Microsoft Completes Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard

JAKARTA - After being held back by the UK's Competition and Market Authority (CMA) decision, Microsoft announced it had officially completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard worth 69 billion US dollars (Rp967 trillion).

"Today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their team to Xbox. They are publishers of some of the most played and loved franchises in game history on consoles, PCs and mobile," wrote Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in a statement. official on Xbox Wire.

Today is a good day to play. We officially welcome Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox. Together, we’ll create stories and experiences that bring players together, in a culture empowering everyone to do their best work and celebrate diverse perspectives. https://t.co/KBCESknYYh https://t.co/jTHOeH48Wx

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 13, 2023

Today is a good day to play. We officially welcome Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox. Together, we’ll create stories and experiences that bring players together, in a culture empowering everyone to do their best work and celebrate diverse perspectives. https://t.co/KBCESknYYh https://t.co/jTHOeH48Wx

Later, Microsoft will integrate Activision Blizzard games into Xbox Game Pass services, including Call Od Duty, Candy Crush Saga, Overwatch, and also Warcraft.

"I have long admired Activision Blizzard's work, as well as his influence on games, entertainment, and pop culture. It's been great to welcome such a legendary team on Xbox," Spencer added.

As promised, Microsoft will also continue to provide access to Blizzard games on more platforms, starting with enabling providers and cloud streaming players to stream Blizzard's Activision game in Europe.

"Today we are starting to work on bringing our beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We will share more about when you can play in the coming months," he explained.

This deal is the largest acquisition Microsoft has ever made, exceeding its acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016, with a total deal of US$26 billion (Rp408 trillion).

Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda in 2021 is also only about USD 7.5 billion (IDR 117 trillion).

The company says it will now become the third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.