Did Microsoft buy Activision Blizzard in a $68 billion deal?

By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium. Microsoft shocked the tech and gaming world on January 18th when it announced it would acquire Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal, by far the biggest ever in gaming.

Is Activision a big deal?

The Activision tech deal is the largest one in recent memory, several times the size of Amazon’s and Facebook’s largest acquisitions of Whole Foods Market and WhatsApp, respectively. But this deal sets up a major test for U.S. regulators, who are increasingly skeptical of consolidation in the tech industry.

Who is the new CEO of Activision Blizzard?

Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming.

Is Activision Blizzard extending its culture of proactive inclusion?

“We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.” The agreement is pending regulatory review and Activision Blizzard shareholder approval, with the deal set to close in 2023.