Let's break down the Microsoft and Activision deal by the numbers, from how many studios Xbox will gain to which of the biggest gaming franchises will soon be part of its family and much more.

Activision Blizzard has fired or pushed out 37 employees accused of misconduct since July 2021, the Wall Street Journal reports.

There were a lot of questions following yesterday’s announcement that Microsoft was acquiring Activision Blizzard for the tune of a cool $68.7 billion USD. Namely, the thought that plagued many players minds was: will Diablo and Call of Duty be exclusive to Xbox and PC? Newly crowned Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer did say the company was planning on bringing AB franchises to Game Pass. However, would that mean Call of Duty fans on PlayStation need to migrate? In another statement by Spencer, this probably isn’t the case: Activision Blizzard games won’t be exclusive to Xbox and PC. “I’ll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remained committed to that,” Spencer said in an interview with Bloomberg. From the sound of things, if you enjoy Call of Duty on your PlayStation console, you won’t need to worry about migrating elsewhere.   ...

Microsoft has made its move into the metaverse with nearly $70 billion acquisition of gaming titan Activision. Activision is the company behind massive hits like “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” and “Call of Duty” which are all included in the acquisition. Microsoft will acquire Activision for $95.00 a share in an all-cash transaction totaling $68.7 […]

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See what awaits Aloy with the latest story trailer for Guerrilla Games and PlayStation Studios’ Horizon Forbidden West.

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Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is expected to leave the company once the $68.7 billion buyout of his company has been completed. The acquisition will give the embattled CEO a convenient exit plan, as he and his leadership team deal with numerous lawsuits and investigations, a negative public image, and a stock price that plummeted around 30% through the second half of 2021. Reporting in the wake of the buyout announcement has honed in on the troubles that Activision has faced over the past six months and how they opened the door for Microsoft to buy the company and for Kotick to leave on his own terms. Bloomberg’s (paywalled) behind-the-scenes reporting has Kotick asserting that the acquisition had nothing to do with last year’s controversies or the calls for him to steep down. However, “A person familiar with the discussions, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Microsoft looked at Activision’s situation, given all the negative attention and pressure on Kotick, and wondered if the beleaguered CEO would be willing to do a deal. “Kotick initially didn’t want to sell, according to another person familiar with the talks, and also put the word out to see if any other company would outbid Microsoft. But at that point, Kotick had little leverage with his board amid the ongoing public scrutiny at his company.” Per the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Kotick has been eager to change the public narrative about the company, and in recent weeks has suggested Activision Blizzard make some kind of acquisition, including of gaming-trade publications like Kotaku and PC Gamer, according to people familiar with him. The Activision spokeswoman, Ms. Klasky, disputed that Mr. Kotick wanted to make the acquisitions. A spokesman for G/O Media, the parent company of Kotaku, declined to comment. PC Gamer didn’t respond to a request for comment.” Further Reading: What does Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard mean for gamers? The simple fact is that the narrative surrounding Activision Blizzard has not significantly changed over the past six months. If anything, it’s narrowed in and focussed on Kotick and his personal leadership of the company. The widespread allegations and DFEH lawsuit that emerged last summer were initially met with a dismissive attitude by executives which eventually resolved itself into announcing a new zero tolerance policy with the board of directors publicly backing Kotick. However, it was then reported in November that Kotick knew of the allegations and turned a blind eye. This made a bad situation worse at the company, especially as Blizzard games Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 were delayed, Call of Duty: Vanguard made for a relatively down year for the franchise, and workers strike and seek to unionise. The company is still very profitable, but the market cap took a major hit, giving Microsoft the chance to offer Kotick a way out that he is seemingly now willing to take. Again, as reported by the WSJ, “Some of Activision’s directors who had stood by Mr. Kotick during the crisis were individually beginning to get anxious, according to people familiar with the board. Some directors didn’t believe shareholders and employees would be comfortable without a major change but weren’t willing to try to oust Mr. Kotick. He is expected to depart the company after the deal closes, the people said.” Kotick personally holds a stake in Activision that will be worth $390 million. Source: Bloomberg (via Jason Schreier), Wall Street Journal

The big news of this week is Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft announced today plans to acquire the gaming company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The recent acquisition will make Microsoft the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, following Tencent and Sony. The recent acquisition topples Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition for over $7.5 billion last […]

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With the announcement of its intention to buy Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion, Microsoft has rearranged its gaming arm, creating a Microsoft Gaming division with Phil Spencer at its head. In emails to staff reproduced by The Verge, both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and newly-minted Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer have further detailed what this acquisition will mean for Microsoft employees.

Nadella's message can be read in full below, addressing the role Activision Blizzard will play in furthering Microsoft's gaming ambitions--specifically singling out metaverse platforms, cloud gaming, and game subscriptions as initiatives that may benefit from the acquisition.

"Team,

I’m thrilled to share that this morning we announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. Activision Blizzard is one of the largest game publishers worldwide across console, PC and mobile, and it’s home to nearly 400 million monthly active players, along with iconic games including Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft and Diablo.

Gaming has been key to Microsoft since our earliest days as a company. Today, it’s the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment, and as the digital and physical worlds come together, it will play a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms.

