Acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft
InitiatorMicrosoft
TargetActivision Blizzard
TypeFull acquisition
CostUS$75.4 billion
InitiatedJanuary 18, 2022 (2022-01-18)
CompletedOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
StatusClosed

On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.[1] The acquisition was completed on October 13, 2023, with its total cost amounting to $75.4 billion.[2] Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft brought Activision Blizzard under its Microsoft Gaming business unit as a sibling division to Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax Media. With it, Microsoft gained ownership of several franchises under Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King, including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and Candy Crush. As of 2023, the acquisition is the largest video game acquisition by transaction value in history.

Following shareholder approval of the acquisition, the merger was reviewed by several national anti-trust bodies, with early approvals granted by the European Commission and China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), among others. The United States' Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued formal challenges to the acquisition. Sony also criticized the merger, concerned that Microsoft would make the lucrative Call of Duty franchise exclusive to the Xbox platform, though Microsoft committed to non-exclusivity through 2033. The FTC withdrew its request after courts did not find their anti-trust compelling to block the merger, while Microsoft offered to offload its cloud gaming support for Activision Blizzard's games for ten years to Ubisoft to appease the CMA.

Background

Activision Blizzard is one of the largest video game publishers in the world, with annual revenues of about $8.8 billion in 2021.[3] The company is composed of five business units:[4] Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, King,[5] Major League Gaming,[6] and Activision Blizzard Studios.[7][8] Among its assets are ownership of Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro from Activision's studios; Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, and Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment; and Candy Crush Saga from King.[9][10]

Microsoft is a dominant player in computing software, and also makes the Xbox line of game consoles and operates Xbox Game Studios, a collection of developers to create first party titles. In March 2021, Microsoft closed on its acquisition of ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for an estimated $7.5 billion, making it one of the largest video game acquisitions by that time.[11]

History

Announcement

On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in an all-cash deal, or approximately $95 per share. Activision Blizzard's stock price jumped nearly 40% that day in pre-market trading. The deal would make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company in the world and the largest headquartered in the Americas, behind Chinese company Tencent and the Japanese conglomerate Sony. If closed, it would also be the most expensive video game-related acquisition in to date.[12] Goldman Sachs will serve as the financial advisor to Microsoft, and Allen & Company will be Activision's financial advisors. Simpson Thacher will serve as legal advisor for Microsoft while Skadden will serve as legal advisor for Activision.[13] The deal has been approved by both companies' board of directors and is expected to close in 2023 following international government regulatory review of the action.[14][15] Upon completion of the deal, Activision Blizzard would be a sibling entity to Xbox Game Studios under a new Microsoft Gaming division with Phil Spencer as its lead. The deal would also allow Microsoft to offer Activision Blizzard games on its Xbox Game Pass service.[15] Spencer also spoke about reviving some older Activision Blizzard franchises he himself enjoyed, mentioning series such as King's Quest, Guitar Hero and Hexen: Beyond Heretic.[16]

Kotick stated that he, Spencer, and Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella have had discussions in 2021 on their concern of the power of Tencent, NetEase, Apple, Inc. and Google, and that Activision Blizzard lacked the computation expertise in machine learning and data analytics that would be necessary to compete with these companies. According to Kotick, this led to the idea of Microsoft, which does have those capabilities, acquiring Activision Blizzard at an attractive price point.[17] Spencer further had stated that Microsoft's intent with the acquisition is access to Activision's mobile games, which would include those by its King division such as Candy Crush Saga. He said that while there are 200 million game console users worldwide, the mobile market reaches over 3 billion people.[18] In a statement released on Activision Blizzard's investor website, the company said its industry is the "most dynamic and exciting category of entertainment across all platforms" and that gaming will be the forefront of the development of the emerging metaverse. Some journalists saw this acquisition, and Microsoft's March 2021 acquisition of Bethesda Softworks, as a bid to compete against Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook.[19][14][15]

The announcement had come in the wake of events related to California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard, a lawsuit raised in July 2021 accusing the company of sexual harassment, employment discrimination and retaliation on the part of Activision Blizzard.[20][21] Allegations had expanded by November 2021 to include actions that Activision Blizzard's CEO Bobby Kotick had done.[22][23] The timing of the acquisition was reported by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News to be in response to the ongoing DFEH lawsuit. Reports from both newspapers stated that Activision Blizzard had been considering a buyout from other companies, including Facebook parent company Meta Platforms, due to the weaker than expected financial performance of their latest game releases and production delays.[24][25][26] Based on SEC filings related to the merger, Microsoft approached Activision Blizzard again in the days immediately following the November 2021 Wall Street Journal report regarding a buyout.[27] While Kotick had been hesitant about selling the company, the board had gone ahead with the deal as they continued to fear the ongoing impact of the lawsuit while Kotick remained on the board.[24][26] The buyout would provide a graceful exit for Kotick in the future, ranging in $252.2–292.9 million over most scenarios.[24][26][28]

According to official announcements, under the deal Kotick will remain the CEO of Activision Blizzard,[29][30][31][32] and is expected to keep the position while the deal goes through regulatory processes, as Activision Blizzard remains independent from Microsoft until the deal closes.[33] According to The Wall Street Journal, Kotick "will depart once the deal closes" under Microsoft's management, while Kotick said in an interview that he has an interest in remaining in the company.[22][34][35][17] Microsoft has yet to speak directly about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit following news of the acquisition, however the company announced a week prior that it would be reviewing its own sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies.[36]

