Microsoft to acquire gaming company Activision Blizzard

by WF- Enzo Administrator
23 replies
Microsoft officially announced that they're set to acquire gaming giant Activision Blizzard. If you're in the know, Activision is known for the FPS franchise Call Of Duty, while Blizzard is known for WarCraft and StarCraft.



The deal is valued at $68.7 billion, "inclusive of Activion Blizzard's net cash." With the deal, Microsoft is set to become the world's third-largest gaming company in terms of revenue, just behind Tencent and Sony.

Chime in.
#acquire #activision #blizzard #company #gaming #microsoft
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    I just hope Microsoft does a better job of integrating its acquisitions

    Its buyout of Skype is a bust

    Its buyout of Minecraft/Mojang didn't make any sense

    It seems like MSFT is acting much like YHOO during the Dot Com Boom glory days: overpaying for companies which it then fails to integrate into its bottomline strategy

    Broadcast.com was a bust
    Geocities an expensive pointless buyout
    Tumblr was a wasted asset
    etc etc

    Only time will tell

    MSFT would be better off integrating BLOCKCHAIN technology into its core tech
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

      I just hope Microsoft does a better job of integrating its acquisitions

      Its buyout of Skype is a bust

      Its buyout of Minecraft/Mojang didn't make any sense

      It seems like MSFT is acting much like YHOO during the Dot Com Boom glory days: overpaying for companies which it then fails to integrate into its bottomline strategy
      At the time the skype buy made sense, or at least I thought so. Sometimes you have to look past the initial buy and see what the long term effect of the investment was

      Minecraft I believe to have been a genius buy. Having a 13 yr old that still plays with his friends, and I hear them taking about isotopes and needing this element and that - VERY MUCH in line with Microsoft's education sector goals.

      I just dont think they can go wrong in the gaming sector. Xbox no longer is a "Console" it is a platform, and the others are in catchup mode. Nintendo, i dont ever think will ever catch up...I believe its just a matter of time - and it will probably goto Sony.

      Google Stadia... oh so had promise... but you could not in game chat until August of last year - THIS right here - why did Microsoft buy Skype? to block Google from getting its hands on it... and the investment paid off in spades.
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      Don't forget the Nokia acquisition too.

      They practically killed Skype by rolling out Microsoft Teams.

      Minecraft does make sense, mind you.

      Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

      I just hope Microsoft does a better job of integrating its acquisitions

      Its buyout of Skype is a bust

      Its buyout of Minecraft/Mojang didn't make any sense

      It seems like MSFT is acting much like YHOO during the Dot Com Boom glory days: overpaying for companies which it then fails to integrate into its bottomline strategy

      Broadcast.com was a bust
      Geocities an expensive pointless buyout
      Tumblr was a wasted asset
      etc etc

      Only time will tell

      MSFT would be better off integrating BLOCKCHAIN technology into its core tech
      Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Tinasaunders
    Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the latest move by the company to solidify their position as a leader in gaming for years to come.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    Is this part of Microsoft's strategy to compete ith Facebook in the multiverse. If so grabbing the company before apple or Facebook is a great move.

    The multiverse of Warcraft there is a lot of IP this gives Microsoft access to that can give a jump in the VR multiverse. Let's see how it works out
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      Most likely.

      And is Apple even in gaming or something?

      Even before the deal, Microsoft's already big into gaming. Forza and Halo come into play, plus they have Xbox.


      Originally Posted by Odahh View Post

      Is this part of Microsoft's strategy to compete ith Facebook in the multiverse. If so grabbing the company before apple or Facebook is a great move.

      The multiverse of Warcraft there is a lot of IP this gives Microsoft access to that can give a jump in the VR multiverse. Let's see how it works out
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    And people thought it was a lot of money when they bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion. Lol.

    Microsoft has way deeper pockets than Sony. They are finally using it to their advantage.

    People may not realize how big of an acquisition this is, but Activision-Blizzard is responsible for putting out World of Warcraft, the entire Call of Duty franchise, and CandyCrush. Even non-gamers have heard of those games. CandyCrush pulled in something like $1.2 billion last year and that game is how many years old now?

    Even despite their recent bad press, and the CEO will be jettisoned for that once the deal is complete, Activision-Blizzard is still a money making machine.
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  • Profile picture of the author Profit Traveler
    Banned
    Will be very interesting as time goes.

    I personally do not think bulky headsets will become the norm. Meta or no Meta.
    Even Google Glass crashed hard.

    We have a long way to go on that one in my opinion.

    And would Snoop Dogg be throwing his headset in a fit of Video Game Rage as he does alot on YouTube already.
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      Interestingly, Microsoft HoloLens disappeared. Would've been good for AR and Meta or something.