Together with Activision Blizzard, we believe we have an incredible opportunity to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and we will invest and innovate to create the best content, community and cloud for gamers. We want to make it easier for people to connect and play great games wherever, whenever and however they want.

This agreement is a testament to the impact our gaming team has delivered, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work and commitment. Over the past few years, we’ve expanded our content pipeline and have become leaders in game subscriptions, as well as cloud gaming. And this holiday it was especially gratifying to see the response from fans and read the great reviews of our new first-party titles.

Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming. When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. We look forward to extending our journey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture to our new colleagues at Activision Blizzard, and ensuring all our employees can do what they love, while thriving in a safe and welcoming environment — one where everyone feels empowered to do their best work.

I will be hosting a webcast with investors at 6 a.m. PT with Phil and Amy, as well as Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, to share more details on our big ambitions for gaming. Please join if you can.

Satya"

In the investor webcast mentioned by Nadella, he elaborated on the decision to purchase Activision Blizzard, including more details on Microsoft's metaverse ambitions, and extending the company's reach in the mobile gaming space. Nadella also addressed ongoing controversy about Activision Blizzard's toxic company culture more directly, saying "we also recognize that after close, we will have significant work to do in order to continue to build a culture where everyone can do their best work."

Phil Spencer also sent out an email to employees, addressing his new role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming and elaborating on the extended timeline of the acquisition. Spencer's email also invites Microsoft employees to submit anonymous questions about the deal, while also including a timely reminder for staff to be mindful of the company's social media guidelines.

"Welcome back from the holidays. To start, I’d like to thank everyone for all of the hard work and dedication that have built this business and this community. Obviously, today’s agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard is incredibly exciting. In fact it’s a milestone for our company, our business and our industry. I and the entire Gaming Leadership Team are deeply enthusiastic about this opportunity. We also announced this morning that we have surpassed 25 million Game Pass subscribers across console, cloud and PC, a great achievement for all of Team Xbox.

As players and partners, we all know how talented and dedicated the teams and studios are across Activision Blizzard. The legendary games and franchises across that company have delighted millions of people for decades. Coming together, we can accelerate our mission to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone. We have the capability and opportunity to build simply the best, most engaging, most fun entertainment ecosystem anywhere.

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.

We expect this acquisition to close in FY23, pending regulatory approvals. Once the acquisition is completed, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me. In the meantime, we know you will have a lot of questions. The Gaming Leadership Team and I look forward to answering as many as we can at our next Monthly Gaming Update on Jan. 26. You can submit your questions now anonymously, or post them on our Team Xbox Yammer. Please also refresh on our corporate social media guidelines.

As Satya mentioned, I am now CEO, Microsoft Gaming. This change is a reflection of the incredible work each of you are doing to create the best entertainment ecosystem anywhere. As a leadership team, we know how much exciting but difficult work we have ahead of us, so it’s crucial that we operate as a single, unified team. To that end, I’m excited to announce effective today that Jerret West, CMO of Gaming, and his marketing team will move from Chris Capossela’s organization to report directly to me. Jerret will continue to be a member of Chris’ leadership team and leverage critical parts of Microsoft’s marketing muscle including Communications, Media, and Consumer Sales.

We will have a webcast for investors and media at 6 a.m. PT to discuss the Activision Blizzard transaction and our plans as Microsoft Gaming. Please join if you can.

Phil"

While both executives alluded to Activision Blizzard's culture of abuse, which has led to an investigation and lawsuit from the state of California, neither openly addressed the controversy that has seen employees at the company organizing to push for change.

In November last year, Phil Spencer stated that Xbox was "eva luating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments." As recently as January 11, Spencer stated that Xbox had "changed how we do certain things with [Activision Blizzard], and they're aware of that."

The Microsoft executives aren't the only ones who are hopeful that the acquisition will lead to positive change for employees at Activision Blizzard, even if it comes with a hefty payout for CEO Bobby Kotick, who has been accused of helping to cover up instances of abuse and harassment.

Read more on Microsoft's intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard here:

• So, Is Call Of Duty Going Xbox-Exclusive?
• The Internet Reacts To Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard
• Activision Blizzard Is Microsoft's Biggest Acquisition Of All Time, Here's How It Stacks Up
• Will Microsoft Now Own Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?
• Xbox Creator "Sickened" By The Activision Buyout News, But Hopeful For Positive Change
• What Kind Of Culture Is Microsoft Buying In Activision Blizzard Acquisition Deal?

Learn how Activision Blizzard and Microsoft leadership broke the huge news to their staff members with words from Bobby Kotick, Phil Spencer, and Satya Nadella.

To put Microsoft's Activision Blizzard purchase in perspective, we've compiled a list of other major studio acquisitions (and their costs) across video games, film, and television.

Microsoft Gaming, owners of the Xbox brand, has acquired Activision Blizzard, publishers of popular esports titles like Overwatch and Call of Duty, for $68.7 billion. Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, plans to include as many Activision games as possible in the Xbox Game Pass program, as well as PC Game Pass. Additionally, […]

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Get ready to shatter all expectations - pre-orders are now open for the PC version of SNK’s The King of Fighters XV.

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