On Microsoft’s Xbox Wire, Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming wrote: “Welcoming the Legendary Teams At Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox”. From the announcement:
We love gaming. We play games, create games, and know first-hand how much gaming means to all of us as individuals and collectively, as a community. And today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox.
They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history across console, PC, and mobile. From Pitfall to Call of Duty, World of Warcraft to Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga to Farm Heroes Saga, their studies have pushed the boundaries of gaming for players around the world.
I’ve long admired the work of Activision, Blizzard, and King, and the impact they’ve had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture. Whether it was late nights spent playing the Diablo IV campaign with friends from start to finish, gathering the entire family in the rec room for our weekly Guitar Hero night, or going on an epic streak in Candy Crush, some of my most memorable gaming moments came from experiences their studios have created. It is incredible to welcome such legendary teams to Xbox.
As one team, we’ll learn, innovate and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone. We are intentional about inclusion in everything we do at Xbox – from our team to the products we make and the stories we tell, to the way our players interact and engage as a wider gaming community.
Together, we’ll create new worlds and stories, bring your favorite games to more places so more players can join in, and we’ll engage with and delight players in new, innovative ways in the places they love to play including mobile, cloud streaming, and more.
Players have always been at the center of everything we do. And as we grow, we’ll continue to keep players at the heart of it all. We’ll continue to listen to your feedback, build a community where you can be yourself, where developers can do their best work, and continue to make really fun games.
As promised, we will also continue to make more games available in more places – and that begins now by enabling cloud streaming providers and players to stream Activision Blizzard games in the European Economic Area, a commitment made to the European Commission.
Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited – and we are too.
For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard and King games, we want you to know that. Today is a good day to play. You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win.
We believe our news today will unlock a world of possibilities for more ways to play. Thank you for the ongoing support. We have so much more to come in the months ahead – I’m excited for the future and cannot wait to share it with you.
ArsTechnica reported that Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, emailed employees after news of Microsoft’s successful $69 billion acquisition to say he was “fully committed to helping with the transition” and that he would stay on as CEO through the end of 2023.
The Guardian reported that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is maintaining its opposition to the deal but has been unable to prevent Microsoft and Activision from completing it.
In my opinion, this is excellent news for all gamers who love Activision Blizzard King games! I think this announcement will make this year’s BlizzCon very exciting.