Discussion

• Pure Xbox Pure Xbox on x

  Activision Blizzard Games Will Come To Xbox Game Pass As Part Of Acquisition

• @dinabass Dina Bass on x

  Microsoft is nearing a deal to buy Activision Blizzard, sources tell us. Deal value is nearly $70 billion. Story on @TheTerminal

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  BREAKING: The WSJ reports that Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard, the troubled publisher behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, which has been facing crisis over the last year following numerous reports of sexual misconduct and discrimination. A seismic gaming deal

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  I'm on vacation today (lol) but if I were not I would be calling up some antitrust experts because Xbox buying Bethesda and now Activision sure seems like the type of horizontal merging that the DOJ frowns upon

• @xbox @xbox on x

  Today is a historic moment. We are excited to announce that the world-renowned franchises and talented people at @ATVI_AB will be joining Team Xbox!   Full announcement details here: https://news.xbox.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @microsoft @microsoft on x

  When Candy Crush and CoD become your actual job. Microsoft x Activision Blizzard. 🎮❤️📱 https://news.microsoft.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  This deal certainly raises some antitrust questions!

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  Bobby's ultimate goal (other than to get away with everything he did) was to turn Blizzard into another Activision studio cranking out yearly hits. Under Xbox, Blizzard may be able to regain some of its autonomy and fix some big problems. Maybe!

• @tha_rami Rami Ismail on x

  Phil, “we're going to change how we do business with Activision-Blizzard” usually does not mean purchasing the entire thing for 50 billion dollars

• @charlieintel @charlieintel on x

  For those asking, this will also accelerate Activision Blizzard's push into mobile gaming through Xbox Cloud Gaming / Game Pass. We could see Call of Duty new releases on Game Pass on Day 1 AND on mobile on Day 1. Massive.

• @webbemotional @webbemotional on x

  2015: Vitalik builds Ethereum because Activision Blizzard nerfs warlock in WoW. 2021: NFTs take off on Ethereum, gaming looks to follow. 2022: Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard in metaverse race. 2024: Microsoft launches metaverse running on Ethereum using DAO governance. https:…

• @vengeful_vadam @vengeful_vadam on x

  Hopefully this Activision Blizzard buyout brings a plethora of positive changes to the company, most importantly with the rampant issues with sexism and sexual harassment. Get Bobby tf outta there, too, when all this happens.

• @mealoneinmymind @mealoneinmymind on x

  PlayStation watching Microsoft buy Activision Blizzard for the Xbox: https://twitter.com/...

• @donreborn2 @donreborn2 on x

  Smart move Microsoft

• @hownottodraw Kate Gray on x

  Eight days ago, the largest video game acquisition was Take-Two's $12.7 billion paid for Zynga. Microsoft just blew that out of the water with $70 billion for Activision Blizzard https://twitter.com/...

• @chris_dring Christopher Dring on x

  Microsoft's spending spree isn't a threat to Sony. It's a threat to Sony, Ubisoft, EA, Take-Two, Tencent and pretty much every major games conglomerate going

• @jimsterling Commander Stephanie Sterling on x

  Microsoft just straight up Disneying the game industry with these buy ups, huh?

• @mckkirk Kirk McKeand on x

  There's no fucking way Kotick is staying. Microsoft isn't stupid. There's a reason he's not mentioned at all in the announcement. He'll be there for the handover and then he'll be gone with his blood money.

• @paultassi Paul Tassi on x

  when Microsoft purges Bobby Kotick from the industry but consolidates industry publishing power in an unhealthy monopolistic way https://twitter.com/...

• @ibogost Ian Bogost on x

  Between Facebook and this, I guess “metaverse” just means video games but with some extra added abuse? https://twitter.com/...

• @danprimack Dan Primack on x

  Microsoft has done a very good job sidestepping the Big Tech antitrust stuff. That might end today.

