Microsoft Corp. says it has agreed to buy Activision Blizzard, a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher, in an all-cash deal valued at $68.7 billion.
If successful, the deal would make Microsoft the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind China’s Tencent Holdings and Japan’s Sony Group.
The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from Activision, Blizzard and King studios like “Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush,” in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming.
“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft.
“We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”
What is the metaverse
The metaverse is the convergence of two ideas that have been around for many years: virtual reality and digital second life.
