Zhongxin Finance, January 20 (Reporter Wu Tao) Activision Blizzard, the famous game king, is now going to sell itself.

On the evening of the 18th, Microsoft announced that it would acquire Activision Blizzard for $95 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion.

Screenshot of Blizzard Chinese Battle.net.


　　If all goes well, this move will win the largest acquisition in the history of global games and the largest acquisition in Microsoft's history.

Microsoft closes Activision Blizzard, what is the internal reason, and what can players get from it?

The global gaming landscape will be reshaped

　　According to foreign media reports, the acquisition will include Activision, Blizzard and King Studio's iconic franchises such as "Warcraft", "Diablo", "Overwatch", "Call of Duty" series and "Candy Crush" Legends, and global esports events through Major League Baseball.

　　The transaction is expected to close in 2023, subject to regulatory approval.

When complete, Microsoft could become the world's third-largest gaming company, behind Tencent and Sony.

　　Some analysts pointed out that games, as one of the breakthroughs in the metaverse, basically reached an industry consensus, and Microsoft’s move is a sign of betting heavily on the metaverse.

Huatai Securities pointed out that global giants are continuing to absorb high-quality assets and the layout of the metaverse, and the scarce boutique game content developers are expected to play the role of the cornerstone of the metaverse construction.

　　Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said: "Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting form of entertainment on any platform today, and will certainly play a key role in the development of the Metaverse platform in the future. "

　　Some analysts pointed out that this acquisition will directly bring Microsoft’s game business to the same level as Sony. It turned out that the game console exclusively dominated 3A masterpieces, led by Sony, but whether Sony can play “Call of Duty” in the future is a problem.

　　Generally speaking, the charm of a game platform or console comes from its exclusive 3A masterpiece, such as Nintendo's exclusive 3A masterpiece "Zelda: Breath of the Wild", the word of mouth is overwhelming, and it has turned around in one fell swoop.

At present, its console Switch has sold over 100 million.

　　At present, the mainstream consoles on the market include Sony's PS4, PS5, Nintendo's Switch (the domestic Switch is represented by Tencent), Microsoft's Xbox series, etc., each of which has exclusive 3A works.

Screenshot of Xbox Weibo.


　　There is also a view that it is said that Microsoft acquired Blizzard. Strictly speaking, Microsoft values ​​“Activision” more. How much is the IP value of a “Call of Duty” and a “Candy Crush Legend”?

It has huge potential in film and television, peripherals, etc.

Xbox series players are "cool"

　　Although the transaction has not yet been completed, many players are already happy and began to "layout" Microsoft: Xbox series game services include "Call of Duty", "World of Warcraft", "Candy Crush Saga" and other popular works.

　　Many netizens said that in the future, all Blizzard games will add the concept of the metaverse, and it is just around the corner to go to Azeroth for real estate speculation in "World of Warcraft".

　　Some netizens expressed concern about Sony, Tencent, etc. Will Sony still be able to play "Call of Duty" in the future?

Is Call of Duty Mobile still playable?

"Call of Duty Mobile Game" is a first-person shooter mobile game jointly created by Activision Blizzard and Tencent.

　　"Hey, hey, where are you focusing on, more than 60 billion US dollars, all-cash acquisition, only Microsoft has this kind of 'money' ability. The era of free games may come, and it is best to be able to play popular games for free " Call of Duty." Some netizens said.

　　Some analysts pointed out that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to bring players a more diversified gaming experience. Some of Blizzard's legendary masterpieces will be logged on Xbox.

Who gets hurt and who benefits?

　　After the news of Microsoft's acquisition of Blizzard came out, at the capital level, Activision Blizzard opened more than 30% that day, and as of the close, the stock price closed up 25.88%.

While Microsoft shares fell 2.42%, Sony shares fell more than 7%.

On the 19th, as of press time, Tencent Holdings’ share price fell slightly.

　　Obviously, Activision Blizzard is the biggest beneficiary of this transaction. It has received a huge purchase price, and the follow-up development has received continuous blood transfusion. No wonder some netizens said, "God closed a door for Blizzard and opened a door for him. Windows."

　　In recent years, the development of Activision Blizzard has been unfavorable. The main game "Overwatch" is tepid, and "Interstellar 2" still has no future.

Activision Blizzard is also deeply involved in sex discrimination scandals. According to foreign media reports, since last July, Activision Blizzard has accepted more than 700 sex discrimination complaints, fired 37 employees, and also fired 44 other related personnel. punished.

　　But all this is expected to usher in earth-shaking changes with the landing of the acquisition.

The company culture is expected to be reshaped, and "Overwatch" is also expected to "live" under the linkage of Microsoft's business.

Sony game console PS5.

Screenshot of Sony Interactive Entertainment's official website.


　　Looking at the game giant Sony, many analysts pointed out that it is difficult for Sony to compete with Microsoft in terms of game copyrights financially, and the quality of game content is directly related to the life and death of a game company. "Into passive, the future situation is difficult.

　　"Microsoft may also break the current 'exclusive game + hardware' profit model and increase paying users through game value-added services on the Xbox platform. If the industry abandons the above-mentioned model of binding hardware, then Sony will be in a more difficult situation." There is an analysis pointed out.

　　It is understood that many game consoles currently rely on the model of exclusive 3A games and then bundled hardware. In other words, if you want to play exclusive games on a certain platform, you must first buy the company's console hardware.

Sony Games is such a business.

　　In short, whether it is the profit model of the game industry or the way players play, it is possible that there will be great changes with this acquisition. It all depends on how Microsoft plays this "good card".

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