Microsoft says it plans to buy major games company Activision Blizzard in a deal worth $68.7bn (£50.57bn). It would be the biggest acquisition in the company's history and is expected to be finalised in 2023. The move means Microsoft will take ownership of gaming franchises like Call of Duty, Warcraft and Overwatch. Microsoft claims it will help them grow their gaming business across mobile, PC and consoles along with providing building blocks for the metaverse. This deal is the biggest in gaming history and comes a year after Microsoft bought another influential gaming company Bethesda for $7.5bn. Activision Blizzard has studios around the world with nearly 10,000 employees.The games Activision Blizzard make, from Call of Duty to Candy Crush, are some of the most popular in the world. The company has nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and billion-dollar franchises. Microsoft say they are working to bring Activision Blizzard games to their Game Pass subscription service. The deal has shocked the gaming industry. In an era of increased competition, content is king. Currently it's reported that the PlayStation 5 is outselling Microsoft's latest generation of consoles. It's argued by some that this is down to the fact that in recent years Sony's machines have had more appealing exclusive titles - games that can't be played on a variety of devices. It is not yet clear if Activision Blizzard games, which at the moment can be played on both Microsoft and Sony consoles, will become exclusive to Xbox.
