Image via AP

It was the acquisition that no one really saw coming and a new twist in i of gaming's well-nigh controversial stories of 2022. Microsoft has announced that they are going to purchase Activision Blizzard, the video game publisher that has been at the centre of multiple scandals over the previous twelvemonth, in an all-cash deal.

It is certainly an unexpected contraction in the Activision Blizzard story, as the company has been hit by workplace discrimination lawsuits, striking workers, and accusations of a toxic workplace culture. 1 might look so much baggage to have a negative impact on the request price of such a purchase, so how much did Microsoft spend to acquire the makers of Diablo, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft?

The answer: $68.7 billion in greenbacks.

No word on the futurity of the employees at Activision Blizzard, though the deal has confirmed that CEO Bobby Kotick volition remain on lath for the time beingness and report directly to Xbox dominate Phil Spencer. Kotick has had multiple calls for his resignation just has so far resisted attempts to oust him.

Terminal twelvemonth, Phil Spencer said that the reports of a toxic and discriminatory workplace culture had caused Microsoft to evaluate "all aspects of [Xbox's] relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments," merely that business appears to accept been satisfied enough for this massive conquering to go through. Obviously, we won't know the full fallout from this deal for some time yet, but it is a major shake-up at two of the biggest video game companies on the planet.