Activision Blizzard's shareholders approved of the acquisition near-unanimously in April 2022.[37]

The deal was set to close by July 18, 2023, after which Microsoft would owe Activision Blizzard $3 billion if the deal failed to close. However, the companies would be able to mutually extend the deadline, or if the deal expired, renegotiate the terms.[38] By this date, as described below, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, after an initial ruling denying the merger, had extended their deadline to August 29, 2023, to rule on a new proposal by Microsoft. It was later extended their deadline to the same day as the acquisition closing date to provide its Phase 1 investigation of the merger. The companies agreed to extend the close of the acquisition until October 18, 2023, as to resolve the CMA issue.[39] Following the CMA's approval of the revised terms on October 13, 2023, Microsoft completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard the same day.[40]

Regulatory response

Due to the size of the acquisition, the deal was required to be reviewed by several government commerce bodies for antitrust concerns.[41]

Country Commission Status Date Ref.
 Saudi Arabia General Authority for Competition [ar] (GAC) Approved August 21, 2022 [42][41]
 Brazil Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE) Approved October 5, 2022 [41][43][44]
 Serbia Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) Approved November 28, 2022 [45][41]
 United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Pending[a] December 8, 2022 [47]
 Chile Fiscalía Nacional Económica [es] (FNE) Approved December 29, 2022 [48]
 Japan Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) Approved March 28, 2023 [49][50]
 South Africa The Competition Commission South Africa (CCSA) Approved April 17, 2023 [51][52]
 Ukraine Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) Approved April 27, 2023 [53]
 European Union[b] European Commission (EC) Approved[c] May 15, 2023 [54]
 China State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) Approved May 19, 2023 [55][56]
 South Korea Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) Approved May 30, 2023 [57]
 Turkey Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) Approved July 13, 2023 [58]
 New Zealand Commerce Commission New Zealand (CCNZ) Approved August 7, 2023 [59][54]
 Taiwan Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) Approved October 9, 2023 [60]
 United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Approved[d] October 13, 2023 [61]
 Australia Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) Review discontinued[e] October 16, 2023 [54][62][63]
  1. ^ The FTC has challenged the merger, but has failed to gain an injunction to stop the merger in a federal court on July 11, 2023, nor an emergency stay from the circuit court, allowing Microsoft to close the acquisition before the resolution of the trial.[46]
  2. ^ Representing 31 countries (27 EU member states and 4 EFTA member states)
  3. ^ Approved with behavioral remedies
  4. ^ The CMA blocked the original deal, but approved the proposed restructure in which Microsoft divested the cloud gaming rights of Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft.
  5. ^ The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission opened an informal review of the acquisition, but after the deal closed on October 13, 2023, it discontinued the review.

U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Main article: FTC v. Microsoft

In the United States, the acquisition was reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rather than traditionally by the U.S. Department of Justice, as the agency had raised more concerns over mergers and acquisitions in the Big Tech sector in the last decade.[64] U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Cory Booker expressed their concerns about the merger to the FTC as part of the FTC's investigation, saying that both companies have "failed to protect the rights and dignity of their workers" and that the merger should be opposed if "the transaction is likely to enhance monopoly power and worsen the negotiating position between workers and the parties."[65] The FTC formally stated its intention to block the acquisition as proposed on December 8, 2022. The FTC expressed concern that the acquisition would harm consumers of Activision Blizzard's games and give Microsoft too much control of certain parts of the industry, such as cloud gaming. The FTC also pointed to the acquisition of Zenimax, which the FTC claimed that Microsoft had agreed to a concession from the European Union to not make their games exclusive to the Xbox and later broke.[66][67] In a statement made to Axios' Stephan Totilo, the European Commission stated that they had cleared Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax unconditionally as they saw no "material impact" on the gaming market even if Microsoft made Zenimax's titles exclusive.[68]

Microsoft responded to the FTC's complaint that Sony itself is one of the largest platforms with exclusive titles that contractually cannot be made for Xbox. They also said they still plan to offer content for multiplayer Bethesda games like Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 for all platforms to avoid undercutting the playerbase. Microsoft also initially challenged the constitutionality of the FTC due to the ability for the Commissioner to be removed by the President at will, and their use of administrative law judges to initially review cases, both which have founding in recent Supreme Court cases,[69] but removed this language in an amended response, sticking to the video game market.[70] In February 2023, the FTC denied a request by Sony to drop a subpoena filed by Microsoft, requesting internal documentation from Sony related to their third-party exclusivity deals.[71] The FTC requested a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block the merger on June 12, 2023. The FTC stated that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard "have represented in the past that they cannot close their deal due to antitrust reviews of the transaction in other jurisdictions. But Microsoft and Activision have not provided assurances that they will maintain that position."[72]

The court granted the temporary restraining order on June 13, 2023,[73] while a hearing to determine if a preliminary injunction on the deal should be granted was held from June 22 to 30, 2023, before Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. Microsoft said that if the injunction should be granted, they may consider abandoning the deal which they described as being a "three-year administrative nightmare".[74] During the hearing, the FTC was focused on the effect of Call of Duty in the competitive market, console exclusivity, and the impact of the nascent cloud gaming field.[75]

