Microsoft has just dropped another megaton on the gaming industry, only this time it’s about ten times bigger than buying Bethesda, as they’ve announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a reported value of nearly $70 billion. This will make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company by revenue after Tencent and Sony.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated:
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.
Microsoft also announced its goal to offer ‘as many of their games as possible’ on Game Pass for Xbox and PC. Today, the company revealed to have surpassed 25 million subscribers.
Upon the deal’s closure, Activision Blizzard will report directly to Phil Spencer, the Head of Microsoft Gaming. This suggests Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who recently got embroiled in a sea of controversies alongside the rest of the company, might be on the way out once the deal is done, though that’s not clear yet.
Here’s what Spencer himself said in the announcement blog post shared on Xbox Wire.
The fantastic franchises across Activision Blizzard will also accelerate our plans for Cloud Gaming, allowing more people in more places around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices you already own. Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.
As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.
Around the world, there is no more exciting venue for fun and connection than video games. And there has never been a better time to play than right now. As we extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone, we look forward to welcoming all of our friends at Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming.
Here’s how the new Microsoft Gaming leadership team will be structured going forward.
In a statement shared with The Verge, Spencer highlighted Microsoft’s commitment to improving the workplace culture at Activision Blizzard.
As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.
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