Microsoft has announced that it wants to buy video game giant Activision Blizzard. The transaction is expected to close in fiscal year 2023, the Redmond firm said in a statement. According to CNBC, this will be the biggest acquisition in Microsoft’s history, surpassing that of Linkedin (26 billion dollars in 2016).
A strategic deal with a view to establishing itself in the metaverse
In recent years, Microsoft (provider of the Xbox console) has been very active in the field of video games. In 2014, the firm acquired Mojang, the creator of Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. It also bought the Bethesda studio for $7.5 billion. The acquisition of Activision Blizzard is also part of the long-term vision of Microsoft, which intends to compete with Meta (formerly Facebook) to develop technologies in the field of the metaverse. “This acquisition will accelerate the growth of Microsoft’s mobile, PC, console and cloud gaming business, and provide building blocks for the metaverse,” Microsoft said in its statement.
The video game studio Activision is known for its hit games like “Call of Duty” and the “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” franchise, while Blizzard has become famous with titles like “World of Warcraft” among others. In 2016, Activision Blizzard also acquired the publisher of the mobile game “Candy Crush” for $5.9 billion.
It remains to be seen whether the operation can indeed be carried out. According to CNBC, US regulators have signaled that they will be much tougher in evaluating these kinds of mega-acquisitions, especially in the tech sector.