Judge Corley denied to apply a permanent injunction on July 11, 2023, lifting the temporary restraining order to allow Microsoft to proceed to close the deal, though the case will continue to trial later. Corley wrote, "For the reasons explained, the Court finds the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger in this specific industry may substantially lessen competition. To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content."[76] The FTC formally filed an appeal to Judge Corley's denial to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on July 12, 2023.[77] The FTC also filed a separate motion to Corley on July 13 arguing for another injunction until the Ninth Circuit had time to decide to stay Corley's previous ruling, but she denied that motion.[78] The Ninth Circuit court denied the emergency appeal to block the merger on July 14, 2023.[79]

The FTC formally withdrew its challenge to the acquisition on July 20, 2023, though they have announced their intent to refile at a later time.[80] The FTC reopened its case against the merger on September 27, 2023, though was unable to block the merger from occurring.[81]

In its first filings after the completion of the acquisition, in February 2024, the FTC argued that the 1,900 job cuts made in January 2024 went against assurances that Microsoft had made in their previous documents, arguing for final completion of the deal to be paused while their new complaint was considered. While Microsoft had stated that the job cuts were in areas of overlap between the companies, the FTC stated this action was "inconsistent with Microsoft's suggestion to this court that the two companies will operate independently post-merger".[82] The FTC further amended its case in July 2024, following Microsoft's announcement of rate increases for Game Pass and the creation of a low-cost tier that removed day-one access to games. The FTC said the move was inconsistent with the assurances Microsoft gave the court prior to acquisition, and considered the new tier a "degraded product" that, along with price increases, harmed consumers.[83]

European Commission

After receiving a formal notification by Microsoft on September 30, 2022, the European Commission (EC) began its first phase review of the acquisition under the EU merger law.[84][85] The Commission sent out a questionnaire to several game industry firms to ask them about the potential impact of the acquisition on their livelihood, including if Microsoft does opt to lock rivals out of Activision games in the future.[86] The Commission announced on November 8, 2022, that it would conduct an additional review of the merger "to ensure that the gaming ecosystem remains vibrant to the benefit of users in a sector that is evolving at a fast pace."[87]

The EC filed its formal complaint against the acquisition on February 3, 2023. The EC said they considered that Microsoft may be "incentivized to block access to Activision's popular Call of Duty franchise," which could lead to "reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, leading to higher prices, lower quality and less innovation for console game distributors, which may, in turn, be passed on to consumers."[88] Microsoft met with the EC regulators on February 21, 2023, announcing that they had secured a ten-year agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to that platform alongside the Xbox release, as well as a separate ten-year agreement providing Call of Duty and other first-party Microsoft games with Nvidia as part of their GeForce Now streaming service.[89]

The EC approved the acquisition on May 15, 2023. Among concessions that Microsoft had made were the numerous deals to allow Activision Blizzard games to be played on cloud gaming services, believing this would help grow that sector. The Commission dismissed the concerns about platform exclusivity, as Microsoft had reason why it would not be financially viable to withhold Call of Duty from other platforms. And even if they did, Sony had the capacity with their own studios to compete fairly.[90] Ahead of the October 2023 closure, the Commission affirmed that the changes made to appease the UK regulators remained sufficient from their side, and no further review of the acquisition was needed.[91]

UK Competition and Markets Authority

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stated its intent to perform a higher-level review of the acquisition in August 2022. The phase 1 ruling, issued on September 1, 2022, said that the merger "may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom".[92][93] Preliminary findings of phase 2 of the investigation was reported on February 8, 2023, concluding that the acquisition "could result in higher prices, fewer choices, and less innovation for UK gamers", as well as less competition in the console and cloud gaming spaces. The CMA has recommended that Activision should at least divest the Call of Duty franchise.[94] However, following Microsoft's commitments to ensure the release of Call of Duty on multiple platforms for ten years, in association with meeting other regulatory bodies, the CMA changed its stance by late March 2023. In its new statement, the CMA said "While the CMA's original analysis indicated that this strategy would be profitable under most scenarios, new data (which provides better insight into the actual purchasing behaviour of CoD gamers) indicates that this strategy would be significantly loss-making under any plausible scenario."[95]

The CMA formally ruled against the merger on April 26, 2023. Among various reasons, CMA stated that Microsoft had already a strong position in cloud gaming, and the merger would only strengthen that position. CMA also stated that Microsoft's concessions related to the 10-year contracts for Call of Duty on other platforms were not enough to satisfy their concerns, and doubted that Microsoft would be able to port Call of Duty onto the Nintendo Switch. The CMA further prevented Microsoft to initiate any acquisition of Activision again in the future without seeking pre-clearance from the CMA.[96] Microsoft filed its appeal to the decision by the end of May, outlining five points of rebuttal mostly around the CMA's assessment of the cloud gaming market and Microsoft's current position within it.[97][98] The appeals process could extend the potential completion of the merger to the end of 2023 if not into 2024.[99][100]

The CMA's decision had become subject to political debate within the UK, particularly after the European Commission approved the deal. Current prime minister Rishi Sunak aimed to make the UK the tech industry leader in the European region, and the CMA's blockage ran against that position. Representatives of the CMA have defended their position to members of Parliament, standing their ground that the proposed merger would give Microsoft too much of an advantage.[101]

