Don't want to see articles from a certain category? When logged in, go to your User Settings and adjust your feed in the Content Preferences section where you can block tags!
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard

By - | Views: 40,707

A bit of wider industry news today. News which completely blows my mind - Microsoft are out to acquire Activision Blizzard. Pending all the regulatory approvals they need to go through which takes times and can be denied.

This continues the very worrying trend of these mega companies amassing huge resources. Microsoft now control a ridiculous amount of publisher and developer teams, easily helping towards more lock-in with Microsoft services and products. For Microsoft, it makes sense of course, since they can continue dumping titles into Game Pass and get more subscriptions for recurring revenue.

Activision Blizzard has been in a lot of hot water lately, which is probably a big understatement. Employees and investors have repeatedly called for the removal of the current CEO, Bobby Kotick. The press release is a bit vague on what will happen with Kotick, as it mentions Kotick "will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard" and then "Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming". So it somewhat makes it sound like Kotick might only be there until the deal is fully done but it's pretty vague. Probably intentionally vague due to the ongoing issues. Update: Kotick will remain, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed via email. Update #2: They tried to clarify again later that they were speaking generally about the acquisition so it's anyone's guess what will happen with Kotick (IGN).

This will be an "all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion" which is so much money I can't even begin to imagine it.

Microsoft will then own the likes of Activision, Blizzard and King studios with Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, Candy Crash and global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The press release states this will make Microsoft "the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony".

Since Microsoft isn't quite the same as the Microsoft of old, we might end up seeing more Activision Blizzard games come to Steam and so making it even easier to run them on Linux through Steam Play Proton. Imagine having Diablo, Starcraft, Overwatch, various newer Call of Duty games and so on being a few clicks away on Steam + Linux.

What do you think to this news? The deal is expected to close in 2023.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
20 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
115 comments
Page: «7/12»
  Go to:

BlackBloodRum Jan 18, 2022
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Well... they can't make it any worse right?
Purple Library Guy Jan 18, 2022
Quoting: KimyrielleOther than that, geesh, did REALLY nobody in charge ever read a Economics textbook to realize that market concentration is bad? Will this stop only when there is only MS and Sony and their two consoles left? Does nobody realize that for a free-market economy to work, it takes a think called competition. And does nobody realize that if companies can spend that kind of money to buy all their competitors, we're not taxing corporations nearly high enough?
Well, for a free market economy to avoid one particular dysfunction takes competition. And over the last few decades, masses of mergers and acquisitions, plus network effects in the new rising tech sectors, have led to more and more areas of business with very few firms controlling them, which in turn is leading, more lately, to monopoly pricing and other nasty stuff. So I wholeheartedly agree there. And I absolutely agree about the tax thing.
So yeah, this is just one more example of a general bad trend.

However, I would want to argue that, first, there is no such thing as a free market economy and there really can't be one. And, to the extent that free market economies are approached, they suck in various other ways even if there is robust competition. So it's not like just killing the oligopolies would magically make everything great. Necessary but not sufficient.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 18 January 2022 at 6:25 pm UTC
sub Jan 18, 2022
So no more native Linux games from Activision Blizzard.

Wait ...
ElamanOpiskelija Jan 18, 2022
Quoting: KimyrielleOk, and tbh, is anybody really going to miss what was one of the most toxic companies to work for in America?

Other than that, geesh, did REALLY nobody in charge ever read a Economics textbook to realize that market concentration is bad? Will this stop only when there is only MS and Sony and their two consoles left? Does nobody realize that for a free-market economy to work, it takes a think called competition. And does nobody realize that if companies can spend that kind of money to buy all their competitors, we're not taxing corporations nearly high enough?

Hear, hear.

I didn't see positives in what is a creative enterprise (making games) when one has such a boss, and now even less positives when one has such a boss who also has a boss.

I would like to see more opportunities for small indie developers. I am hoping that the Steam Deck makes certain games more attractive, like Tooth and Tail, Blasphemous, etc... and on the other hand, looking at games like that makes (for me) the Steam Deck more attractive.

In the meantime, the list of intellectual property that would be in the hands of Microsoft after this merge is chilling:

Call of Duty
Diablo
Warcraft
Overwatch
Starcraft
Crash Bandicoot
Guitar Hero
Tony Hawk Pro Skater
Fallout
Doom
Quake
Psychonauts
Elder Scrolls
Prey
Wolfenstein
Dishonored
Minecraft
Candy Crush

Not to forget the XBox franchises:

Halo, Forza, Fable, Gears, Perfect Dark, Age of Empires ...

There is grounds for some lawyers to at least look into this.
BlackBloodRum Jan 18, 2022
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Crash Bandicoot? Wasn't that Naughty Dog? (owned by sony?)
ElamanOpiskelija Jan 18, 2022
Quoting: BlackBloodRumCrash Bandicoot? Wasn't that Naughty Dog? (owned by sony?)

As far as I know, latest ones:
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (Activision, to be acquired)
- Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! (King, to be acquired as well)
Whitewolfe80 Jan 18, 2022
Well shit they already gonna get money out of me because they own bethesda and i dont care what they have done in the past i am playing the next Fallout (as long as its single player) and the next elder scrolls game if i have to create a windows partion i will and thats how badly i want to play those games.
Raaben Jan 18, 2022
Quoting: subSo no more native Linux games from Activision Blizzard.

Wait ...

Native no (released, internal they at least used to), but at least they've been decent at keeping them pretty WINE compatible esp with their anticheat and fixes. Even reversing all those Overwatch bans when it hit a false positive resulting in a large banwave. Will that go on?

I usually swing hard towards the No Tux No Bucks camp but I still see this is not a good look for the future, also now there being a 0 chance of ever seeing a native release from them in the future no matter if things change 'enough' for more AAA interest.
Shmerl Jan 18, 2022
I don't care for Blizzard, but I agree it's a very bad trend that MS just gobbles gaming companies. And Spencer is probably the reason MS is using DX12 today instead of Vulkan. So I consider MS as pretty hostile to Linux gaming in general.
iiari Jan 18, 2022
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
So, I've reached a real moment of Zen in realizing that a $68.7 billion dollar gaming acquisition by MS.... Doesn't impact my personal gaming one iota! Sweet.... Ahhhhh.....

Anyway, I think this is an absolutely stonking brilliant move by MS, if they manage it well. Totally taking advantage of Activision's weakness right now to swoop in and give X-Box a huge IP boost for the indefinite future. If we're ever going to get a Netflix of gaming, MS will likely be it... I mean, the IP here has to be worth waaaay more than MS is paying. Some of these properties themselves are individually in the billions or tens of billions if sold on their own. So, so much they can do with this IP over so many different media outlets.

The modern MS is proving VERY savvy.

PS: MS can say whatever they want today about Kotick, but there's zero way he has any future here (especially given some insensitive XBox gender history) other than a very neutered one if MS gives him a very limited sandbox.


Last edited by iiari on 18 January 2022 at 8:02 pm UTC
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.