Microsoft is buying video game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7b, thereby ringing some of the world’s biggest esports titles under its control and expanding its plans for the metaverse.
The deal is the largest ever acquisition in the gaming industry, dwarfing $7.5b deal Microsoft reached with ZeniMax Media in 2021.
Upon completion, Microsoft will become the world’s third largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.
Activision owns some of the biggest video game properties in the world, including World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Call of Duty, while it also publishes the hugely popular Overwatch and Starcraft games. It also bought esports organisation Major League Gaming (MLG) back in 2016.
The deal is expected to close in 2023, after which Activision would report to Spencer as a division of Microsoft Gaming.