Tech/gaming giant Microsoft announced its plans to acquire the Activision Blizzard company for a whopping $68.7billion. If successful, the move will bolster the former's games library for its Xbox console/Game Pass platform with high-selling IPs and secure an even larger position in the tech market moving forward.
Microsoft joining top 3
Microsoft made the announcement via a post found on its official news site. The acquisition, if successful, will enlarge the Microsoft/Xbox brand, making it become the "world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue." It would also gain 400 million subscribers and the mega-popular franchises they attach themselves to including the likes of "Call of Duty," "WarCraft," "StarCraft," "Diablo," and more to join its Xbox Game Pass and regular game libraries.
"When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony," as pointed out in the post.
Microsoft could fix Activision Blizzard
Microsoft's acquisition also puts itself in a precarious position in terms of business ethics given what it's buying into. Activision Blizzard is a company whose history has been tarnished by with increasingly toxic workplace culture. The latter is currently facing a number of accusations ranging from sexual harassment to negligence.
As such, several lawsuits have been brought to Activision Blizzard's doors which could prove challenging moving forward. The company has also seen its stock price tank in response to the ongoing controversy.
Assuringly, Microsoft is prioritizing the needs of both creators and consumers in the acquisition. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community, and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive, and accessible to all,” said Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in the post.
