Xbox’s Activision purchase is completed as of today folks! As covered in an earlier report the U.K. hurdle has been overcome and the sale was expected to go through imminently. Well, now we have an official article from Xbox welcoming Activision to the Xbox family.
As you likely know when this deal began there was serious opposition, mostly coming from Xbox’s main rival Sony PlayStation. However, the real main stumbling block was always going to be getting approval in all the key territories. Initially Europe and the U.K. market had issues with the deal. However, since the US approval, some changes were made which seemed to satisfy the EU and earlier today a report from IGN said the U.K are also on board. This was also reported on all major British news networks.
‘Microsoft’s long-running pursuit of Activision Blizzard looks set to end today after the UK finally cleared the deal and stock in the Call of Duty maker was halted.’
However, this has now gone to the next stage even quicker than I expected. Check out these official comments on Xbox Wire from boss Phil Spencer.
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“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 Super Saga, their studios 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.”
I’ll miss few paragraphs that are meaningless platitudes about the power of gaming etc.
Game Pass And Rivals
“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 and 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.”
As an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, this is the part that interests me. When do we get a catalog update? You’d imagine work didn’t just start today and they’ve been gearing up for this and how to drop that content in. However, I’m guessing months rather than weeks is the unit we should be measuring this wait in.
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As for Xbox’s rival platforms, as we know, Activision games will still be coming to them, for a while anyway.
“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.”
So, The Xbox Activision purchase is completed as of today as the U.K. hurdle is overcome. What do you folks think? Thoughts below as always.
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