Microsoft buys game maker Activision Blizzard for about $70B
ABC News
Microsoft is paying nearly $70 billion for Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush and Call of Duty
Microsoft is paying nearly $70 billion for Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush and Call of Duty, to boost its competitiveness in mobile gaming and virtual-reality technology.
The all-cash $68.7 billion deal will turn Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, into one of the world's largest video game companies. It will also help it compete with tech rivals such as Meta, formerly Facebook, in creating immersive virtual worlds for both work and play.
If the deal survives scrutiny from U.S. and European regulators in the coming months, it also could be one of the biggest tech acquisitions in history. Dell bought data-storage company EMC in 2016 for around $60 billion.
Activision has been buffeted for months by allegations of misconduct and unequal pay. That was addressed Tuesday by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a conference call with investors.
