Microsoft finally completes acquisition of Activision Blizzard



Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a major game manufacturer, in January 2022, but since the company operates the game brand Xbox, regulatory authorities around the world have been waiting for the acquisition. Finally, Microsoft has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Welcoming the Legendary Teams at Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox - Xbox Wire
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/10/13/xbox-activision-blizzard/



Activision Blizzard King Joins Xbox - Official Trailer - YouTube


Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/13/23791235/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-complete-finalized



Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer's memo welcoming Activision Blizzard to Microsoft - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/13/23915634/microsoft-xbox-internal-memo-chief-spencer-activision-blizzard-completion

Bobby Kotick will stay at Activision Blizzard until the end of 2023 - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/13/23915559/activision-blizzard-ceo-steps-down-kotick-microsoft

Regulators around the world have investigated the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying it could lead to a monopoly, as Microsoft has its own gaming brand, Xbox. Japan's Fair Trade Commission and the European Commission (EC), the policy enforcement agency of the European Union (EU) , both ultimately approved the acquisition of Microsoft.

The final hurdles were the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom. In the case brought by the FTC, California judge Jacqueline Scott Coley rejected the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction to block the acquisition , and an appeal against this judgment was also dismissed.

The Federal Trade Commission's last attempt to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is rejected, the acquisition is finally close - GIGAZINE



Then, in order to obtain acquisition approval from the CMA, Microsoft announced that it would sell the cloud gaming rights of its own titles to one of its rivals, Ubisoft.

Microsoft announces plans to sell cloud gaming rights for its own titles to rival Ubisoft in order to acquire Activision Blizzard - GIGAZINE



On October 13, 2023, Phil Spencer, the chief of Xbox, the company's gaming brand, said, ``We love games. We play games, we create games, and we love games. 'We know how much it means to all of us, individuals and communities, and today we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and its team to Xbox.'Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard We are announcing that we have completed.

Spencer also said on X: 'Today is a good day to play. We officially welcome Activision Blizzard and King to Team Xbox. Together, we will do our best to ensure everyone does their best work and create a diverse and diverse team.' In a culture that celebrates perspective, we create stories and experiences that connect players.'




Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the company's largest acquisition to date. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion (approximately 3.9 trillion yen) in 2016, and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5 billion (approximately 1.1 trillion yen) in 2021 , but Activision Blizzard's acquisition amount far exceeds these, amounting to 68.7 billion dollars (about 10.3 trillion yen).

Microsoft plans to add Activision Blizzard titles to Xbox Game Pass, the company's game subscription service, and Spencer said, ``We will continue to bring popular Activision Blizzard and King titles to Xbox Game Pass and other platforms.'' We will begin work to bring these titles to you in the coming months. We understand that you are excited, but we I'm also very excited!'

However, Activision Blizzard announced at the beginning of the second week of October 2023 that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo IV will not be included in Xbox Game Pass within 2023. However, once the acquisition is complete, the company plans to work with Xbox to bring these titles to gamers around the world by including them in Xbox Game Pass.




When Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it announced that the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers had reached 25 million, but there have been no announcements regarding the number of subscribers since then.

With the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft will now have over nine game studios and over 11 mobile game studios under its umbrella. With this acquisition, more than 8,500 Activision Blizzard employees will join Microsoft.

In addition, Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Cortich, whose departure has attracted attention due to sexual harassment issues, is scheduled to remain in office until the end of 2023. 'I've long said I'm committed to helping with the transition,' he told Activision Blizzard employees. 'Phil (at Microsoft) asked me to stay on as CEO of Activision Blizzard King, ) and we have agreed to continue to do so until the end of 2023. We look forward to working together towards a smooth integration of our teams and employees.' is being sent.

In addition, employees of Activision Blizzard's Albany, New York office and Raven Software, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, have formed a labor union, but Microsoft signed a labor neutrality agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in June 2022. We have reiterated that we will comply with the following. 'More than 16 months later, Microsoft has completed its acquisition transaction with Activision Blizzard, reinforcing our commitment to labor principles and an innovative approach to union partnerships,' said Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft. 'Microsoft stands steadfastly supporting current and future employees in whatever choices they make regarding their workplace and representation.'

However, the FTC is dissatisfied with the ruling that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is okay and plans to continue appealing. 'Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and Ubisoft's new agreement presents an entirely new dimension to acquisitions that impact American consumers,' FTC spokeswoman Victoria Graham said in a Reuters report . The FTC will evaluate this as part of its ongoing administrative proceedings. 'The FTC continues to believe that this transaction poses a threat to competition.'

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in Game, Posted by logu_ii