In the all-cash $68.7 billion sale, Microsoft will gain Activision’s gaming titles, while Activision has a chance to rebuild and focus.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, maker of Call Of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush, may help the video-game giant refocus on growing those popular titles while working to move beyond sexual misconduct allegations that have dogged the company, analysts said.
Kotick will remain as chief executive, despite calls from nearly 1,900 Activision employees for his removal inthat began circulating at the end of last year. He’ll report to Phil Spencer, the chief executive of Microsoft’s gaming division, the companies said. While Activision stands to benefit from Microsoft’s resources, particularly on distribution, as well as profit from the positive sentiments around Microsoft’s company culture, Microsoft stands to gain Activision’s entire video gaming portfolio for its monthly gaming subscription product, Xbox Game Pass, said Joseph Bonner, an analyst at Argus Research. “What I get from [Microsoft] management is that they really look at Game Pass as the future. What this deal does is it provides content for it.
Other Microsoft gaming acquisitions in the past include ZeniMax Media, a video game holding company which publishes titles such as The Elder Scrolls and Starfield, that Microsoft bought in September 2020 for $7.5 billion in an all-cash transaction.
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