Microsoft finally acquires Activision Blizzard and CoD in the games industry’s biggest deal

Activision Blizzard characters in front of Xbox logo in background

Activision Blizzard characters in front of Xbox logo in background

It's official; Microsoft has officially finalised the deal to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.

Following a number of legal hurdles, the publisher of Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, and more is now under Microsoft's umbrella alongside the likes of Bethesda which was acquired by the company behind Xbox in March 2021.

The final hurdle preventing the deal from going through was the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which originally blocked the deal due to concerns over the cloud gaming market. After revising the deal, the long-awaited acquisition has been given the green light.

Following the largest deal in gaming going through, Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer released a statement:

Shortly after the news, the Xbox Game Pass X account revealed it will now begin the process of adding Activision Blizzard King's titles onto the Game Pass platform.

Earlier in the week, Activision Blizzard King revealed Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo IV won't be making its way to Microsoft's subscription platform this year. Although this might be disappointing news for fans of those franchises, it means a wealth of titles are on their way.

After nearly two years of legal hurdles to leap over, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard King marks a new chapter for both companies. It'll certainly be interesting to see the wider ramifications and if we'll eventually see Guitar Hero once again.

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