• @eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x

  - King had 245MM mobile MAUs in Q3. Likely very little overlap with Xbox playerbase. How does MS leverage this mobile reach? - MS consumer portfolio now a vast Content Fortress across 3 hardware form factors (console, desktop, mobile). How else can it augment this? Ads platform?

• @eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x

  A few idle thoughts on the Microsoft / $ATVI acquisition news: - We're clearly in the midst of an M&A arms race in gaming. What does Netflix buy? Who buys $EA? - What does $MS do with King? - Can MS make CoD exclusive to Xbox? How does this bolster its Game Pass business?

• @ohnorosco Ross Miller on x

  Microsoft paying $95/share in all-cash deal is almost 50% above Friday's closing price. Last time $ATVI was worth that was June 2021 just before everything came to light https://twitter.com/...

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  While monopolies are undoubtedly bad news for the video game industry, this acquisition could have some positive effects on Blizzard both culturally and strategically. Under Activision, every game had to be a billion-dollar franchise. Under Xbox, that will likely change

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  This is a lot of broken culture to buy for 68.7 billion in cash https://www.theverge.com/...

• @silvermanjacob @silvermanjacob on x

  For the second most valuable company in the world (non-Saudi Aramco division), Microsoft goes kinda overlooked in antitrust discussions. Maybe because of how it weathered the last round.

• @zhugeex Daniel Ahmad on x

  A reminder of the approach that Microsoft is taking towards gaming, which is informing its M&A strategy As the value of IP, content and talent grows, the Xbox business is placing its bets on ensuring it can increase the value of game pass and reach all players across all devices …

• @silvermanjacob @silvermanjacob on x

  Microsoft spending $68.7 billion — roughly half the cash it has on hand, I believe — to buy Activision. These monopolists have too much money. https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @tomwarren Tom Warren on x

  it looks like Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is out once Microsoft finalizes the deal and after a transition period. Phil Spencer is now head of Microsoft Gaming, and Activision Blizzard will report directly to him. Details: https://www.theverge.com/...

• @jonerlichman Jon Erlichman on x

  Microsoft's biggest acquisitions: Activision Blizzard: $68.7 billion Linkedin: $26.2 billion Nuance: $19.7 billion Skype: $8.5 billion ZeniMax: $7.5 billion GitHub: $7.5 bilion Nokia phone unit: $7.2 billion aQuantive: $6.3 billion Mojang (Minecraft): $2.5 billion

• @mrpointyhead Dan Maher on x

  Man, when Phil Spencer condemns workplace culture he doesn't fuck about https://twitter.com/...

• @zhugeex Daniel Ahmad on x

  Microsoft would have to pay $3bn to Activision Blizzard if the deal doesn't go through / is blocked. https://twitter.com/...

• @swiftonsecurity @swiftonsecurity on x

  Microsoft HR when they sign Bobby Kotick's paycheck every two weeks https://twitter.com/...

• @kcoxdc Kate Cox on x

  @jasonschreier DOJ will review it, deal of that size, and my bet is it will be approved with a few behavioral remedies (i.e. also releasing some franchises on Playstation for X many more years).

• @benedictevans Benedict Evans on x

  This ‘3 billion people actively play games’ number seems a little too good to check. Top down, it implies 2/3 of smart phone users are downloading games, and the last Apple data I saw said only half of iPhone users download apps at all 🤔

• @damianburns Damian Burns on x

  Is Meta still blocked from buying a gif company?

• @shonaghosh Shona Ghosh on x

  I'm curious about how women at Activision / Microsoft are feeling. Activision is still in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal (=depressed price), while Microsoft is examining misconduct allegations, inc against Bill Gates.

• @byadamfitch Adam Fitch on x

  You can treat employees like absolute shite and still cash out to the tune of $70B. These companies do not give a fuck about you or your wellbeing.

• @atvi_ab @atvi_ab on x

  We are joining the @Xbox family. Learn what this means for our iconic games and player communities: https://activisionblizzard.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...

