Last week, Microsoft purchased one of the biggest gaming publishers in history, Activision Blizzard. Despite Activision Blizzard’s controversial last couple of months, with CEO of the company, Bobby Kotick, having numerous misconduct claims against him, Microsoft still purchased the mega-company. It is estimated that Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard for an eye-watering $68.7 billion, making it one of the biggest investments in gaming history.
Of course, the investment was not for Microsoft but rather its gaming faction, Xbox. Xbox will use the acquisition to gain access to franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. In the gaming world, Xbox’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is a monumental move to fight its rival PlayStation by buying up franchises and cornering off the market. Xbox and Microsoft are starting to become a monopoly in gaming which could be dangerous in the long run.
Nevertheless, it is a huge win for Xbox. This acquisition is perhaps the largest in recent memory but just one of the many acquisitions in the business world. Small businesses and enterprises, every day, are getting acquired or are acquiring other companies in the hope of boosting their growth. This issue of DDintel will cover the fundamentals of acquisition, laying out what the Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition means and how startup CEO’s can navigate the treacherous waters of investment to get a win-win situation for their companies. This issue of DDintel will cover this and more. We hope you enjoy it.