Following the decision from Judge Corley to deny the injunction for the FTC, Microsoft, Activision/Blizzard, and the CMA have agreed and asked to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to pause their legal battle to negotiate.[102] The CAT adjourned the hearing on July 21, 2023. The CMA announced on July 14, 2023, that they would be extending their investigation, originally set to close before the July 18, 2023, acquisition deadline, for six weeks to August 29, 2023, pending review of a new proposal that Microsoft had submitted to the CMA.[103][38]

Later in August 2023, Microsoft announced a 15-year agreement with Ubisoft to license Activision Blizzard titles to its competing Ubisoft+ service contingent on the successful completion of the merger,[104] a move that had been projected to appease the CMA.[105] The CMA stated that while this appeared to meet their concerns, they will still review the deal through a Phase 1 investigation, which is expected to complete by the extended merger deadline, October 18, 2023.[104] The CMA stated on September 22, 2023, that they considered the revised acquisition to be provisionally approved, as while the sale of the cloud gaming rights satisfied the group's primary concern, there were some limited residual concerns to resolve before giving full approval by October 13.[106] The CMA approved the revised terms for acquisition on October 13, 2023.[107]

Due to criticism it received over how it handled the review, the CMA announced in November 2023 that it plans to revamp its procedures to make it more open to change of merger terms, among other facets.[108]

Others

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reviewed potential claims that investors close to Kotick engaged in insider trading prior to the acquisition announcement.[109] Activision Blizzard said they would fully cooperate with the SEC's review.[110] South Africa's Competition Commission approved the merger in April 2023.[52]

The deal is also seeing review in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere.[93][111] In December 2022, Chile's regulatory authority (Fiscalia Nacional Economica) voted to approve the deal in Phase 1.[112] The Japan Fair Trade Commission had also given approval for the merger by March 2023.[49] On May 19, 2023, China's State Administration for Market Regulation approved the Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition[113][114] Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) approved the Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition on May 30, 2023.[57][115]

The New York City Employees' Retirement System, which are shareholders of Activision Blizzard, sued the company in April 2022, arguing that the company had made the acquisition deal quickly with Microsoft as to try to cover up the misdoings of Kotick that had been uncovered as part of the ongoing DCEH lawsuit and escape any liability.[116]

Sjunde AP-Fonden, a Swedish-government run pension fund with investments in Activision-Blizzard, filed a lawsuit in November 2022 within the U.S. court system against Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard of collusion in establishing the deal. The lawsuit asserts that because of Activision-Blizzard's weakened position resulting from the workplace harassment lawsuit from the California DFEH, that Microsoft negotiated with Kotick and Activision-Blizzard to buy the company at a reduced price. The lawsuit also named Kotick for using the deal to cover up his alleged misconduct related to the DFEH suit.[117]

A group of gamers filed suit against Microsoft in December 2022 to block the merger under the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 which enables consumers to file such lawsuits. The suit argues that should the merger go through, Microsoft's combined power would disrupt the video game marketplace, giving Microsoft the capability to outpace competitors and take a stronger hold.[118] Microsoft failed to have the case dismissed in January 2023, and arguments related to a preliminary discussion was presented to the judge in March 2023.[119] The judge dismissed the suit in March 2023, citing that the gamers had not shown sufficient evidence of harm to the industry should the merger go through.[120] The gamers refiled their suit, using additional evidence and claims provided to them by Sony, in April 2023.[121] The same federal court denied a preliminary injunction in the refiled case in May 2023, stating the plaintiffs failed to show how they would be damaged by the merger.[122] The group subsequently filed an emergency request at the Supreme Court of the United States on July 16, 2023, to halt the merger,[123] but this request was denied by the Court the next day.[124] Both Microsoft and the players reached a settlement to terminate the lawsuit in October 2024.[125]

Aftermath

Kotick stayed as the CEO of Activision Blizzard until December 29, 2023, after which he then retired from the company, as previously promised.[126]

On January 25, 2024, Microsoft announced it was cutting 1,900 jobs from Microsoft Gaming, approximately 8% of its workforce. Layoffs included several Activision Blizzard studios, and also led to the cancellation of a survival game that was being developed by Blizzard over the previous six years. Blizzard's president Mike Ybarra and chief design officer Allen Adham left the company.[127] Johanna Faries, the general manager of the Call of Duty series, was named Blizzard's new president effective on February 5, 2024. Faries' appointment was a significant change for Blizzard, whose leaders have in the past come up through the ranks of gaming and tech.[128]

Reactions and commentary

Several Activision Blizzard employees have expressed cautious optimism with respect to the deal, with the ABK Workers Alliance, a group of employees pushing for unionization in the wake of the DFEH lawsuit, saying the acquisition did "not change the goals" of the Alliance.[129][130][131] A report by Business Insider suggested several Microsoft employees have raised their concern on the deal with respect to the sexual harassment scandals and Activision Blizzard workplace culture, hoping for "concrete steps to make sure we aren't introducing a dangerous and unwelcome culture."[132] On January 19, 2022, World Bank president David Malpass criticized the acquisition, contrasting the acquisition price with the smaller amount of bond financing available to developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.[133] The AFL-CIO supports the merger due to Microsoft signing a labor neutrality pact between the Communications Workers of America (who also supports the merger) and the company that was signed following the announcement of the proposed acquisition.[134][135]