      Originally Posted by Profit Traveler View Post

      Will be very interesting as time goes.

      I personally do not think bulky headsets will become the norm. Meta or no Meta.
      Even Google Glass crashed hard.

      We have a long way to go on that one in my opinion.

      And would Snoop Dogg be throwing his headset in a fit of Video Game Rage as he does alot on YouTube already.
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      • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
        Originally Posted by WF- Enzo View Post

        Interestingly, Microsoft HoloLens disappeared. Would've been good for AR and Meta or something.
        Currently the Hololens 2 is not targeting the consumer market. This came out yesterday from Microsoft -

        "Clinically vulnerable care home residents are being treated by their GPs without even leaving their room, thanks to Microsoft HoloLens 2
        January 19, 2022 | "

        " Staff at a care home in Cumbria are using Microsoft's HoloLens 2 headset and Microsoft Teams to allow GPs to speak to and assess elderly residents in a COVID-safe way.

        Kendal Care Home, which offers residential, nursing, respite palliative and dementia care, called HoloLens a "game changer" that supports nurses' work while protecting clinically vulnerable people from the pandemic.

        Nurses wear HoloLens 2 when seeing residents who are bed-bound or have skin conditions such as leg swelling and rashes, which can be symptoms of serious illness. The mixed-reality device is linked to the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist app, which creates a secure and private Teams video call between the care home and a GP's PC or mobile device. The GP, who could be in their practice, at home or working remotely, can ask the resident questions about their health, offer a diagnosis and advise the nurse on effective treatment. The resident can hear their GP and speak to them in real-time

        . " Link for more of the article - https://news.microsoft.com/en-gb/202...ft-hololens-2/

        On another note - It's going to take time before some of this stuff is fully developed for consumers. Google is working on AR Headsets also. "The search giant has recently begun ramping up work on an AR headset, internally codenamed Project Iris, that it hopes to ship in 2024 " From the Verge today - https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/20/2...r-headset-2024

        Added - Here is big use of HoloLens 2 in India posted yesterday - https://news.microsoft.com/en-in/mic...th-hololens-2/

        "Healthcare major Apollo Hospitals has an AI-powered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score API that is designed specifically to predict an individual's risk of having a cardiac event within seven years. Using the immersive mixed reality experience of HoloLens 2, this API is integrated with an individual's health vitals to build a 3D visualization that represents the current and future states of the person's heart. "
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  • Profile picture of the author hostmaria
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by hostmaria View Post

      .. monopoly money.. I just wonder why Microsoft lies on their press release that Kostnik will stay as CEO :? .. WSJ tech podcast clearly said that Kostnik is leaving, and it is good for clearing the brand name (recently drowned in sexual harrasment and rape allocations).
      They aren't lying. They said he will stay on until the acquisition is complete. It's going to take a year or so for this purchase to go through all the regulatory hoops they have to jump through.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillFairfax89
    As loud as the news is, as bad it is. Microsoft is just bombarding the market with money, buying up everything, and pulling releases from platforms they don't control. What could be worse? You used to be able to play Diablo on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Windows.Now it's only on Xbox and Windows. Are you sure Microsoft has a bright future? Imagine a situation where in 3-4 years Microsoft decides to raise the cost of subscriptions several times over - what are we going to do? All Microsoft should get today is the reaction of antitrust bureau. It would be better to hire developers and create new studios instead of trying to monopolize the whole game market
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by WillFairfax89 View Post

      As loud as the news is, as bad it is. Microsoft is just bombarding the market with money, buying up everything, and pulling releases from platforms they don't control. What could be worse? You used to be able to play Diablo on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Windows.Now it's only on Xbox and Windows. Are you sure Microsoft has a bright future? Imagine a situation where in 3-4 years Microsoft decides to raise the cost of subscriptions several times over - what are we going to do? All Microsoft should get today is the reaction of antitrust bureau. It would be better to hire developers and create new studios instead of trying to monopolize the whole game market

      You can still play those games on those platforms just fine. Nothing has changed. Highly doubtful that anything will change on existing games.

      There is no guarantee that future releases of any of those games won't still be on those platforms, but it is likely that most will move to Xbox and PC only. Not a big deal.

      All of Nintendo's games have been exclusive to only their platforms for how long now?

      As far as the anti-trust thing, they are nowhere near anti-trust levels. Even with this acquisition, they are still only the 3rd largest game developer out there behind both Sony and TenCent. Any anti-trust bullshit would need to be directed at Sony first.
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  • Profile picture of the author socialentry
    I recognize the usefulness of the acquisition with respect to the XBox platform
    but I have my doubts it will play as great as a role in the metaverse as popular rumors would have it.

