And the Microsoft machine grows.
After snagging Bethesda Softworks in 2020 for $7.5 billion, Microsoft has just outdone themselves by acquiring Activision Blizzard for a whopping $70 billion. This means that once the deal closes, Microsoft will now own the Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo franchises.
“Over many decades, the studios and teams that make up Activision Blizzard have earned vast wellsprings of joy and respect from billions of people all over the world,” reads the statement from Xbox head Phil Spencer. “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from their catalogue.”
“The fantastic franchises across Activision Blizzard will also accelerate our plans for Cloud Gaming, allowing more people in more places around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices you already own.”
This shocking announcement also coincides with Microsoft announcing that their Xbox Game Pass has now reached 25 million subscribers.
What this means for the currently-in-development Diablo IV, which is being developed for PC, PlayStation and Xbox, is unknown. Microsoft is allowing Tango Gameworks to complete the PlayStation 5 version of Ghostwire: Tokyo (which is expected later this Spring), so there’s some reassurance for Sony fans there.