• @dlberes @dlberes on x

  Just reiterating how wild it is that the term “metaverse” got normalized so quickly after the Facebook rebrand. Fair enough summary from the NYT—Nadella used the term himself—but we're just talking about... video games! As is generally the case with “metaverse” products. https://…

• @charlieintel @charlieintel on x

  NEW: Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sent out the following email to the company today. He says that the deal is expected to only close June of 2023, meaning Activision will remain independent until then. https://twitter.com/...

• @laurakbuzz Laura Kate Dale on x

  @ABetterABK the charitable reading is Phil Spencer's comments about being deeply troubled by the ABK abuse reports and reevaluating their relationship = “We could buy them and force them to fix things”. I am not in any way confident in that being how this plays out.

• @laurakbuzz Laura Kate Dale on x

  Microsoft basically just purchased a company mired in stories of abuse. If their first move is not to make serious change, a lot of that bad sentiment might start sticking to Microsoft too. Kotick remaining as CEO post purchase is a bad sign for meaningful change.

• @laurakbuzz Laura Kate Dale on x

  If Microsoft is making this purchase, knowing the state of the company RE ongoing lawsuits and incredibly low consumer and worker trust, I hope that means they have a plan to institute actual change, BUT I am not holding my breath for that.

• @laurakbuzz Laura Kate Dale on x

  So, that Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard King huh? My main response - What do the striking ABK workers think? What steps will Microsoft implement to see change at the company? Will Kotick face consequences? Will this change monetisation / working practices?

• @laurakbuzz Laura Kate Dale on x

  I feel like a good start would be Microsoft stepping in to basically give the striking @ABetterABK workers what they are asking for. That would be a very good start on showing some intent to improve things. Not a perfect answer, but would be a strong first step.

• @kylebrussell Kyle Russell on x

  Wow. Nearly 10x the acquisition price for Bethesda. Microsoft leaning even harder into rolling up IP for Game Pass. https://twitter.com/...

• @gregisenberg Greg Isenberg on x

  Activision Blizzard sold for $70b today and the community is going to see $0 from this Play-to-earn couldn't come sooner.

• @benedictevans Benedict Evans on x

  Seems like a long time since Satya said games were no longer a core business. https://news.microsoft.com/...

• @sonalibasak Sonali Basak on x

  Microsoft's almost $70 billion deal to buy Activision is the biggest deal in YEARS — let alone the largest in the gaming world. We haven't seen a deal this big since 2019, before the pandemic. So does this mark the return of the mega-deal?

• @loopifyyy @loopifyyy on x

  Activist Blizzard made roughly $8bn in 2020. Microsoft is looking to acquire them for $70,000,000,000 to “play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms”. This is bullish blockchain games and everyone building in this space right now.

• @carnage4life @carnage4life on x

  This deal now makes Microsoft the 3rd largest gaming company by revenue after Tencent & Sony. The amount of gaming IP it now owns is incredible; Candy Crush, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, StarCraft, Skylanders, etc. A mind boggling deal. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @nickstatt Nick Statt on x

  A holy shit moment for the game industry. Microsoft buying Call of Duty, Diablo, Warcraft, Overwatch, Candy Crush and a lot more in a nearly $70 billion deal. Unbelievable. https://twitter.com/...

• @eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x

  HFS https://news.xbox.com/...

• @alexhern @alexhern on x

  This seems like it should be... not legal? https://news.xbox.com/...

• @realbengilbert Ben Gilbert on x

  More information coming, but this is *by far* the largest video game acquisition of all time. Previous to this, the closest was Take-Two buying Zynga just 8 days ago!

• @xboxwire @xboxwire on x

  It is incredibly exciting to announce that Microsoft has agreed to acquire Activision Blizzard. https://news.xbox.com/...

