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The Activision Blizzard buyout by Microsoft came as a pretty big surprise to the gaming industry this week, but while it might seem like this came out of nowhere, Activision reportedly proposed a sale to Microsoft last November.
A new report from GamesBeat details that Activision leadership was already looking to sell the company last year. After putting out feelers to see who might be interested, it came to Microsoft in November of 2020. Talks began there. But they wouldn’t come to a head until just this week. When the details of the agreed upon acquisition were made public.
Pending regulatory approval, the rest will probably seem like history come June of 2023. Which is when the sale is expected to be closed. Interestingly, the report notes that putting together the details of this deal went a lot faster than it will to finalize it.
The details of the Activision sale to Microsoft happened over the holidays
Following Activision’s proposal to Microsoft in early November, details of the deal began to take shape almost immediately. According to GamesBeat, the two companies continued talks and worked out on an agreement over the holidays.
Which has now turned into a publicly announced acquisition that will take the next year to complete. Once all is said and done, Activision Blizzard titles will start appearing in Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service.
Details of the deal haven’t been confirmed or disclosed. And other than the dollar amount for the acquisition, next to nothing is known about the specifics. The dollar amount of the sale in fact, wasn’t even officially mentioned in the acquisition announcement.
It’s clear though that aside from agreeing to whatever terms were set, both companies felt the acquisition was a good fit. On January 18, 2022, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sent out a letter to employees announcing the acquisition. In it, Kotick said that “in considering possible partners, all roads ultimately led to Microsoft.”
For its part, Microsoft praises Activision Blizzard’s many gaming successes through its own announcement. Highlighting that Activision Blizzard’s many world-renowned franchises will help accelerate its future gaming plans for cloud and beyond.