Concerns on Microsoft's potential ownership of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold over 400 million units by April 2021 and considered one of the most valuable properties within the video game industry,[136] have been raised by Sony Interactive Entertainment and regulators. Shortly after the acquisition announcements, Sony had stated that they expect Microsoft to honor all of Activision Blizzard's publishing agreements for multiplatform games, assuring that Call of Duty would remain available on the PlayStation platform and not made a console-exclusive title. Spencer and Microsoft president Brad Smith reassured that Microsoft will continue these existing agreements and expressed their desire to keep Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard games on PlayStation beyond the terms of these agreements, as well as explore the opportunity to bring these games to the Nintendo consoles.[137][138][139][140]

Around September 2022, Xbox head Phil Spencer said Microsoft had written a letter to Sony in January, affirming their commitment to maintain Call of Duty on the PlayStation "several years" beyond the current contractual agreements set before the acquisition, which are said to last until 2024.[141][142] Spencer said their offer to Sony "goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements".[143] Sony's president Jim Ryan responded to Spencer by stating that in their commitment, Microsoft only stated their intent to keep Call of Duty for three more years beyond the current contract terms, and that "their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft's proposal undermines this principle."[143] Public documents filed as part of the UK's investigation revealed that Microsoft would be limited by prior contractual agreements between Sony and Activision to provide Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass for several years.[144]

Microsoft stated that it had written to Sony on November 11, 2022, to agree to a ten-year commitment for Call of Duty to remain non-exclusive to Xbox.[145] Sony further stated that Microsoft's intent with the acquisition is to remove Sony and PlayStation from competition with Microsoft and instead have the PlayStation platform more comparable to the Nintendo Switch, which Sony stated is based on taking up a family-friendly position and not attempting to compete with adult-rated games like Call of Duty.[146] Besides the commitment to Sony, Microsoft also had committed in December 2022 to a similar ten-year deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo's platforms, further attempting to prove to regulators they had no intent to make the title exclusive to Xbox or Windows.[147] By July 16, 2023, Sony signed to a "binding agreement" with Microsoft that committed to keeping Call of Duty on the PlayStation family.[148]