• @tomwarren Tom Warren on x

  BREAKING: Microsoft is acquiring Activision for $68.7 billion. The deal will see many of Activision Blizzard games heading to Xbox Game Pass. Details here: https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @sarafischer Sara Fischer on x

  .@andrewrsorkin reporting now on @SquawkCNBC the breakup fee could be upwards of $3 billion https://twitter.com/...

• @sarafischer Sara Fischer on x

  🚨 NEWS: Microsoft says it's acquiring Activision Blizzard “for $95.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, inclusive of Activision Blizzard's net cash.” — “Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard” https://news.microsoft.com/...

• @nibellion @nibellion on x

  Activision Blizzard will report to Phil Spencer as CEO “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from their catalogue” https://twitter.com/...

• @zhugeex Daniel Ahmad on x

  Some small gaming news today. 1. Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard. Includes all studios under the brand. (Est $70bn deal) 2. Activision Blizzard games will come to Game Pass after the deal closes. 3. Game Pass now has 25 million subscribers. https://news.xbox.com/... ht…

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  Microsoft PR: “Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard... Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming.” Not 100% clear yet whether Bobby will stay on after the ink dries.

• @jonporty @jonporty on x

  I was curious to see what Activision games I might actually miss not playing on PS5, only to realize it basically doesn't release anything that isn't CoD anymore? https://en.wikipedia.org/...

• @carnage4life @carnage4life on x

  Microsoft is buying Activision for $70B. Reminds me of Microsoft picking up LinkedIn after the stock had been hit by bad press around earnings. Satya & Amy can always spot a deal. This will be the company's biggest acquisition ever. Gaming isn't a hobby. https://www.bloomberg.com…

• @satyanadella Satya Nadella on x

  Together with @ATVI_AB, we will usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive, and accessible to all. https://news.microsoft.com/...

• @loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x

  Microsoft's acquisitions of gaming studios over the years has seemed to grow steadily in size; Activision Blizzard is the crème de la creme for the Xbox maker, even with all the controversy. Will be interesting to see how the FTC views this sale. https://twitter.com/...

• @ryan_browne_ @ryan_browne_ on x

  “This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft's gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.”

• @xbox @xbox on x

  Xbox is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming. We hold all teams to this commitment. We're looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.

• @modestproposal1 @modestproposal1 on x

  $70B all cash deal funded with spare change off the balance sheet

• @jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x

  “Once the deal is complete, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me as CEO, Microsoft Gaming.” Sounds like it's bye bye, Bobby https://news.xbox.com/...

• @martinsfp Martin Sfp Bryant on x

  Blimey! I wondered why Phil Spencer was quite evasive on Microsoft's relationship with Activision Blizzard in his recent NYT interview. https://twitter.com/...

• @pkafka Peter Kafka on x

  Microsoft buying Activision makes a lot of sense: MSFT has been buying game devs and this is the biggest prize, with a leadership team submerged in self-inflicted scandal. Also earns MSFT a seat at the Big Tech antitrust table, which they have avoided until now.

• @bdsams Brad Sams on x

  70 billion dollars wtaf https://twitter.com/...

• @shakeelhashim @shakeelhashim on x

  This would be Microsoft's biggest acquisition ever, by quite some margin (#1 right now is the $26B for LinkedIn) https://twitter.com/...

• @futterish Mike Futter on x

  Activision Blizzard continues to try to hide the depth of its toxic workplace culture: https://www.wsj.com/...

• @kirstengrind Kirsten Grind on x

  Video game giant Activision Blizzard, under intense pressure from shareholders/partners/employees over its culture, pulled numbers on workplace misconduct/investigations. CEO Bobby Kotick held it back from the public https://www.wsj.com/...

• Xbox Wire Phil Spencer on x

  Welcoming the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming

• @tomwarren Tom Warren on x

  Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service has grown to 25 million subscribers. That's up 39% from 18 million a year ago. Details here: https://t.co/vCL7DHc33U https://t.co/iTnDGNWaW5