Activision CEO's Exit, Xbox's New Era: The Gaming World Reacts To Microsoft's $69B Deal

As Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT monumental acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI sends shockwaves throughout the gaming industry, its community, industry experts and stakeholders have voiced myriad reactions.

The $69 billion buyout, which includes popular franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Overwatch, is a game-changing move that promises to reshape the landscape of interactive entertainment.

See Also: End Of An Era: Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Confirms Exit After Microsoft Deal

Let's dive into the wide range of reactions from the gaming world to see what this mega-merger means for the industry.

Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to celebrate the fact the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved the deal after it was restructured to sell Activision's streaming rights to Ubisoft Entertainment SA UBSFF.

"Today is a great day for gamers everywhere. Together with Activision Blizzard, we will deliver on our vision to help people connect and play great games wherever, whenever, and however they want," Nadella wrote.

Meanwhile, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming and head of Xbox, expressed: "Today is a good day to play. We officially welcome Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox. Together, we’ll create stories and experiences that bring players together, in a culture empowering everyone to do their best work and celebrate diverse perspectives."

For his part, Microsoft's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith thanked the U.K.'s regulatory body for giving the green light to the deal's completion.

"We have now crossed the final regulatory hurdle to close this acquisition, which we believe will benefit players and the gaming industry worldwide," Smith said.

Bobby Kotick, who served as CEO of Activision for more than 30 years, announced his departure from the company in an e-mail to employees.

Kotick stated he will remain in his role through the end of 2023 and will report directly to Spencer to ensure "a smooth integration for our teams and players."

"We now join one of the most successful global companies, poised for unprecedented opportunities to connect the world through our games. As a part of Microsoft, we will be even better, together," Kotick said.

Geoff Keighley, Canadian video game journalist and organizer/host of the Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, noted: "With the completion of the deal to acquire Activision Blizzard and King, Xbox seemingly now owns all the following franchises: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Candy Crush, Diablo, WarCraft, Hexen, King’s Quest [...]"

Matt Psicatella, executive director and video game industry analyst at Circana, showed enthusiasm for the acquisition by saying: "As a proud ATVI alum, I'm happy for current employees that this deal is finally getting done. MS and Xbox seem like great places to work, and its vision of expanding the ways people can play in the future while also embracing the great games and IP of the past — I'm optimistic."

"Again my own opinion, but I'm also happy for everyone at Xbox who will get to work with some of the smartest and hardest working folks in the biz — who I also have a feeling may enthusiastically embrace new leadership. All good vibes from outside looking in," Piscatella continued.

Ryan McCaffrey, executive editor at IGN, addressed Kotick's past controversies regarding Activision's toxic work environment, emphasizing: "Now comes the real work for Phil & the team: weeding out the toxicity at all levels of the company, from the C-suite on down. That, to me, is the biggest good that MUST come out of this."

Daniel Ahmad, director of Research and Insights at Asian game-market analytics firm Niko Partners, talked about Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy.

Referring to a trailer published by Xbox, which reads "Xbox + Activision Blizzard King + YOU," Ahmad playfully stated: "Microsoft has already announced another acquisition after closing the Activision Blizzard deal. The end of the trailer shows that Xbox will acquire YOU next."

Despite all of this enthusiasm, there is still some dissent. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case against the merger is still pending in its administrative court, in a process that can take years to resolve, The New York Times reported.

FTC spokesperson Victoria Graham said in a statement: “The FTC continues to believe this deal is a threat to competition."

Read Next: Microsoft Admits 'Xbox Has Lost The Console Wars' During FTC Court Hearing

Photo: FellowNeko on Shutterstock.