Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023.
The transaction officially closed on October 13, 2023, after Microsoft first announced the proposed deal on January 18, 2022. Microsoft placed Activision Blizzard under its Microsoft Gaming business, alongside Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax Media.
The deal attracted intense regulatory scrutiny, especially from the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority and the United States Federal Trade Commission. To address competition concerns in the United Kingdom, Ubisoft received cloud-streaming rights for certain Activision Blizzard games.
The acquisition brought major franchises into Microsoft’s portfolio, including Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Candy Crush, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro. The announced price was about $68.7 billion, while the final reported cost was approximately $75.4 billion.