Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for almost US$70B

Source: Microsoft

Microsoft's newest acquisition is bound to shake things up in the gaming industry. The company will purchase Activision Blizzard for US$68.7 billion in an all-cash transaction. This acquisition makes Microsoft the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue (behind Tencent and Sony).

The company will own every studio and game under Activision Blizzard, including popular franchises like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, and more.

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Facebook might be venturing into e-sports

Facebook is leaving no stone unturned in the online world. According to The Information, Facebook plans to delve deeper into the world of professional gaming. They have partnered with the likes of Activision Blizzard to bring daily content to its Live streaming service. Now, they are supposedly holding “extensive talks” with Super Evil Megacorp, the developer behind mobile e-sport game Vainglory. Facebook reportedly wants them to stream professional matches on its platform. According to Kristian Segerstrale, chief operating officer of Super Evil Megacorp, the deal isn’t set in stone just yet.

The report also claims Facebook is holding talks with Activision as well to stream more e-sport competitions on Facebook’s platform. Facebook has been pushing its Live platform intensively since it launched last year. It makes sense they want to go up against the likes of Twitch and YouTube for a slice of the professional gaming pie.

Source: Engadget

‘Overwatch’ now has 20 million registered players

Activision Blizzard’s team-based, multiplayer first-person shooter hits another milestone. Now, Overwatch has 20 million players around the world. The news comes just under the five months the game has been released and a bit over two months since the game reached 15 million total players. It’s important to note that this means 20 million registered accounts and not necessarily 20 million copies sold. But according to NPD Group, Overwatch was the highest selling same back in June.

Source: IGN