Soon after the UK regulator the CMA approved the deal, Microsoft has now officially completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The company announced the news with a new trailer recently welcoming the publisher to the Xbox family. Additionally, new information was revealed about the fate of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and when players can expect to see the publisher’s library of games hit Xbox Game Pass.
After 20 months of regulatory battles to get the deal approved, Microsoft has now officially acquired Activision Blizzard including all of its subsidiary studios, IPs and developers as well as Candy Crush company King.
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Xbox boss Phil Spencer updated players on when they can expect Activision’s library of games to start appearing on Game Pass – and it won’t be immediately as some might’ve expected. “We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months,” said Spencer. “We know you’re excited – and we are too.”
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will remain the company’s chief executive officer until the end of 2023 to help with the transition period. As of January 2024, Kotick will step down as CEO of the company. The following email (via The Verge) was sent by Kotick to all ABK employees in light of the acquisition being finalised:
To put the current state of Microsoft’s ownership of publishers and developers into perspective, Twitter user Klobrille provided a chart showing the full extent of the buyout and Xbox’s new first-party lineup:
Spencer also had more to say about the deal being completed:
“We love gaming. We play games, create games, and know first-hand how much gaming means to all of us as individuals and collectively, as a community. And today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone.”
Source: The Verge
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