Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

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Microsoft is buying the publisher of Call of Duty and other games. Microsoft paid $26 billion to acquire LinkedIn in 2016 and the deal will be worth $68.7 billion. Microsoft says it will be the third-largest gaming company by revenue once the deal closes.

Once the deal closes, Microsoft plans to add many of the games from Activision to the Game Pass. Microsoft will soon publish a number of franchises, including Call of Duty and Candy Crush. Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox, says that they will offer as many games from the Activision catalog as they can within the Game Pass and PC Game Pass.

Microsoft continues to acquire studios to boost the subscription service for the Xbox Game Pass, which now has 25 million subscribers.

The sexual harassment claims against the company were brought by a woman. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued the company for promoting a culture of sexual harassment. The company reached an $18 million settlement with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September after more employees came forward with allegations of sexual harassment. Reports say that nearly 40 employees of the company have left since last July.

Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as the CEO of the company, despite Microsoft not giving a clear idea of how it will solve these issues. Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft's Xbox division, says that the company is committed to its journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming. We value individual studio cultures. Creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. All teams and leaders are held to this commitment. We are looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams.

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