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Microsoft closes $68.7bn Activision Blizzard deal

Date Type Companies involved Size
October 16th, 2023 acquisition Activision Blizzard
Microsoft
$68,700m
Microsoft closes $68.7bn Activision Blizzard deal

US tech giant Microsoft has completed its acquisition of games giant Activision Blizzard.

This news comes hot on the heels of the deal being given the thumbs up by the UK's Competition and Market Authority.

In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft Gaming's CEO Phil Spencer (pictured) said that games from Activision, Blizzard and King would be coming to the Game Pass subscription service.

"As one team, we'll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people," Spencer said.

"We'll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone.

"We are intentional about inclusion in everything we do at Xbox – from our team to the products we make and the stories we tell, to the way our players interact and engage as a wider gaming community."

In a letter to staff, Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick wrote that he would be staying on as chief executive until the end of 2023.

"Today marks a milestone in our company’s celebrated history," he wrote.

"Combining with Microsoft will bring new resources and new opportunities to our extraordinary teams worldwide. It will also enable us to deliver more fun, more joy, and more connection to more players than ever before.

"This moment is possible because of your efforts over four decades to innovate, inspire, and achieve."


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PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.