It’s been a long 20 months since Microsoft first announced their agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard King for a record $68.7 billion back in January 2022. This past week the deal received long-awaited approval from its final cornerstone regulator, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority, and both companies moved forward with sealing the deal on Friday, October 13th. The deal goes down as Microsoft’s largest acquisition ever, far surpassing their previous record holder, business-focused social media platform LinkedIn, which was acquired for $26 billion in 2016. Combining the revenue of Xbox (and Bethesda) and Activision Blizzard moves Microsoft into position as the third-highest grossing gaming company, behind Tencent and Sony.
In addition to the treasure trove of intellectual property that Microsoft gained from the deal, they also added a staff of 15,000+, including incredibly capable and impressively talented developers across 30+ studios worldwide. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will remain in place to help with the transition through the end of the year. Additionally, Microsoft also reiterated its commitment to the agreement it made with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), restating that, “Microsoft remains steadfast in our support of our current and future employees in whatever choice they make about their workplace and their representatives.”
Find Microsoft’s official statement on the closing of the deal here.
Find a draft of what Xbox’s new structure is expected to look like here.
Image from: Microsoft
