The biggest acquisition in the history of electronic games has settled!
On October 13th, London time, the UK Competition and Market Authority (CMA) announced that it had accepted Microsoft's remedy of granting the copyright of Activision Blizzard cloud games to Ubisoft and approved Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Subsequently, according to official documents disclosed by Microsoft, the company has completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a total price of approximately $68.7 billion (approximately RMB 501.89 billion), which has officially become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft.
Release by UK regulatory authorities
On October 13th, London time, the UK Competition and Market Authority (CMA) announced that it had accepted Microsoft's remedy of granting the copyright of Activision Blizzard cloud games to Ubisoft and approved Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
The UK Competition and Market Authority has stated that the new agreement will prevent Microsoft from forming a monopoly in the early stages of the cloud gaming market, retaining competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming users.
In April of this year, the UK Competition and Market Authority blocked the transaction, stating that in its initial investigation, the agency found that Microsoft had already gained a strong position in the cloud gaming industry. This acquisition may result in "significant innovation in the coming years, reducing the choices for UK video game users".
In order to promote the continuation of the acquisition case, Microsoft made a concession in August and gave up the cloud game copyright of Activision Blizzard, which was purchased by French gaming company Ubisoft Entertainment. Subsequently, the UK Competition and Markets Authority agreed to review the transaction and completed a new round of investigations launched in August on the 13th, ultimately approving the acquisition.
The reporter noticed that the EU and the US had already approved the acquisition in May and July, respectively. And obtaining approval from UK regulatory authorities means that the largest acquisition in the history of global electronic games has finally come to a close.
On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced a $68.7 billion cash acquisition of American gaming company Activision Blizzard, triggering a global technology market shock.
At that time, with the rise and fall of the concept of "metaverse", this single largest acquisition also attracted the attention of regulatory agencies from multiple countries around the world.
Regulatory agencies in the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have expressed concerns about the "monopoly" caused by this acquisition case. 38 countries and regions including China, Japan, and Brazil have previously approved Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Looking back at this round of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it can be said that there have been twists and turns. This huge acquisition case spanning two years, due to the "red light" of antitrust measures in multiple countries, ultimately delayed Microsoft's original plan to acquire Activision Blizzard before July 16, 2023 until October 18.
Complete Microsoft business segments
With the explosion of the concept of "metaverse" in 2022, games have become a key entry point for technology companies to compete for.
In this context, Microsoft, which has always focused on the office sector, has taken a liking to the veteran gaming company Activision Blizzard and hopes to expand its social media capabilities through this acquisition.
From the perspective of gaming consoles alone, Microsoft has now become one of the "three giants" in the gaming industry, alongside Sony and Nintendo.
However, in terms of sales, there is a significant gap between Microsoft and the top two. Data shows that as of August this year, the total sales of Microsoft's Xbox series gaming console series were 23.23 million units, while Nintendo's Switch, which ranked first, had a total sales of 129 million units.

In fact, from a certain perspective, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft this time also has a certain sense of breaking the boat for Microsoft games.
According to some Microsoft related documents disclosed by the media earlier, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer made a statement using a chart: "If Microsoft's market growth by the 2027 fiscal year has not yet met expectations, then I have no reason to believe that the company will continue to engage in this industry
Now, with the addition of Activision Blizzard, the shortcomings in content may be greatly alleviated. At present, Activision Blizzard owns well-known games such as the World of Warcraft, Diablo series, Watchman Pioneer, and Call of Duty series, and the injection of these contents will undoubtedly provide continuous support for Microsoft's Xbox and XGP gaming services.
More importantly, the current layout of Activision Blizzard on the mobile end can clearly greatly complement Microsoft's shortcomings on the mobile end.
According to Activision Blizzard's first quarter financial report of this year, driven by "Candy Legend", "Call of Duty Mobile Game", and "Diablo: Immortal", the company's net pre orders for mobile games have increased by two digits year-on-year. In addition, the company's mobile gaming division King's revenue increased by 8% to $739 million during the period, far exceeding Blizzard's $435 million and Activision's $580 million.
Now, with the landing of the acquisition case, Microsoft can't wait to start making large-scale adjustments within Activision Blizzard.
The reporter noticed that just after the UK regulatory authorities released it, Microsoft CEO and Chairman Satya Nadella tweeted congratulations: "Today is a great day for players. We will work with Activision Blizzard to achieve our vision, helping people connect and play great games anytime, anywhere, and in the way they want
Xbox President Phil Spencer also left a message saying, "We officially welcome Activision Blizzard and King to join the Xbox team. We will create stories and experiences together, bringing players together in a culture where everyone can do their best
Interestingly, Bobby Kotick, the current CEO of Activision Blizzard, stated in a subsequent company email that he will leave Activision Blizzard in 2024.