A number of indie publishers and developers including Curve Games, Finji, Iam8bit, and Strange Scaffold expressed support for the deal according to 2023 court filings.[149]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lombardo, Cara (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft to Buy Activision Blizzard in All-Cash Deal Valued at $75 Billion". WSJ. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  2. ^ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, UNITED STATES (January 30, 2024). "MICROSOFT FORM 10-Q".
  3. ^ "Activision Blizzard 2021 Annual Report". Activision Blizzard. April 29, 2022. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "Activision – Blizzard: Our Company". activisionblizzard.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  5. ^ "Activision Blizzard to Buy King Digital, Maker of Candy Crush". The New York Times. November 2, 2015. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  6. ^ "Activision Blizzard beefs up e-sports muscle". CNET. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Morris, Chris (October 22, 2015). "Why Activision-Blizzard just launched a new eSports division". Fortune. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  8. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (November 6, 2015). "Call of Duty Movie, Skylander TV Show Headline New Activision Blizzard Film Studio". IGN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  9. ^ Byrd, Matthew (January 18, 2022). "Every Activision Blizzard Franchise Now Owned by Xbox". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  10. ^ "The 13 Biggest Franchises Microsoft Will Own After the Xbox and Activision Deal". IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). January 20, 2022. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ^ Robinson, Andy (March 9, 2021). "Microsoft confirms its Bethesda acquisition is complete and 'some games' will be exclusive". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Why Microsoft is splashing $69bn on video games". The Economist. January 22, 2022. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  13. ^ Jackson, Sierra (January 18, 2022). "Simpson Thacher, Skadden drafted for Microsoft's $69 bln Activision buy". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Kovach, Steve (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft to buy Activision in $68.7 billion all-cash deal". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Warren, Tom (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  16. ^ Park, Gene (January 20, 2022). "Xbox CEO Phil Spencer on reviving old Activision games as Microsoft positions itself as tech's gaming company". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (January 18, 2022). "Bobby Kotick interview: Why Activision Blizzard did the deal with Microsoft". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  18. ^ Kuhnke, Oisin (October 27, 2022). "Phil Spencer Says Activision Blizzard Deal Is About Mobile, Not Making Call Of Duty Exclusive". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "Activision Blizzard | Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone, across every device". investor.activision.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  20. ^ Allsup, Maeve (July 21, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Sued Over 'Frat Boy' culture, Harassment". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  21. ^ "California sues Activision Blizzard over alleged harassment". BBC. July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Grind, Kirsten; Fritz, Ben; Needleman, Sarah E. (November 16, 2021). "Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Knew for Years About Sexual-Misconduct Allegations at Videogame Giant". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  23. ^ Schreier, Jason; Molot, Clara (November 16, 2021). "Activision's CEO Is Embattled by Staff and Investors". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  24. ^ a b c Grind, Kirsten; Lombardo, Cara; Fritz, Ben (January 19, 2022). "Activision Blizzard's Workplace Problems Spurred $75 Billion Microsoft Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  25. ^ Bass, Dina; Lanxon, Nate (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft Buys Scandal-Tainted Activision in Bet on Metaverse". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c Bass, Dina; Baker, Liana (January 19, 2022). "Activision Misconduct Fallout Prompted Microsoft to Pursue Deal". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  27. ^ Novet, Jordan (February 18, 2022). "Microsoft's talks with Activision started days after report on sexual misconduct sent stock tumbling". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  28. ^ "ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. – DEF 14A". www.sec.gov. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  29. ^ "Bobby Kotick will remain as Activision Blizzard CEO after Microsoft acquisition". VGC. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  30. ^ Skrebels, Joe (January 18, 2022). "Bobby Kotick Will Remain Activision Blizzard CEO After Xbox Acquisition". IGN. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  31. ^ Myers, Maddy (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard for $68.7B". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  32. ^ "Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone, across every device". Stories. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  33. ^ Mackay, Liam (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard". Charlie INTEL. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  34. ^ Austin Wood (January 18, 2022). "Bobby Kotick will remain Activision Blizzard CEO but reports suggest he may leave once Microsoft deal closes". gamesradar. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  35. ^ Kaplan, Anna. "Activision Blizzard CEO Kotick Reportedly Leaving Company After Microsoft Deal Closes". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  36. ^ Nightingale, Ed (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft to review its sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  37. ^ "Activision Blizzard shareholders approve $68.7 bln Microsoft deal". Reuters. April 28, 2022. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  38. ^ a b Dring, Christopher (July 14, 2023). "UK regulator extends deadline on final decision over Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  39. ^ "Microsoft, Activision Blizzard delay acquisition in push for UK approval - Polygon". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  40. ^ Ivan, Tom (October 13, 2023). "Microsoft has officially completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  41. ^ a b c d Yun Chee, Foo (November 28, 2022). "Exclusive: Microsoft likely to offer EU concessions soon in Activision deal -sources". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  42. ^ "Saudi Arabia approves Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition". Washington Post. August 23, 2022. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  43. ^ Tassi, Paul. "Brazil Approves Microsoft Activision Acquisition, Says It Doesn't Need To Protect PlayStation". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  44. ^ "SEI/CADE – 1128858 – Despacho SG". sei.cade.gov.br. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  45. ^ Michael Brandon Ingram (November 29, 2022). "Serbia Approves Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard". Gamerant. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  46. ^ "Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard". The Verge. July 11, 2023. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  47. ^ Cho, Winston (July 11, 2023). "Microsoft Wins FTC Brawl Over $69B Activision Blizzard Deal as Merger Nears Close". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  48. ^ Batchelor, James (January 3, 2023). "Chile approves Microsoft Activision Blizzard merger". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  49. ^ a b "Japan's competition regulator has approved Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard". VGC. March 28, 2023. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  50. ^ "The JFTC Reviewed the Proposed Acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc. by Microsoft Corporation | Japan Fair Trade Commission". www.jftc.go.jp. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  51. ^ Batchelor, James (April 18, 2023). "South Africa to approve Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  52. ^ a b "Microsoft's Deal To Buy Activision Blizzard Approved In Another Country". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  53. ^ Rousseau, Jeffrey (April 28, 2023). "Ukraine approves Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  54. ^ a b c Warren, Tom (May 15, 2023). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition approved by EU regulators". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  55. ^ Fineman, Joshua (May 19, 2023). "Microsoft's planned $69B Activision purchase gets China antitrust approval – report | Seeking Alpha". Seeking Alpha. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  56. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (May 19, 2023). "China Approves Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard". IGN. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  57. ^ a b "FTC clears Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. May 30, 2023. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  58. ^ Lulu Cheng Meservey [@lulumeservey] (July 13, 2023). "Today, Turkey unconditionally approved our merger with Microsoft. Now, yet another country has arrived at a thoughtful decision that protects consumers and competition rather than the entrenched dominance of the market leader" (Tweet). Retrieved July 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
