Microsoft officially completes its record $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard

After nearly two long (and somewhat exhausting, tbh) years, Microsoft has finally successfully completed its largest acquisition to date by purchasing Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The acquisition, which took this long due to regulatory issues in the US and UK, came to its conclusion with the recent decision of the UK's CMA to clear the acquisition, under Microsoft's concessions where it transfers Cloud Gaming rights to Ubisoft, solidifying Microsoft as the third-largest gaming company in terms of revenue, following Tencent and Sony.

Activision Blizzard, known for huge gaming franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo, will have its games added to Xbox Xbox Game Pass as part of Microsoft's plan to expand access to these franchises. The deal also brings more than nine game studios from Blizzard and over 11 locations from mobile gaming firm King under Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios.

The acquisition has significantly increased Microsoft's workforce, with over 8,500 Activision employees now part of the tech company. Activision Blizzard's CEO, Bobby Kotick, will aid in the transition process until the end of 2023, after which he will step down as the company's CEO after 33 years at the helm. Despite regulatory challenges, including Xbox Cloud Gaming rights issues, the acquisition was able to proceed, and while it's true that there is undoubtedly a considerable amount of both support and opposition to this move, it is undeniable that this marks a milestone in the gaming industry as the largest acquisition in the industry thus far, the results of which we are just about to witness.