Microsoft closes deal to purchase of Activision Blizzard, which created 'Call of Duty,’ for $69 billion

The UK Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) approved the acquisition after blocking it in April this year "over worries it would stifle" its rivals.

Stand de la compañía de videojuegos Activision durante el E3 2009, celebrado en el Convention Center de Los Angeles durante el año 2009. — (Wikimedia Commons)

Published by

Rosana Rábago Sainz

13 de octubre, 2023

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The technology company Microsoft closed the deal on Thursday to purchase Activision Blizzard, creator of "Call of Duty," for $69 billion. The official announcement was made by Xbox, a company belonging to Microsoft, eight hours after the purchase was completed. It released a promotional video and a press release in which the company's CEO, Phil Spencer, said that he had long admired Activision, Blizzard and King for the "impact they've had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture:”

I’ve long admired the work of Activision, Blizzard, and King, and the impact they’ve had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture. Whether it was late nights spent playing the Diablo IV campaign with friends from start to finish, gathering the entire family in the rec room for our weekly Guitar Hero night, or going on an epic streak in Candy Crush, some of my most memorable gaming moments came from experiences their studios have created. It is incredible to welcome such legendary teams to Xbox.

The acquisition, which began in January 2022, was blocked in April this year by the UK Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) AP reported that organization claimed it was blocking the purchase "over worries that it would stifle competition for popular titles like 'Call of Duty' in the fast-growing cloud gaming market."

The CMA approves Microsoft's purchase of Activision

However, this is no longer a problem, since Microsoft's purchase of Activision will not prevent the company's games from reaching other consoles such as those belonging to Sony and Nintendo. Spencer issued a statement and said:

For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard, and King games, we want you to know that today is a good day to play. You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win. We believe our news today will unlock a world of possibilities for more ways to play. Thank you for the ongoing support. We have so much more to come in the months ahead – I’m excited for the future and cannot wait to share it with you.

CMA also issued a statement and said that the new agreement ensured that Microsoft could not block "competition in cloud gaming":

The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers. It will allow Ubisoft to offer Activision’s content under any business model, including through multigame subscription services. It will also help to ensure that cloud gaming providers will be able to use non-Windows operating systems for Activision content, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.