Microsoft Now Owns Activision

Let me start by saying how happy I am that this odyssey is finally over. Microsoft has acquired Activision (Activision-Blizzard) and owns a host of new intellectual properties (IP).

Those games include:

• Call of Duty
• Crash Bandicoot (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Diablo 
• Gabriel Knight (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Geometry Wars (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Guitar Hero (after Activision acquired RedOctane in 2007)
• Gun
• Hearthstone
• Heroes of the Storm
• Heavy Gear
• Heretic (after Activision acquired Raven Software in 1997)
• Interstate ’76
• King’s Quest (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Laura Bow Mystery Series (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• The Lost Vikings
• Overwatch
• Phantasmagoria (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Pitfall
• Police Quest (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Prototype
• Quest for Glory (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Singularity
• Ski Resort Tycoon
• Skylanders 
• Soldier of Fortune
• Space Quest (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Spryo (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Starcraft
• SWAT (a part of the Police Quest series Activision acquired after purchasing Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Tenchu (but only the games released before Activision sold the franchise rights to From Software in 2004)
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and associated titles 
• True Crime 
• Ultimate Soccer Manager (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
• Warcraft
• World of Warcraft
• Zork (after Activision acquired developer Infocom in 1986)

GameInformer.com

Apparently, the current CEO, Bobby Kotick will stay on through 2023. He sent a letter to employees including this: “Phil has asked me to stay on as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023.”

For all he’s vilified, people often forget that he was one of the people who restored the brand. In December 1990, Bobby Kotick and his partner Brian Kelly bought a 25% stake in the almost-bankrupt Activision, then known as “Mediagenic.” He changed the name back to Activision, performed a full restructuring of the company, and refocused the company on video games.