What happened in the year after the takeover?

A year ago, Microsoft took over the publisher Activision Blizzard, which set the tone for the Redmond-based gaming division. We took another look back.

After Zenimax Media and Bethesda came into the possession of Microsoft in 2021, the Redmond-based company announced plans to take over Activision Blizzard the following year. The company behind the Xbox wanted to spend almost $70 billion on the publisher.

After a legal battle with regulators such as the UK CMA and the US FTC, the acquisition was officially completed on October 13, 2023. But what has happened so far and how much has the deal changed Microsoft’s gaming division? We have listed the most important steps again.

Billions in investments, PS5 releases and layoffs

2022 deal announcement: The takeover was announced in January 2022however, delayed by legal reviews and competition procedures.

CMA and FTC go into confrontation: The deal is under intense scrutiny from authorities worldwide, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the European Commission.

The British CMA refused permission first and saw each other exposed to verbal attacks from Microsoft. Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said the decision was “bad for the UK” and would represent the “darkest day” in Microsoft’s four decades of operations in the UK. At the same time, he brought national security into play.

Microsoft later convinced the CMA with some assurances and a modification to the deal change your mind. The American FTC, which also spoke out against the takeover, had to be one Take a beating in courtwas paved the way for Microsoft.

October 2023: The deal was officially closed. Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer was positive about the future of cooperation – including with operators of other console platforms.

Personnel changes: Matt Booty was elected president of game content and studios, while Sarah Bond was given more power as president of Xbox.

Bobby Kotick’s departure: Activision Blizzard’s controversial CEO left the company at the end of December 2023.

Approvals: In January 2024, Microsoft announced its death Layoff of 1,900 employees including Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Xbox.

Change in leadership at Blizzard: Blizzard President Mike Ybarra and Chief Design Officer Allen Adham left the company. Johanna Faries, former general manager of the “Call of Duty” series, has been named the new president of Blizzard. At the same time, an unannounced survival game in a “completely new universe” was discontinued.

Extension to other platforms: Microsoft brought games like “Sea of ​​Thieves,” “Pentiment,” “Grounded,” and “Hi-Fi Rush” on PlayStation and partly on Nintendo Switch.

Success on the PS5: Reached “Sea of ​​Thieves”. Number 1 on the PS5 download charts in Europewas apparently paving the way for further games. What was initially announced as an exclusive title followed next year “Indiana Jones” for the PS5.

Toys for Bob: Employees were laid off and the studio subsequently broke away from Activision-Blizzard. Later there was another one Cooperation with Microsoft Gaming confirmed.

Closure of studios: Arkane Austin and other studios including Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Games, were closed. Tango Gameworks became later acquired by PUBG publisher Krafton. The closure of Arkane Austin completed successful development of updates and DLCs for “Redfall”.

Availability of Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass: Games like “Diablo 4” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” were integrated into the subscription. “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” lands right in October at launch in Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass restructuring: In July 2024, Microsoft introduced A new structure for Game Pass. The basic subscription was no longer available for new console customers, and a new standard subscription was added – but without the usual scope of day-one releases. The latter are reserved for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. At the same time, there were price increases, which in turn brought the FTC into action:

One of the largest publishers: The acquisition of Activision Blizzard contributed significantly Increases in gaming sales at MicrosoftThe Redmond-based gaming division became one of the publishers with the highest sales.

A strange situation: Thanks to “Call of Duty” and Co., Microsoft Gaming is one of the largest third-party game providers on the PlayStation consoles.

Renewed approvals: In September, Microsoft announced the layoff of 650 additional employees known from the gaming sector.

Console sales collapse: At the same time, Microsoft had to admit that there were significant declines in console sales. The charts of various countries also regularly make it clear that Xbox consoles are playing a less and less important role play.

What’s next for Microsoft Gaming?

As console sales continue to decline, Microsoft wants to hold on to hardware. A new generation has long been planned. It should be about strength and performance, as Sarah Bond once pointed out. Previously, rumors about a cloud console were doing the rounds and an Xbox handheld had also been floating around the rumor mill for months.

At the same time, it can be assumed that Microsoft will stick to its multiplatform strategy and PlayStation players can expect relevant announcements in the coming months and years – Maybe even to “Halo”?

Not much has changed in the cloud plans either. Just today the still unconfirmed news emerged that Xbox players will soon be theirs Stream entire library can, not just components of the Xbox Game Pass. At the same time, Microsoft is sticking to its plans for your own mobile store festival.

Further news about Activision Blizzard, Microsoft.

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