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A Microsoft announced this Tuesday (18) that it will buy the Activision Blizzard, one of the largest game companies in the world, for US$ 68.7 billion, about R$ 379 billion.
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If the deal is completed, the Microsoft will become the third largest game company in the world, for bringing together the Xbox platform and studios and the portfolio of Activision, which includes games like “Call of Duty”, “Overwatch”, “Warcraft”, “Candy Crush” and the Tony Hawk franchise.
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According to the technology giant, the purchase has already been approved by the boards of both companies. Now it needs the approval of the shareholders of the Activision Blizzard and the completion of the regulatory review.
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Currently, the Activision Blizzard has nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and franchises worth billions of dollars. Although the company does not release numbers for its games, game market evaluators estimate that Candy Crush moves up to $3 million a day. The game’s revenues grew 20% in 2021 and it was the most profitable franchise in app stores in the United States.
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In September 2020, the Microsoft had already purchased ZeniMax Media, the company that owns Bethesda Softworks, developer and publisher of games, for US$ 7.5 billion dollars, about R$ 40 billion.
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The transaction takes place in the midst of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed in July last year, by the California Department of Employment and Housing against Activision Blizzard.
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The agency accuses the game developer of sexual harassment, assault and maintaining a hostile environment against women, who received unequal wages and faced retaliation..
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In August, Blizzard president Allen Brack stepped down from the helm of the company.
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Employees and protesters protest in support of a sexual abuse lawsuit in front of the Activision Blizzard headquarters, in the United States (Photo: David McNew/AFP)
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In July 2021, Activision Blizzard employees held a strike and a protest in front of the company’s headquarters in the United States.
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With the participation of other protesters, they expressed support for a sexual harassment lawsuit against the developer of franchises such as “Warcraft” and “Call of Duty” and called for fair treatment for minority workers.
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In the lawsuit, the agency claims that the company has created a culture of “constant sexual harassment” and gender discrimination. Since then, several women have spoken out in favor of the accusation.
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According to the lawsuit, the game developer’s offices resembled a male college dorm, where male employees drank, talked openly about female bodies and joked about rape.
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Because of this, women were subjected to various sexual comments, sung at, had their bodies grabbed and suffered other forms of abuse. The behavior was known to supervisors and even encouraged by them.
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The lawsuit also cites an employee who allegedly committed suicide after numerous harassments.
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Young professional gamers have the routine and salary of adults
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Gaulês and Nahzinhaa discuss the addiction to games
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Gaulês and Nahzinhaa discuss addiction to games, already classified as a mental disorder
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