Microsoft: In a giant step for the video game industry, Microsoft announced today (18), the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a deal expected to be approximately $70 billion.
“The creators of Call of Duty, Warcraft, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft and more join Team Xbox,” reads a statement.
The information was provided by journalists and was later confirmed in a Microsoft rack. The settlement also draws attention because Activision Blizzard has long been the focus of serious allegations of sexual abuse.
The developer of games like Overwatch found themselves at the center of this massive scandal after employees and former employees, mostly women, decided to disclose the “blind eye” the company is doing regarding cases of harassment, sexism and machismo.
In one of the most serious cases, a woman committed suicide, and the company’s toxic environment was even cited as one of the possibilities for what happened.
The case has already come under the attention of several US entities, including the California Department of Labor and Housing Justice (which sued the company) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (which opened an investigation).
In addition to the change of presidency, Blizzard has made dozens of layoffs of employees. CEO Bobby Kotick has been accused several times of hiding the case and not working to improve the environment.