Before belonging to the giant Microsoft, Activision Blizzard was the target of many other giants.
According to Neowin, Microsoft shocked the world when it announced its plan to buy Activision Blizzard. Activision Blizzard is known for popular series like Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft. While much of the discussion has revolved around the exclusivity of the games and the fate of current Activision Blizzard head Bobby Kotick, some new information has surfaced and revealed that Activision once made it. the sights of other companies.
In a recent interview between Kotick and VentureBeat, the executive revealed that Activision Blizzard needed a partner with thousands of employees to realize its long-term vision. The fact that Microsoft pays a premium 45% higher than the share price has partly prompted the company to make a plan to sell it back to the tech giant. Kotick said in the interview that:
“We looked at the mileage over the next few years and started to realize that the company needed thousands of people to be able to execute production plans. And the competition for that level of potential is expensive and really unlikely. And so when we received the offer from Phil Spencer, that was when we were about to begin the long-term planning process and realized that these would be issues with many challenges. On the first offer calls, we said we’d give it some more thought, and then they made an extremely attractive offer with a 45% premium over the stock price. And I think this offer is very, very worth considering.”
However, it turns out that EA – the company that develops Battlefield and FIFA – also wants to acquire Activision Blizzard. Kotick said that he has also considered merging with EA, but this cannot provide Activision Blizzard with the necessary resources for the future, as Activision Blizzard needs to have a really big partner to have it. can keep functioning.
The interview gave an interesting look at the Activision Blizzard acquisition deals. Kotick did not mention his future at Activision Blizzard, but the latest reports suggest he will leave once things are finalized with Microsoft.
Current Activision Blizzard employees are cautiously optimistic about Microsoft’s takeover, according to a report by Eurogamer. It is hoped that the head of Microsoft Gaming – Phil Spencer – and his team will be able to improve the situation at Activision Blizzard once the deal is done in late 2022 or early 2023.