Over a year since negotiations began and regulatory process unfolded, the Microsoft Activision deal is officially done. Along with an enormous price of $68.7 billion, the deal sees the Xbox conglomerate welcome high value properties like Call of Duty, Diablo, and more under the same umbrella. Now, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick comment on the deal’s closure.
“We officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history,” Spencer expresses. Noting some of the best FPS games available such as Call of Duty and Overwatch, Spencer says he has “long admired the work of Activision, Blizzard, and King, and the impact they’ve had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture.”
Sharing his experience of “late nights spent playing the Diablo 4 campaign” and “gathering the entire family in the rec room for our weekly Guitar Hero night”, Spencer promises to bring an array of games to players across different scenarios: “Together, we’ll create new worlds and stories […] we’ll engage with and delight players in new, innovative ways in the places they love to play, including mobile, cloud streaming and more.”
The commitment to make titles available on a wider scale is also possible in part to Assassin’s Creed Mirage developer, Ubisoft, who are an intermediary within the new CMA deal. However, while this is a huge moment for Xbox players, Spencer is determined to unite players – regardless of their platform.
“Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here, and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win,” Spencer adds. Believing the deal will “unlock a world of possibilities for more ways to play”, the Microsoft Gaming CEO promises that Xbox has “so much more to come in the months ahead.”
In an email to Activision employees, CEO Bobby Kotick confirms that “Phil [Spencer] has asked me to stay on as CEO of Activision Blizzard King, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023. We both look forward to working together on a smooth integration for our teams and players.”
According to The Verge reporter Tom Warren, the deal is Microsoft’s largest to date, surpassing its acquisition of business-focused social media platform LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016, and its purchase of Starfield developer Bethesda for $7.5 billion in 2021.
A lot of huge games will soon enter the Game Pass library – in fact, work on bringing those ABK titles to the service has begun already – so until that happens, why not get stuck in right now? Here are all the Xbox Game Pass October 2023 games, as well as the best Xbox Game Pass games available overall. You can also check out why Ubisoft’s surprise role in the deal means there’s a chance you could see Call of Duty and other ABK games come to PS Plus in the future, despite now being Xbox’s property.