Microsoft Is Buying Activision Blizzard For Almost $70 Billion
Microsoft has agreed to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 BILLION Dollars. Things are about to get interesting on the Video Game front.
If you have a pulse then you’ve probably heard of either Microsoft and/or Activision Blizzard. Well, in a massive acquisition announced today, Microsoft has announced they are making an all-cash deal to purchase Activision Blizzard.
“Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is buying “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) for $68.7 billion in the biggest gaming industry deal in history as global technology giants stake their claims to a virtual future.”
Microsoft’s $70 Billion Play
Yeah. That’s kind of a big deal. We’re not going to get into all the ins and outs of the share prices and how much money per share Microsoft is shelling out. It’s almost $70 Billion dollars! That’s like…70 Super-yachts. Or 70 Private Islands. Or anything else off this list I just Google’d to try and understand how much money 1 Billion Dollars actually is.
$70 Billion is like…17.5 Marvels!
The point is that Microsoft, who was already a big player in the gaming world, has purchased one of the biggest publishers of video games in the world. Microsoft created a little thing called “Windows” which you might have heard of. While Activision Blizzard has a couple of “small indie games” you might have heard of like “Call of Duty” or “World of Warcraft” — which, okay, they aren’t “small” or “indie” at all.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has bought out popular games/developers/publishers. The list is large and varied. Back in 2014 they made another large investment in video games by purchasing Minecraft for $2.5 Billion.
With this acquisition Microsoft will add all of Activision Blizzard’s games under their umbrella. According to the Wall Street Journal this purchase would make Microsoft the world’s third-largest gaming company.
Scandals? We Has Them
Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in a lawsuit and scandal. So this deal probably couldn’t have come at a better time for them. But, regardless of the financial impact that it’s had on their stock price, getting bought out for $70 Billion is still a very generous offer. Microsoft is looking to pay a premium for the company and it’s IP.
This is being seen as a play to gear up for a “Metaverse Arms Race” in the gaming space. For Microsoft having all those titles under their umbrella does make it easier for the to compete in a “metaverse” environment.
For now this is the largest video gaming deals in history and, if it goes through, could mark a shift in the gaming landscape of the future.
I wonder if they will change the logo again.
