For the love of all that is good in the world, the saga is finally over.
Microsoft has announced that its US$69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King has been finalised, with the mega-publisher now officially a part of the Xbox brand. Following a lengthy battle with the FTC, who moved to block the purchase, alongside a host of other regulatory bodies that attempted to do the same, Microsoft has come out on top after making a number of concessions to get the deal over the line. By signing a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, and selling the cloud gaming rights for Activision Blizzard to Ubisoft, Microsoft has managed to do enough to appease those against the acquisition, allowing the deal to go through.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, took to Xbox Wire with a statement on the landmark deal: “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. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centred 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.”
The green team is clearly stoked with the outcome, with a hype package trailer being produced that runs through all of the properties that are now under the Xbox umbrella, and a bunch of audio snippets that play around with words like family, team and home.
We won’t know the exact ramifications of this acquisition immediately, but for better or worse, this is a huge moment in the history of the medium and one that will likely be discussed for years to come.
On a personal note, as someone who has covered this topic ad nauseam over the last few years, I’m just glad that the deal has come to a close, one way or the other. It’s foolish to think that I won’t be writing about it next month, next week or even tomorrow, but for now, at least, it’s done.
What are your thoughts on this monolith of a company absorbing another giant? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
Adam's undying love for all things PlayStation can only be rivalled by his obsession with vacuuming. Whether it's a Dyson or a DualShock in hand you can guarantee he has a passion for it. PSN: TheVacuumVandal XBL: VacuumVandal Steam: TheVacuumVandal