  59. ^ CPI (January 24, 2023). "New Zealand Regulator Postpones Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Decision". Competition Policy International. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  60. ^ "Another country approves Activision buyout; Call of Duty and more sagas are almost in the hands of Xbox". LevelUp. October 10, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  61. ^ Warren, Tom (October 13, 2023). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal approved by UK regulators". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  62. ^ Mueller, Eingestellt von Florian. "Australian antitrust authority ACCC publicly states it's 'engaging with overseas regulators' on Microsoft-ActivisionBlizzard while its own investigation remains on hold". Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  63. ^ "Microsoft Corporation - Activision Blizzard Inc". Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  64. ^ McLaughlin, David (February 1, 2022). "Microsoft Deal for Activision to Be Reviewed by FTC in U.S." Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  65. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (April 1, 2022). "Senators push for FTC review of Microsoft and Activision's $69B deal". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  66. ^ "FTC Seeks to Block Microsoft Corp.'s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc" (Press release). U.S. Federal Trade Commission. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  67. ^ Zakrzewski, Cat; Liao, Shannon (December 8, 2022). "FTC sues to block Microsoft's acquisition of game giant Activision". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  68. ^ Batchelor, James (December 12, 2022). "Did Microsoft break its promise to the EU about Bethesda exclusives? | For The Record". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  69. ^ "Microsoft calls FTC unconstitutional". GamesIndustry.biz. December 23, 2022. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  70. ^ Purdy, Kevin (January 6, 2023). "Microsoft admits it should not have argued the FTC is unconstitutional". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  71. ^ Scullion, Chris (March 2, 2023). "The FTC has told PlayStation it has to reveal its third-party exclusivity deals". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  72. ^ Lyles, Taylor (June 12, 2023). "FTC Requests 'Temporary Restraining Order' to Prevent Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard". IGN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  73. ^ "US judge temporarily blocks Microsoft's attempt to buy Activision Blizzard". June 14, 2023. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  74. ^ Browning, Kellen; McCabe, David (June 22, 2023). "Microsoft Says It Could Abandon Activision Deal if Judge Delays It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  75. ^ Warren, Tom (June 30, 2023). "Microsoft's FTC fight comes down to Call of Duty". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  76. ^ "Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard". July 11, 2023. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  77. ^ Peters, Jay; Warren, Tom (July 12, 2023). "FTC is appealing ruling that cleared Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  78. ^ Bartz, Diane; Shepardson, David (July 13, 2023). "US court refuses FTC request to pause Microsoft deal for Activision". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  79. ^ "FTC loses appeals court bid to temporarily block Microsoft-Activision deal". CNBC. July 14, 2023. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  80. ^ "the FTC is planning to resume its administrative case against Microsoft's proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition soon. The administrative case will commence 21 days after the 9th circuit rules on the FTC's appeal. The administrative hearing will be held virtually". September 27, 2023. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  81. ^ "FTC Revives Challenge Against Microsoft's $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Buyout - IGN". Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  82. ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 7, 2024). "Microsoft Is Undermining Activision's Independence With Latest Layoffs, FTC Says". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  83. ^ "FTC Blasts Xbox Game Pass Price Increase and New Tiers as 'Product Degradation'". IGN. July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  84. ^ Fineman, Joshua (September 30, 2022). "Microsoft files planned Activision acquisition with European antitrust regulator". Seeking Alpha. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  85. ^ Tolbert, Samuel (September 30, 2022). "Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is now being checked by European Commission". Windows Central. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  86. ^ Chee, Foo Yun (October 7, 2022). "EU wants to know if Microsoft will block rivals after Activision deal". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  87. ^ "EU's Call of Duty: Probe Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal". AP NEWS. November 8, 2022. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  88. ^ Stolton, Samual (February 3, 2023). "EU issues antitrust warning against Microsoft's $69 billion Activision bid". Politico. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  89. ^ Harrison, Gayle (February 21, 2023). "Microsoft enters 10-year agreement with Nvidia and Nintendo in fight to save Activision deal". CNN. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  90. ^ Phillips, Tom (May 15, 2023). "EU approves Microsoft's $68.7bn Activision Blizzard bid". eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  91. ^ Stolton, Samuel (October 11, 2023). "Microsoft's Tweaks to $69 Billion Activision Deal Avoid EU Probe". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  92. ^ Coleman, Martin (September 1, 2022). "The CMA is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Microsoft Corporation of Activision Blizzard, Inc". Competition and Markets Authority. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  93. ^ a b O'Brien, Matt; Chan, Kelvin (September 1, 2022). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal gets global scrutiny". AP News. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  94. ^ Cryer, Hirun (February 8, 2023). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition would result in less competition, UK government rules". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  95. ^ Nightengale, Ed (March 24, 2023). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard takeover "will not result in a substantial lessening of competition", says CMA". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  96. ^ Gerken, Tom (May 11, 2023). "UK further restricts Microsoft and Activision merge". BBC. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  97. ^ Ivan, Tom (May 24, 2023). "Microsoft files appeal against UK decision to block its Activision Blizzard deal". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  98. ^ Wales, Matt (May 26, 2023). "Microsoft lays out appeal against CMA's Activision Blizzard acquisition block". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  99. ^ "UK blocks Microsoft $69 billion Activision deal over cloud gaming concerns". Reuters. April 26, 2023. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  100. ^ Warren, Tom (April 26, 2023). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition blocked by UK regulators". