Why did Microsoft buy Activision Blizzard?

Microsoft acquired gaming giant Activision Blizzard on Friday, closing the biggest deal in video game history after more than a year of close scrutiny from antitrust officials around the world. The announcement came after Microsoft cleared a final regulatory hurdle to the deal from Britain’s competition watchdog.

What games does Activision own?

Activision’s gaming franchises include Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Overwatch and StarCraft. Microsoft has closed its $69 billion acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard, according to a regulatory filing by the company Friday.

When will Microsoft buy Activision?

When it announced the acquisition in January 2022, Microsoft committed to closing the deal by mid-July of this year or paying Activision a $3 billion breakup fee. Ultimately, it needed a little more time, and the two companies agreed to extend the deadline to mid-October.