Friday the 13th will be remembered as the day when Microsoft for a historic $68.7 billion (approximately CZK 1.6 trillion) bought by Activision Blizzard. The publisher of famous series such as Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft or Candy Crush Saga joins the Xbox owner.
We all associate Activision Blizzard especially with Call of Duty, which the current CEO Bobby Kotick cannot tolerate and forced de facto all Activision studios work on this action series so that it can be released every year. The portfolio also includes Warcraft, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft and mobile hits from King.
Under Microsoft is hereby moved more than 10,000 peoplewho work at Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob or Treyarch.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division, previously said he would like to talk to Activision Blizzard developers and find out what games they would like to work on. So there’s a chance we’ll see a new Starcraft, the return of Guitar Hero, etc.
Source: Microsoft Microsoft is thinking about the new Xbox as a hybrid platform
A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS WITH MICROSOFT, PRAISES KOTICK
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sent an email to his staff following the UK regulator’s clearance. In it, he confirmed the approval of the acquisition and wrote that a new chapter begins with Microsoft, with endless possibilities for them and the players.
“We look forward to bringing joy and connecting even more players around the world.” he added.
THE ACQUISITION HAPPENED FROM JANUARY 2022
The merger of the two major companies was announced as early as January 2022, but the acquisition was delayed by regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe, and Great Britain, which were occupied by Microsoft’s dominant position. Concerns in the EU were quickly addressed. In the US, even the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) turned to courtto block the acquisition. Thanks to this, we learned a lot of behind-the-scenes information not only about Microsoft, but also about Sony or Bethesda. After a tedious trial, the judge ruled in favor of Microsoft, but FTC officials have not given up and intend to continue to challenge the transaction internally. But it will not prevent the merger.
Microsoft gradually resolved various concerns by signing contracts with competitors. The American company has pledged, among other things, that will publish Call of Duty on the PlayStation console for 10 years. Sony was the most vocal critic of the acquisition, and through the mouth of its CEO Jim Ryan, who is leaving Sony, he criticized Game Pass and praised the Call of Duty action series to the skies. According to Ryan, CoD is irreplaceable.
Microsoft also began adding its games to Nvidia’s GeForce Now, and the deal claimed to publish Call of Duty on Nintendo. The contract is also for 10 years. The British authority was the most defensive. The latter forced Microsoft to sign a contract with Ubisoft, which became the exclusive holder of the rights to play cloud games of Activision Blizzard outside the European Economic Area (we reported here). Ubisoft can offer AB content under any business model, including its Ubisoft+ subscription on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Ubisoft will have access to all current, past and future AB games for 15 years.
We are preparing further information. We will update the article.
2023-10-13 13:03:31
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