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  101. ^ "UK MPS grill regulator over Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal block, day after EU grants approval". Eurogamer.net. May 16, 2023. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  102. ^ "Microsoft and UK regulators agree to pause legal fight to negotiate Activision acquisition". Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  103. ^ Kennedy, Victoria (July 12, 2023). "CMA open to "new merger investigation" if Microsoft restructures Activision Blizzard deal". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  104. ^ a b Phillips, Tom (August 22, 2023). "Microsoft will sell Activision Blizzard streaming rights to Ubisoft". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  105. ^ Nylen, Leah; Ludlow, Edward; Bass, Dina (July 13, 2023). "Microsoft, Activision Eye UK Rights Sale to Get Merger Done". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  106. ^ Kennedy, Victora (September 22, 2023). "Microsoft's Activision Blizzard bid provisionally approved by UK regulator". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  107. ^ Kennedy, Victoria (October 13, 2023). "Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal approved by UK regulator". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  108. ^ Sandle, Paul (November 20, 2023). "Britain proposes antitrust overhaul after Microsoft-Activision case". Reuters. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  109. ^ Michaels, Dave; Trachtenberg, Jeffrey (March 8, 2022). "U.S. Probes Trade by Barry Diller, David Geffen Before Big Merger". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  110. ^ Browning, Kellen (April 15, 2022). "Activision tells regulators it will cooperate with insider trading investigation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  111. ^ Stolton, Samuel (October 31, 2022). "EU to launch advanced Microsoft-Activision probe". POLITICO. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  112. ^ D'Angelo, William (December 29, 2022). "Chile Approves Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition". VGChartz. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  113. ^ "China Approves Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition". MSN. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  114. ^ Fineman, Joshua (May 19, 2023). "Microsoft's planned $69B Activision purchase gets China antitrust approval – report". Seeking Alpha. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  115. ^ "Document Viewer". www.ftc.go.kr. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  116. ^ Totilo, Stephen (May 4, 2022). "New York City sues Activision, targeting CEO Bobby Kotick". Axios. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  117. ^ Leonard, Mike (November 14, 2022). "Activision's $69 Billion Sale to Microsoft Draws Challenge". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  118. ^ Jackson, Claire (December 20, 2022). "Gamers Are Suing Microsoft To Thwart Its Merger With Activision". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  119. ^ Scarcella, Mike (January 20, 2023). "Microsoft loses bid to pause gamers' lawsuit over Activision deal". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  120. ^ Hope Bellingham (March 21, 2023). "The "Gamers Lawsuit" against Microsoft has been dismissed". gamesradar. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  121. ^ Bailey, Dustin (April 11, 2023). "The "Gamer's Lawsuit" against Microsoft is back, and Sony is helping". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  122. ^ Batchelor, James (May 23, 2023). "California judge denies gamer lawsuit a preliminary injunction against Microsoft ABK acquisition". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  123. ^ Kruzel, John (July 17, 2023). "Plaintiffs ask US Supreme Court to temporarily halt Microsoft, Activision merger". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  124. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 18, 2023). "Supreme Court Rejects Last-Minute Bid to Block Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Takeover". Variety. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  125. ^ Nightengale, Ed (October 15, 2024). "Microsoft settles lawsuit from players attempting to block Activision Blizzard acquisition". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  126. ^ Parrish, Ash (December 20, 2023). "Microsoft announces more Xbox leadership changes as Activision's Bobby Kotick departs". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  127. ^ Webster, Andrew (January 25, 2024). "Blizzard cancels survival game following layoffs". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  128. ^ Chalk, Andy (January 29, 2024). "Activision's Call of Duty general manager takes over as president of Blizzard". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  129. ^ Nightingale, Ed (January 19, 2022). "Activision Blizzard staff react to Microsoft buyout news". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  130. ^ Knoop, Joseph (January 18, 2022). "The Video Game Industry Reacts to Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard King". IGN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  131. ^ "Activision Blizzard workers cautiously optimistic after Microsoft acquisition". Upcomer. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  132. ^ Stewart, Ashley. "Leaked messages from Microsoft employees show that the scandals at Activision Blizzard are going to be a huge challenge to their $68 billion merger". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  133. ^ Lawder, David (January 20, 2022). "World Bank chief takes swipe at Microsoft's $69 bln gaming deal as poor countries struggle". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  134. ^ "AFL-CIO Applauds Ruling Allowing Microsoft–Activision Blizzard Acquisition to Move Forward, Paving Way for Workers to Transform Video Game Industry | AFL-CIO". aflcio.org. July 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  135. ^ "CWA Files Amicus Brief in Support of Microsoft-Activision Merger, Citing Positive Impact on Labor Market for Game Workers". Communications Workers of America. September 13, 2023. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  136. ^ Makuch, Eddit (April 22, 2021). "Call Of Duty Has Now Sold 400 Million Copies To Date". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  137. ^ Young, Georgina (January 21, 2022). "Microsoft confirms its intent to keep 'Call Of Duty' on PlayStation". NME. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  138. ^ Jie, Yang (January 20, 2022). "Sony Expects Microsoft to Keep Activision Games Multiplatform". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  139. ^ Skrebels, Joe (February 9, 2022). "Microsoft Confirms Activision Blizzard Will Release Games on PlayStation 'Beyond Existing Agreements'". IGN. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  140. ^ Scullion, Chris (February 10, 2022). "Microsoft's president says 'we want to bring Call of Duty to Switch'". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  141. ^ Warren, Tom (September 2, 2022). "Microsoft will keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 'several more years' beyond existing deal". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  142. ^ Schreier, Jason (January 25, 2022). "Activision's Next Three Call of Duty Games Will Be on PlayStation and Xbox". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  143. ^ a b Dring, Christopher (September 7, 2022). "PlayStation: Xbox's Call of Duty offer was "inadequate on many levels"". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  144. ^ Wolens, Joshua (October 21, 2022). "Microsoft says a Sony deal with Activision stops Call of Duty coming to Game Pass". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  145. ^ McCabe, David; Weise, Karen (November 21, 2022). "Can Big Tech Get Bigger? Microsoft Presses Governments to Say Yes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  146. ^ Robinson, Andy (November 23, 2022). "Sony claims Microsoft's 'true strategy' is to 'make PlayStation like Nintendo'". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  147. ^ Welsh, Oli (December 7, 2022). "Microsoft signs deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo for 10 years". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  148. ^ Warren, Tom (July 16, 2023). "Sony agrees to a Call of Duty deal with Microsoft". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  149. ^ Writer, Jeffrey Rousseau Staff (September 19, 2023). "Indie game developer cohort supports Microsoft ABK acquisition". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acquisition_of_Activision_Blizzard_by_Microsoft&oldid=1251654209"