In May, Microsoft’s deal to acquire gaming giant Activision Blizzard was approved by European regulators. With the deal now in its final stages, fans have been asking what the acquisition will mean for some of their favorite franchises.
Though the $69 billion deal was rumored to be finalized this week, it looks as if both parties have been discussing extending the contract just to work out final kinks, according to a report from Reuters. Either way, the deal is basically finalized, which means longtime Activision and Blizzard franchise fans should see their favorite titles under new ownership.
But which titles are Microsoft actually acquiring in this massive deal?
Overwatch
Starting off with the big guns, Microsoft will now acquire the Overwatch franchise. This not only includes the franchise’s current active client first-person shooter, Overwatch 2, but also the licensing of other products, including the partnered Overwatch League.
Overwatch enjoyed massive success when it was released in 2016 and inspired a new genre of colorful first-person shooters grounded by their lore and character designs, but the reception of Overwatch 2 has been mixed. The monetization model of the game was adjusted, which has made longtime players frustrated by the high prices of cosmetic items that were once earnable through gameplay alone.
Players will have to wait and see if Microsoft’s acquisition changes anything about how OW2 has been performing so far. With Overwatch League viewership also declining, the franchise’s future is uncertain.
Call of Duty
The Call of Duty franchise is an absolutely massive asset for Microsoft, with the most recent installment Modern Warfare II keeping up with the reputation of the other well-loved games in the series.
CoD also has its own franchised league followed by many fans of the game and esports in general. It is also one of the games published by Activision that has reached a very impressive number of consoles.
There are games in the franchise available for nearly every major console available, from mobile to Nintendo DS to PC. Microsoft may have a challenge with this console diversity, though many CoD players will be running the game on Windows already.
World of Warcraft
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft franchise has found its way into many parts of the company’s brand, from spinoff games like Hearthstone to showing up subtly in skin designs for characters in Overwatch 2. The original game itself has become one of the most prolific MMOs ever after nearly 20 years.
Though for some younger players WoW might not be the first choice for those dipping their feet into MMOs for the first time, the game has a dedicated following and consistent player base that gets new content regularly.
Diablo
Diablo is a dungeon-crawler that has captivated fans since the release of the original game back in 1997. The newest installment, Diablo 4, has been well-received and continues to be one of Blizzard’s top titles. The franchise, like WoW, is a classic, so players are hoping it will live on through the Microsoft purchase.
StarCraft
StarCraft is not only an important franchise for Activision-Blizzard, and now Microsoft, but also for gaming and esports as a whole. The original, released in 1998, became particularly popular in South Korea, where an entire generation of esports fanatics emerged. The latest in the StarCraft franchise is StarCraft: Remastered, released in 2017. Despite waning popularity in the Western sphere, StarCraft is still going strong in parts of Asia.
Tony Hawk’s games, Guitar Hero, Spyro, and Crash Bandicoot
These four franchises are all whimsical and fun games offered on a variety of consoles. Though some titles are fan favorites, they don’t have as many regular players as Overwatch, WoW, CoD, or Diablo. From a skateboarding adventure to a cartoon-style purple dragon, there’s lots of casual fun in all four of these series.
Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga is one of the games owned by King that is a part of Microsoft’s massive deal. The game has been a classic mobile pastime since 2012 and was a pioneer of a free-to-play and easy-to-access model.
Other franchises
The final franchises which will be owned by Microsoft are lesser-known franchises that either haven’t received an updated title in a long time or have faded out of relevance. Nevertheless, Microsoft will own the rights to them.
The last franchises are the Cabela’s games, Empire Earth, Gabriel Knight, Geometry Wards, Heavy Gear, Heretic and Hexen, King’s Quest, Pitfall, Police Quest, Quest for Glory, Skylanders, Space Quest, Tenchu, World Series of Poker, and Zork.
In total, this makes 24 franchises Microsoft will own as soon as the deal finally goes through.
