Microsoft Activision-Blizzard Acquisition Progressing Smoothly

Last Updated: May 19th, 2022

The Activision-Blizzard acquisition is progressing smoothly according to the president of Microsoft.

Activision-Blizzard Acquisition Going Well

In an interview with the Belgian publication L’Echo, Microsoft President Brad Smith stated the following on the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard

“It’s moving fast, at least fast enough for an acquisition of this size. We have received requests for information on this subject here in Brussels, but also in London and Washington. One of our attorneys summed it up nicely by saying ‘We’re coming to the end of the beginning and now we’re entering the beginning of the middle’.”

The acquisition would include every franchise that the company owns including Overwatch, World Of Warcraft, Diablo and the beloved first-person shooter franchise Call Of Duty. Microsoft stated that Call Of Duty won’t become Xbox Exclusive however, with Smith previously stating that:

“To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision. And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.”

Rough Times

Microsoft acquired Activision-Blizzard in January of this year amid numerous controversies and countless allegations against the company for general workplace harassment. The news was enormous within the industry and cost Microsoft a small fortune of nearly $70 million dollars. They’ve hit a few issues along the way however, with anti-trust laws causing them to be investigated for potentially causing a monopoly and the FTC deciding to review the acquisition and check everything is above board. It’s looking unlikely that any of these obstacles will pose a significant challenge to Microsoft however.