Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available
Microsoft shocked the world today when it announced that it was planning to acquire Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal, which will see some of the biggest video game franchises of all time put under the Xbox Game Studios banner. Once the deal is complete, it means franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch will be owned by Microsoft. This is huge news for Xbox fans, even if the deal isn't expected to be finished until 2023.
It's clear that Microsoft is going all-in against Sony during this console generation, as the company was already buying up studios in preparation for the Xbox Series X/S generation. Microsoft announced in 2020 that it was planning on buying ZeniMax Media, which is a deal that is now complete and has added franchises like Doom, Fallout, Quake, and The Elder Scrolls to Xbox Game Studios.
The Activision Blizzard deal is estimated to cost ten times the amount of the ZeniMax deal, but it's hard to argue the value present in the acquisition. Microsoft is buying some of the biggest video game franchises of all time, including games that already bring in millions of dollars every year, so the value is already there. The new change of ownership will also help repair the reputations of many of these franchises, as many fans turned their back on the studio when word of the Activision Blizzard sexual harassment lawsuit became public. The Activision Blizzard acquisition is believed to be completed in 2023, at which point these massive video game franchises will be owned by Microsoft.
The Call of Duty series might be the biggest get for Microsoft in the whole deal, considering the incredible popularity of the series and the regular income it generates. To date, Call of Duty has sold over 400 million copies across its entire series and it maintains a passionate fanbase to this day. The prospect of Call of Duty games coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one is going to be a massive incentive for people to jump ship from PS5 to Xbox Series X/S, and Sony should be worried about what bringing Call of Duty under the Xbox Game Studios banner is going to mean in the future.
The bulk of the games on this list will appeal to gamers across the world, but Microsoft is also buying some incredibly popular titles for the casual audience. In 2016, Activision Blizzard bought King for $5.9 billion, which means that King will be included in the Microsoft deal. King owns franchises like Candy Crush Saga, Bubble Witch Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, Diamond Diaries Saga, and Pet Rescue. These games are money-printing machines and they are a huge addition to Xbox Game Studios, even if many of the regular Xbox fans won't engage with them.
World of Warcraft was once the king of the MMORPG genre, bringing millions of players from around the globe together in the world of Azeroth. There were rumors that World of Warcraft is coming to Xbox and this deal all but guarantees a console port of the game.
World of Warcraft has been accused of growing stagnant in recent years, with a slow rollout of updates and a disappointing expansion leading to a mass exodus to Final Fantasy XIV. A shake-up behind the scenes and a console port could help push World of Warcraft back to the top of the MMORPG world.
Hearthstone is a free-to-play digital card game that uses the characters and lore from the Warcraft series. Hearthstone was a smash hit with fans and critics alike, with many praising its simple-to-learn yet difficult to master mechanics. This led to Hearthstone becoming a popular esports title, with regular updates and balance changes helping to keep the competitive scene active. Hearthstone is currently only available on PC and mobile devices, but a console port could finally happen as part of the Microsoft deal.
Diablo is a popular action RPG series set in a dark fantasy world, where the demon lord Diablo keeps sending his fiendish hordes to invade the land, before being stopped by lone adventurers. The Diablo franchise is set to receive some big new titles in the future, including Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal. The addition of Diablo 3 and Diablo 2: Resurrected to Xbox Game Pass would be huge, as would a day one release for Diablo 4.
Overwatch was the hero shooter franchise that exploded in popularity, before slowly fizzling out. The sky was once the limit for Overwatch, but the changes to the game gradually alienated the casual fans and pushed them into the loving arms of Fortnite. There's still hope that Overwatch can be revived as a franchise and the upcoming sequel might be the key to winning back the fanbase. Like Diablo IV, Overwatch 2 was delayed, with no set release window for either game. It's likely that the Activision Blizzard acquisition will be complete by the time both games are ready to launch, making them ripe for Xbox Game Pass.
Starcraft is a series of sci-fi real-time strategy games, where the player chooses from three widely different factions, as they wage war across the stars. The Starcraft franchise is especially popular in countries like Korea, where it achieved huge success as an esports title. The Starcraft franchise is currently in hibernation, but a change in management could lead to the series being reborn, and for console ports of Starcraft: Remastered and Starcraft 2.
Once seen as the PlayStation equivalent to the Super Mario Bros. franchise, Crash Bandicoot was a platforming sensation. Over time, the franchise fell under the Activision banner, when the company merged with Vivendi Games. Crash Bandicoot has gone multiplatform and spread its wings across multiple genres.
It's strange to think that the former budding PlayStation mascot will soon fall under the Xbox Game Studios label. However, that's what will happen when the acquisition is completed.
Like Crash Bandicoot, the Spyro the Dragon series was once closely associated with the PlayStation brand. The platform series starred the titular dragon, as he went on adventures in a fantasy realm. The Spyro the Dragon series had an unexpected resurgence as part of the Skylanders series (which will also be part of the Activision Blizzard acquisition), as it helped kick off the toys to life games that were once incredibly popular. The Reignited Trilogy was also favorably received by fans and critics alike, so it's clear there's still some fire in Spyro, and the franchise could grow even more under Xbox Game Studios.
The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series helped popularize the skateboarding video game genre, thanks to its fast-paced action, mission-based levels that involved performing tricks, and amazing soundtracks. The series went into hibernation after a few bad entries, but it returned to form in 2020 when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Pro Skater was released to critical and commercial success. A new Tony Hawk sequel could be in the cards, as well as more remakes of the older entries in the series.
This is the list of every game that was published by Activision Blizzard in the past, though many of them belong to pre-existing franchises. There are also some franchises that have switched hands, like Destiny, as well as games that were published by multiple companies, such as how Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was published by FromSoftware in Japan.
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