    If a company is going to make significant progress toward 'Ready Player One',

    it'll be through something that allows creativity like Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft or (heaven forbid?) VRChat.

    The complete opposite of what Blizz is known for.
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      They'll keep Blizzard as it is

      Originally Posted by socialentry View Post

      I recognize the usefulness of the acquisition with respect to the XBox platform
      but I have my doubts it will play as great as a role in the metaverse as popular rumors would have it.

      If a company is going to make significant progress toward 'Ready Player One',

      it'll be through something that allows creativity like Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft or (heaven forbid?) VRChat.

      The complete opposite of what Blizz is known for.
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      • Profile picture of the author socialentry
        Originally Posted by WF- Enzo View Post

        They'll keep Blizzard as it is

        Well, yes, Enzo. Yes. That's the problem.



        Blizz sucks.
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        • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
          Administrator


          Originally Posted by socialentry View Post

          Well, yes, Enzo. Yes. That's the problem.



          Blizz sucks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brian WorkPilot
    Interesting info! Thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisHerlihy
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      You forgot the competition: Google and Sony.

      Originally Posted by ChrisHerlihy View Post

      Apparently, Microsoft wants to become a monopolist in technology and games. In fact, this news means that there will be no new cool games from Blizzard.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gaz Cooper
    The future of Games is the metaverse and I don't mean facebook.

    The number of games in development that it is focused on play to earn is huge and companies like Gala Games, Axi Infinity, Illuvium, Star Atlas, Equilibrium Games are all working hard on being first to market with incredible play to earn games all focused on using crypto for fees and for NFT's (nonfungible tokens) like weapons, clothing, space ships, Land or any other item which gives an advantage in the game as well as the payment item for players when they are winning.

    Gala Games has already Sold its Citdels for $895,000 and $1.6 Million respectively and Citatels sell towns cities, provide services etc all based around earn to play.

    A great movie that shows exactly what is being built is READY PLAYER ONE

    Microsoft is just positioning itself for the future of gamins which will pay players to play they will earn crypto when they win or get to the next level they will pay for weapons and resell them in the marketplace for profit,, they will buy land and businesses, it is pretty crazy what they are building.

    As someone that has never been a gamer, I don't play but I am an investor because I can see just how this is going to fit in and anyone that has kids knows just how addictive and consuming this gaming is
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      Not a fan of games that's focused on earning real money though.

      Originally Posted by Gaz Cooper View Post

      The future of Games is the metaverse and I don't mean facebook.

      The number of games in development that it is focused on play to earn is huge and companies like Gala Games, Axi Infinity, Illuvium, Star Atlas, Equilibrium Games are all working hard on being first to market with incredible play to earn games all focused on using crypto for fees and for NFT's (nonfungible tokens) like weapons, clothing, space ships, Land or any other item which gives an advantage in the game as well as the payment item for players when they are winning.

      Gala Games has already Sold its Citdels for $895,000 and $1.6 Million respectively and Citatels sell towns cities, provide services etc all based around earn to play.

      A great movie that shows exactly what is being built is READY PLAYER ONE

      Microsoft is just positioning itself for the future of gamins which will pay players to play they will earn crypto when they win or get to the next level they will pay for weapons and resell them in the marketplace for profit,, they will buy land and businesses, it is pretty crazy what they are building.

      As someone that has never been a gamer, I don't play but I am an investor because I can see just how this is going to fit in and anyone that has kids knows just how addictive and consuming this gaming is
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      • Profile picture of the author Gaz Cooper
        Originally Posted by WF- Enzo View Post

        Not a fan of games that's focused on earning real money though.
        I dont think it is healthy at all but if you look at kids today they are addicted to gaming and with the great reset coming and the advancement of AI taking over manual jobs it ifits in with what they have planned for the future.

        I have shown my kids a few of the games and they are excited about them which is sad but there is a reason they are going all out for the metaverse.

        As sad as it is READY PLAYER ONE (watch the movie) is the future.
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    • Profile picture of the author success4all
      Originally Posted by Gaz Cooper View Post

      The future of Games is the metaverse and I don't mean facebook.

      Microsoft is just positioning itself for the future of gamins which will pay players to play they will earn crypto when they win or get to the next level they will pay for weapons and resell them in the marketplace for profit,, they will buy land and businesses, it is pretty crazy what they are building.

      As someone that has never been a gamer, I don't play but I am an investor because I can see just how this is going to fit in and anyone that has kids knows just how addictive and consuming this gaming is
      I agree with you. I think Microsoft is getting ready for Web3 Play2Earn revolution. Web2 games will be dead pretty soon. Blockchain-based Web3 crypto-paying Play2Earn games will be the future of online games. You can have fun playing games and getting paid for it - a gamer and an investor - at the same time.
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