It's time! Microsoft has announced today that Activision Blizzard King is now officially part of the company, bringing the likes of Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Diablo and many more "legendary franchises" under the Xbox banner.
This news follows the UK Competition and Markets Authority approving the deal earlier this morning. Xbox had set a deadline of October 18th to finalise the acquisition, but the CMA's decision allowed things to be sped up a bit.
Here's a little bit of what Xbox boss Phil Spencer had to say about today's announcement:
"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."
As mentioned, this acquisition also includes King alongside Activision and Blizzard, which is a developer of many mobile games such as Crash Bandicoot: On The Run! and the ultra-popular Candy Crush series.
In terms of what to expect from Activision Blizzard on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft says the work begins now to bring some of those franchises to the service, and we should hear more in the coming months.
Can you believe this deal was first announced back on January 18th, 2022?! Today's has been a long time coming!