Microsoft never fails to pull a slick card out of its sleeve. In what can only be described as a bold move, Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion at $95 per share. This puts big time money makers like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Diablo under the wing of the tech giant.
It’s easy to see why this deal is going to be very beneficial, both to Microsoft and the consumer. The consumers will be able to benefit greatly from Activision Blizzard’s games going on to Gamepass, making it even more of a mouth watering deal.
The buyout that Microsoft plans with Activision Blizzard is speculated to take a lot of time and is currently in its early stages. This is largely due to the fact that Activision Blizzard operates in several market segments and the final word is that the buyout is expected to close no later than June 2023.
There is still certainly a lot of ambiguity around the deal. We do not know the role or the extent Microsoft will have after acquiring Activision Blizzard when it comes to its big-name franchise titles like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Diablo, and so on and so forth. This makes Microsoft a very strong contender against other big names like Sony and Tencent, considering their recent acquisitions. We all know that more competition equals more games, which is something the gaming community invariably looks forward to.
However, Activision Blizzard has been recently covered in scandal due to its misconduct allegations, and it’s important for us to keep a close eye on how the management functions post the acquisition. So far no leadership changes have been mentioned apart from the fact that individuals at Activision Blizzard will report to Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer after the acquisition.
Microsoft Step Up Its Metaverse Game
It’s not every day that a nearly $69 billion agreement is signed solely to buy out a gaming company. The deal is expected to help the tech behemoth’s efforts in a critical industry. This acquisition will help Microsoft’s game company flourish and will give building blocks for the metaverse. Furthermore, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella described the Metaverse as a permanent sector that would continue to revolutionize “how we see the world”. During the deal announcement with Activision Blizzard, he added,
Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms. We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
However, when news of the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard acquisition circulates, you all are left wondering what will happen with the latter company and the unpleasant working environment that several of its workers have described. Also, major titles such as Call of Duty will be available or not on non-Microsoft platforms, among other things.
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