Microsoft is buying 'Call of Duty' publisher Activision for nearly $70 billion

Microsoft is buying the publisher of the "Call of Duty" franchise for nearly $70 billion.

It's the largest video game acquisition in history, and Microsoft's largest acquisition as a company.

Microsoft said it is paying $68.7 billion. The stock price of the company has not been held since July 2021.
In the deal, Microsoft gets a huge selection of intellectual property and game development resources, including "Call of Duty," "World of Warcraft," and "Candy Crush."

Microsoft is acquiring a number of games and studios.

Microsoft.

In the coming months, Microsoft said that the games from Activision will be on the company's Game Pass service. Microsoft said that the service has now reached 25 million subscribers.

Microsoft is taking on the culture issues of Activision, including claims that CEO Bobby Kotick knew for years about a variety of claims of sexual harassment and rape at his company, and did little to fix the problems.

When the deal closes, Kotick will report to Spencer, Microsoft said in its press release announcement.

"Gaming is the most exciting and dynamic category in entertainment today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in the release.

The deal is expected to close in the next year.
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