Activision Blizzard King is part of Xbox now

Microsoft has closed the deal to acquire the legendary game maker

It’s official: Activision Blizzard King is now part of Xbox, adding their franchises to those already under Microsoft’s leadership.

The UK’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) gave its final approval for the acquisition this morning and the companies wasted no time in closing the deal once that was clear, as they had already planned for this scenario.

While Activision Blizzard isn’t planning to bring new titles like Diablo 4 and Modern Warfare 3 to Xbox Game Pass in 2023, plans for 2024 are being made in this regard. Xbox chief Phil Spencer reiterated that in his statement on the deal’s closure, writing: “Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months.”

It's official: Activision Blizzard King have joined the Xbox family / Microsoft

“For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard, and King games, we want you to know that today is a good day to play,” he continued. “You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise.”

Spencer also emphasized work culture in his initial statement, indirectly referring to scandals of abuse that happened at Activision Blizzard in recent years: “As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone. We are intentional about inclusion in everything we do at Xbox – from our team to the products we make and the stories we tell, to the way our players interact and engage as a wider gaming community.”

“Together, we’ll create new worlds and stories, bring your favorite games to more places so more players can join in, and we’ll engage with and delight players in new, innovative ways in the places they love to play including mobile, cloud streaming and more,” he concluded.

With Activision Blizzard King in the bag, Microsoft now commands franchises like Candy Crush, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Warcraft, and StarCraft – a huge bank of popular IP to work with.

Microsoft’s Sarah Bond nourishes StarCraft fans’ hopes at TGS