Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard in massive $70 billion deal

Microsoft has officially purchased Activision Blizzard in one of the largest acquisitions in gaming history.

The news arrived just minutes after a report from The Wall Street Journal says that the deal between the two giants is coming to a whopping $68.7 billion.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer later officially announced the acquisition through an Xbox Newswire post welcoming the many teams and franchises to the company.

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Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard

Today’s news comes less than a year after Microsoft closed a deal to buy Bethesda for $7.5 billion, which many believe is just as large. But now, the Microsoft family grows even more as they welcome their creators Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, Overwatch, StarCraftand more for the Xbox team.

Phil Spencer said that until the transaction is officially completed, Activision Blizzard and Micorosft Gaming will continue to operate independently. Based on CharlieINTEL, an email from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said the deal wouldn’t close until June 2023.

While the deal won’t affect players for another year, Phil Spencer has stated that after the closure Micorosft will “offer as many Activision Blizzard games as [they] can be on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog.”

This is definitely a big win for Xbox Game Pass users as the massive subscription service continues to grow. Whether or not big headlines like Call of Duty will become Xbox exclusive is still unknown.