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:
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.
Here’s how the new Microsoft Gaming leadership team will be structured going 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.
In a statement shared with The Verge, Spencer highlighted Microsoft’s commitment to improving the workplace culture at Activision Blizzard.
