# Microsoft reportedly buying Activision Blizzard **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 18, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992 "2022-01-18T13:30:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/21 "2022-01-18T18:40:55Z")
Blizzard did that several times other own, IMO. Making all PVE the same level, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/22 "2022-01-18T18:47:29Z")
True. I have mixed feelings about that although on the whole I think the game has improved over the years. Too many have nostalgia for the grind-from-hell the originally Vanilla version was. Of course, those folks now have an option to go back to that. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/23 "2022-01-18T19:10:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Technically is has already declined - the peak of 12 millions subscribers was in 2010. It is “only” around 4.5-5 million right now. Even so, 4-5 million subscribers is still a huge player base, hence why the game is still getting expansions and still in existence. Presumably Microsoft’s goal here is to add WoW (and other Activision Blizzard properties) to its Game Pass subscription service. That would bring WoW’s subscriber base to XBox, but also probably substantially grow WoW’s player base as Game Pass subscribers tried it out. There are currently 25 million Game Pass subscribers according to Microsoft. So I don’t see them shutting down WoW anytime soon. As for how WoW will change under the new regime, that’s harder to say. But it’s hard to imagine things getting much worse than the current player reaction to the systems and story in _Shadowlands_. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/24 "2022-01-18T19:28:29Z")
I mean, hey, if _Everquest_ is still kicking around (and just released a new expansion last month!)… ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/25 "2022-01-18T19:41:27Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > They will basically own almost all the video game market right? Nah, just going by Google’s infoboxes, \text{PC game market }($45\text{bn}) \in \text{video game market } ($250\text{bn}) > [@Quimby](#): > > FWIW I just meant of AAA titles. Sony Tencent Nintendo Microsoft+Activision EA Take Two Interactive Ubisoft ~Max ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/26 "2022-01-18T20:02:40Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > They will basically own almost all the video game market right? Sony may have something to say about that. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/27 "2022-01-18T20:11:52Z")
Bandai Namco and Square Enix also deserve mention (both larger than Ubisoft) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/28 "2022-01-18T21:15:03Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Presumably Microsoft’s goal here is to add WoW (and other Activision Blizzard properties) to its Game Pass subscription service. Yeah, except I have zero interest in a “game pass” and yet another subscription service. And I play it on my PC, I have zero interest on having to buy more hardware to continue to play this game. I want to continue to play my game on my hardware without any additional crap needing to be added on or subscribed to. I am ESPECIALLY hoping that this doesn’t start pushing virtual reality crap. > [@flurb](#): > > But it’s hard to imagine things getting much worse than the current player reaction to the systems and story in _Shadowlands_ . I actually find Shadowlands superior to the prior two expansions. As for the story line - I pretty much ignore those, and have done so once we got past Wrath of the Lich King. But then I’m probably not the typical player. Gating on end-game content is always an issue, but then, I lag so far behind all that it’s not relevant to my game play. Last I heard, most of the player base would be happy to see the end of Sylvannus - she’s tipped over into just plain evil. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/29 "2022-01-18T21:24:21Z")
I read somewhere that this acquisition makes MS the 3rd largest gaming company (obv just counting their gaming parts) after Tencent and Sony. So I think they have a way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/30 "2022-01-18T21:30:19Z")
Well, Bandai Namco is mostly budget games. I think the only AAA titles they do are Dark Souls and Tekken, oh, and Smash Bros. Forgot about Square Enix though. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/31 "2022-01-18T21:35:52Z")
[Elden Ring](https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/elden-ring/elden-ring) is also Bandai Namco. Kind of a big buzz upcoming AAA title. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/32 "2022-01-18T21:39:36Z")
