The Activision Blizzard follows Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda (ZeniMax Media) for $7.5 billion that took place nearly a year ago.
Activision, the publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo, is being bought by Microsoft for $68.7 billion, significantly more than the $26 billion Microsoft spent for LinkedIn in 2016. Once the acquisition is completed, Activision's games will be added to Xbox Game Pass, allowing Microsoft to publish titles such as Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty and Candy Crush.
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, said, “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”. However, with months of sexual harassment cases against Activision Blizzard and more employees coming out with claims, Microsoft's approach to resolving these issues remains unclear.
While Bobby Kotick will remain CEO of Activision Blizzard, for the time being, Microsoft said that Activision Blizzard would directly report to Phil Spencer, Microsoft's gaming CEO. Spencer said the company is committed to ensure inclusion in every aspect of gaming for both employees and players.
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