Microsoft shook the industry today with the announcement of its biggest acquisition yet, not just in gaming but across all industries. The $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will bring together two of the biggest companies in gaming. Activision Blizzard has some of the most successful franchises in the industry, which will fall under the ever-growing umbrella of Microsoft once the deal finalizes.
Part of the size of the deal comes from Activision’s own spate of acquisitions over the last decades. Though Activision is no slouch with big franchises, most notably its annualized Call of Duty releases and the ongoing battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone, it has also made big moves of its own that will now fold into the Microsoft umbrella.
In 2008, Activision merged with Blizzard, bringing the wildly successful World of Warcraft franchise along with games like Starcraft. Blizzard has several other IPs under its belt as well, including more recent ones like Overwatch and the WoW spin-off Hearthstone. Following the success of Hearthstone on mobile devices, Blizzard has also started to stretch into the mobile market with games like the upcoming Diablo Immortal.
And speaking of mobile, Activision also acquired King in 2016. That acquisition has been among the most profitable for Activision, with huge mobile franchises like Candy Crush leading the way. This is significant because Microsoft has had an eye on the mobile market, most recently by emphasizing its cloud gaming through Game Pass.
According to Axios reporter Stephen Totilo, documents show several other older and defunct trademarks that will also become Microsoft property if the deal goes through. Those include IP like Hexen, Gabriel Knight, and Pitfall!, along with out-of-use game labels like Sierra.
There are lots of open questions regarding the deal, including which franchises will remain multiplatform, when the Activision library will hit Game Pass, and whether the deal gets through financial regulators. Check below for the full lineup of Activision Blizzard franchises that Microsoft will own when the deals go through.
- Activision
- Call of Duty
- Crash Bandicoot
- Guitar Hero
- Spyro the Dragon / Skylanders
- Tony Hawk
- Blizzard
- Diablo
- Hearthstone
- Lost Vikings
- Overwatch
- Starcraft
- World of Warcraft
- King
- Bubble Witch Saga
- Candy Crush
- Diamond Diaries Saga
- Farm Heroes Saga
- Pet Rescue
Source: Gamespot