King Games (the mobile division) was, by a small margin, the biggest division last year by revenue. And doing those games can’t cost as much as the next Call of Duty. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/33 "2022-01-18T21:40:41Z")
I don’t normally like giant corporations becoming even more giant, but it’s hard to see this as a bad thing as Activision-Blizzard is deliberately and spitefully run badly. I would have a hard time believing that Microsoft could make their structure any more dysfunctional or their products worse. I haven’t played a call of duty game in like 15 years, but if they throw them up on gamepass I might give them a try. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/34 "2022-01-18T21:47:50Z")
Let me revise the list. AAA games that would still not be owned by Microsoft include, ordered by top-level company market share, (click to expand/collapse): > **Sony Interactive** > > - PlayStation platforms > - PlayStation Studios > - _Crash Bandicoot_ > - _God of War_ > - _Gran Turismo_ > - _Marvel’s Spider-Man_ > - _MLB: The Show_ > - _Ratchet & Clank_ > - _Spyro the Dragon_ > - _The Last of Us_ > - _Uncharted_ > **Tencent Studios** > > - 100% ownership of Riot Games > - _League of Legends_ > - _Valorant_ > > - 100% ownership of Funcom > - _Age of Conan_, > - _Anarchy Online_ > > - 40% ownership of Epic Games > - _Fortnite_, > - _Rocket League_, > - _Unreal_, > - _Infinity Blade_ > > - 5% ownership in competitors Activision-Blizzard, Ubisoft, and Paradox > **Nintendo** > > - Nintendo platforms > - _Animal Crossing_ > - _Fire Emblem_ (publisher) > - _Mario_ > - _Metroid_ > - 33% stake in _Pokémon_ > - _Splatoon_ > - _Super Smash Bros._ (publisher) > - _The Legend of Zelda_ > **Electronic Arts** > > - BioWare > - _Dragon Age_ > - _Mass Effect_ > - _Star Wars: The Old Republic_ > > - EA Sports > - _EA Sports UFC_ > - _F1_ > - _FIFA Football_ > - _Madden NFL_ > - _NHL_ > - _Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy PGA Tour_ > > - Maxis > - _The Sims_ > > - Motive Studios > - _Star Wars Battlefront II (2017 remake)_ > - _Dead Space (upcoming remake)_ > > - PopCap > - _Bejeweled_ > - _Plants vs Zombies_ > > - Respawn Entertainment > - _Apex Legends_ > - _Titanfall_ > **Take-Two Interactive** > > - 2K > - _BioShock_ > - _Borderlands_ > - _Civilization_ > - _Mafia_ > - _NBA 2K_ > - _XCOM_ > - _WWE 2K_ > > - Private Division > - Kerbal Space Program > > - Rockstar Games > - _Grand Theft Auto_ > - _L.A. Noire_ > - _Red Dead_ > **Bandai Namco Entertainment** > > - Bandai Namco Studios > - _Dark Souls_ > - _Elden Ring_ (upcoming) > - _Super Smash Bros._ (development) > - _Tekken_ > **Square Enix** > > - _Final Fantasy_ > - _Kingdom Hearts_ > - Eidos Interactive / Square Enix Europe > - _Deus Ex_ > - _Life is Strange_ > - _Just Cause_ > - _Tomb Raider_ > **Ubisoft** > > - _Anno_ > - _Assassin’s Creed_ > - _Far Cry_ > - _Just Dance_ > - _Rabbids_ / _Raving Rabbids_ > - _Rayman_ > - _Rocksmith_ > - _The Settlers_ > - _Tom Clancy’s_ […] > - _Watch Dogs_ ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/35 "2022-01-18T22:13:29Z")
BTW, the price tag was US$68.7B, in cash: > **[Microsoft buys game maker Activision Blizzard for about $70B](https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd)** > > Microsoft is paying the enormous sum of nearly $70 billion for Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush and Call of Duty, a deal that would immediately make it a larger video-game company than Nintendo while raising questions about the deal’s... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/36 "2022-01-18T23:19:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > BTW, the price tag was US$68.7B, in cash: I really, really. really hope that cash was in huge burlap bags with green dollar signs printed on them. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/37 "2022-01-18T23:21:40Z")
Probably XBox gift cards ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/38 "2022-01-18T23:28:56Z")
It’s ActiBlizz so they probably insisted on $100 bills that had already been used to snort drugs off random streetwalkers. I can’t imagine Bobby Kotick seeing anything wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/39 "2022-01-18T23:42:08Z")
It was paid for entirely in microtransactions. Anyway, I can’t see this purchase making ActBlizz **more** disappointing than they already and consistently are. We’ll see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992/40 "2022-01-18T23:46:51Z")
I liked the _Warcraft III_ remaster, and I enjoyed a cute cartoon skin on their modern _Starcraft_ port. ~Max [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-reportedly-buying-activision-blizzard/957992.md?page=3)