activision blizzard: Read Satya Nadella’s email to Microsoft employees on the company’s biggest-ever acquisition – Times of India

Microsoft made its biggest acquisition when it forked out close to $69 billion in an all-cash deal for Activision Blizzard. One of the biggest game developers — with titles like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush — Activision Blizzard is now a part of Microsoft’s expanding gaming portfolio. After the acquisition, Microsoft CEO and Chairman Satya Nadella wrote an email to the company’s employees, as per a report by The Verge.
In the email, Nadella said that how gaming has always been integral part of Microsoft. He also announced that Phil Spencer will now be the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, according to The Verge. Here’s Nadella’s email in full:

Team,

I’m thrilled to share that this morning we announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. Activision Blizzard is one of the largest game publishers worldwide across console, PC and mobile, and it’s home to nearly 400 million monthly active players, along with iconic games including Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft and Diablo.

Gaming has been key to Microsoft since our earliest days as a company. Today, it’s the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment, and as the digital and physical worlds come together, it will play a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms.

Together with Activision Blizzard, we believe we have an incredible opportunity to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and we will invest and innovate to create the best content, community and cloud for gamers. We want to make it easier for people to connect and play great games wherever, whenever and however they want.

This agreement is a testament to the impact our gaming team has delivered, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work and commitment. Over the past few years, we’ve expanded our content pipeline and have become leaders in game subscriptions, as well as cloud gaming. And this holiday it was especially gratifying to see the response from fans and read the great reviews of our new first-party titles.

Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming. When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. We look forward to extending our journey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture to our new colleagues at Activision Blizzard, and ensuring all our employees can do what they love, while thriving in a safe and welcoming environment — one where everyone feels empowered to do their best work.

I will be hosting a webcast with investors at 6 a.m. PT with Phil and Amy, as well as Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, to share more details on our big ambitions for gaming. Please join if you can.

Satya