders, and Guitar Hero.
Microsoft also now owns Blizzard, home to World of Warcraft and the maker of the Diablo series, plus Overwatch, StarCraft and Hearthstone.
And perhaps most importantly for Microsoft – and most lucratively – it now owns Activision Blizzard’s giant mobile division King. Its mobile game smash hit Candy Crush Saga has raked in more than $20bn alone, and Microsoft has said its mobile expertise will be key to growing Xbox’s audience over the next decade.
For Activision Blizzard staff – all 17,000 of them worldwide – the acquisition marks a new chapter in the company’s history. But, for now at least, the firm remains headed by controversial boss Bobby Kotick, who has repeatedly come under fire as Activision Blizzard struggled to reckon with a wave of harassment and misconduct allegations over the past couple of years. Kotick’s long-term future at the company remains uncertain today, with his tenure seemingly now guaranteed only through the end of this year.