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[ManaByte]

Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox

The deal has closed after 20 months of legal battles.

www.theverge.com

Microsoft has finalized its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo. The Verge exclusively reported last week that Microsoft was planning to close today, and now it's official. The acquisition required 20 months of battles with regulators in the UK and US, but Microsoft has closed its Activision Blizzard deal after defeating the Federal Trade Commission in a US federal court and restructuring the deal to appease the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[Duchess]

Fitting that this would happen on Friday 13th, a bad day for gamers everywhere.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

They...made a trailer celebrating this? lmao!

 

[LordCBH]

Least it's fucking over even if I think it's a mistake. Least I get more Gamepass titles I suppose.

 

[mansoor1980]

The acquisition required 20 months of battles with regulators in the UK and US

 

[Unknown?]

Regulators should be shut down when they can't do their jobs.

 

[AJUMP23]

Game pass call of duty for everyone.

I have Activision stock what do I get.

 

[Pedro Motta]

And the fuck fest starts right now.

 

[diffusionx]

Well, congrats to the exec team that pushed through despite the major setback, I guess. That's why they get the big bucks.

I hope MS ruins COD the way they ruined Halo so we can have some innovation and freshness in this space again.

 

[Orbital2060]

 

[Jigga117]

They...made a trailer celebrating this? lmao!

Just like they did with Bethesda and so has Sony in the past not sure how this is something to call out

 

[MiguelItUp]

They...made a trailer celebrating this? lmao!

I mean, I don't blame them considering how long it's been going on for. Besides, we've seen it done before with acquisitions.

I'm just glad it's over, I've been tired of reading about it, lmao.

 

[Topher]

 

[LordCBH]

MS 6 months later: "we can't compete. We should be allowed to buy EA."

 

[alphachino]

thank fuck that's over

 

[mejin]

Fitting that this would happen on Friday 13th, a bad day for gamers everywhere.

Evil has won.

 

[GHound]

The acquisition required 20 months of battles with regulators in the UK and US

Battles fought with stacks of cash, government corruption, and in no small amount gaslighting as the weapons of choice.

 

[mansoor1980]

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Let's see their incompetency continues as Microsoft's weak and Activision with Blizzard is also not what they used to be.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

All eyes on the next MSFT acquisition now.

 

[BootsLoader]

XBOX is in a very bad position right now. Good luck Activision Blizzard. You will be remembered.

 

[kanjobazooie]

Who's next?

 

[Robb]

Welp, I guess it's finally over. What a wild ride!

 

[Banjo64]

Back to celebrating info graphics instead of games.

 

[Unknown?]

Well, congrats to the exec team that pushed through despite the major setback, I guess. That's why they get the big bucks.

I hope MS ruins COD the way they ruined Halo so we can have some innovation and freshness in this space again.

That'd be nice but I'm sure that would have happened without MS, they will just accelerate that.

 

[Krappadizzle]

 

[plip.plop]

Finally, this is over.

 

[Snake29]

They will still cry and say that they can't compete:

 

[Flutta]

Regulators should be shut down when they can't do their jobs.

They can't, money speaks.

Also they are there just for show.

 

[Harlock]

So is everything on gamepass? Can download now?

 

[kanjobazooie]

Frickin Klobrille.

 

[mansoor1980]

Who's next?

 

[Kenneth Haight]

Now they actually have to manage these studios and provide some decent output. Pumping out COD every year is going to obviously be great financially. But they're creatively bankrupt, in a way MS and Activision are a perfect fit.

 

[JackMcGunns]

MS 6 months later: "we can't compete. We should be allowed to buy EA."

Hypocrisy works both ways, most said it had more to do with an acquisition of such a grand scale, but a smaller purchase like Bungie or EA would be Ok for Sony to do, even rumors popped up about Sony buying another studio with no outrage planned.

 

[Chuck Berry]

It wont change a thing. MS will still continue to fail. Oh well

 

[alphachino]

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I don't care about anything or anyone across this vast array of studios (maybe except for id).

I loved many of the games these studios formerly produced, but they mean absolutely nothing to me today.

There's more to game development than IP, studio name and cool-looking logo. Games require development talent and when the talent is drained out of all these studios, what's left? nothing but husks.

 

[Raven77]

They...made a trailer celebrating this? lmao!

Uhhh obviously? They just spent billions bringing these brands under the Xbox umbrella and you think they aren't going to celebrate with something like a trailer?

 

[VAVA Mk2]

They...made a trailer celebrating this? lmao!

They did the same thing when they bought Bethesda .

 

[rofif]

Finally

 

[ulantan]

Who else will they need to compete?

 

[Clear]

I bet noone at Bethesda is celebrating! Grats guys you sold yourself to be the second (maybe third) priority under Microsoft

Hope revenue stays strong or expect the worst LOL

 

[Demojay13]

Sega next Wednesday

 

[VAVA Mk2]

To think 10 years ago they had like 4 studios...

 

[Interfectum]

I wonder how many times Klob has ejaculated this morning.

 

[MikeM]

Games on GP when? Literally only thing I care about.

 

[Ordnasella_Edadnirt]

All eyes on the next MSFT acquisition now.

I bet they will acquire a japanese publisher/studio this next time.

 

[gooner4life_uk]

1000 studios and there's no good games

 

[Gudji]

W

Wasted potential chart.

 

[GulfCoastZilla]

They...made a trailer celebrating this? lmao!

Where were you when they closed on Zenimax/Bethesada

Trailer was excellent and hit all the feels.