Did the accusations and lawsuits against Activision Blizzard soften it up for acquisition by Microsoft? It sounds like the answer is “yes.”
Activision Blizzard has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past few months, rocked by discrimination and harassment lawsuits and accusations that have even ensnared longtime CEO Bobby Kotick. Then, yesterday, we got the shocking news that Microsoft will purchase the mega publisher for nearly $70 billion. Given the timing, it’s hard not to speculate – would Activision Blizzard have been sold if the controversies of the last few months hadn’t happened? Did the pummeling Acti-Blizz has taken soften them up for acquisition? It seems the answer is “yes.” According to a new report from Bloomberg, following reports that Bobby Kotick had personally mistreated female employees and covered the misdeeds of others, Xbox boss Phil Spencer called him to express how “deeply troubled” he was by the accusations, but also to let him know Microsoft would be willing to make an offer if the troubled company was interested in selling.
