Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently accepted an exclusive interview with foreign media Variety, and once again talked about the Microsoft acquisition that is in the final breakthrough.
U.S. companies are not only behind Tencent, ByteDance and Alibaba, but also Sony and Nintendo, Bobby Kotick said. These companies are leaders and innovators in the AI, streaming, and mobile technologies needed for the next generation of immersive gaming.
Against this backdrop, he sees Microsoft as a perfect fit for Activision Blizzard. Microsoft has the financial resources and infrastructure to support Activision Blizzard’s continued leadership of the gaming industry over the past 30 years. But he also pointed out that if it fails, Activision Blizzard as a “great company” can continue to operate on its own. “We can continue to be successful on our own as we have for the past 30 years, but it would be great if the deal works because I think it’s the right thing for our industry.”
Kotick also emphasized that he likes Activision Blizzard and its corporate culture very much, but he is also very worried about Activision Blizzard’s economic problems-because the salary of talent has been rising in a complicated way that he has difficulty dealing with, So the deal makes more sense. He said more bluntly, “Microsoft is the best home for Activision Blizzard so far.”
It was previously reported that even if Microsoft’s acquisition fails, it will need to pay Activision Blizzard a “breakup fee” of up to US$3 billion. Activision Blizzard currently has $12.6 billion in book cash. Considering that even if Microsoft’s acquisition fails, Activision Blizzard will need to continue to acquire other game companies to maintain competitiveness, and this $3 billion fund will also be a timely help.
