Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard began in 1979 as a third-party developer making games for the Atari Video Computer System. That small beginning grew into a holding company based in Santa Monica, California, which by 2018 was the largest game company in the Americas and Europe by revenue and market capitalization. Its three operating units were Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and King, and its catalogue ran from Call of Duty to Diablo to Candy Crush Saga.
How did a company that once lost heavily on a software detour become a giant? Why would the head of a French media conglomerate end up holding the controlling share? What did the pursuit of record launches, esports leagues and corporate rankings cost along the way? And how did a company that fought so many battles end up inside Xbox? The answers start with a phone call made around two decades ago.
In 1988 the original Activision pushed beyond games into other software and renamed itself Mediagenic. The venture was not a success and lost heavily. In 1991 a group of investors led by Bobby Kotick bought the company, restructured it to cut its debt, and restored the Activision name. Kotick also moved it to Santa Monica. By 1997 the company was profitable again.
Kotick spent the next decade acquiring around 25 studios. The spree gave Activision several successful series, with Tony Hawk's and Guitar Hero among them. Then the industry shifted. Massively multiplayer online games, known as MMOs, were growing in popularity, and they brought publishers a constant stream of revenue instead of a single purchase. None of Activision's subsidiaries had an MMO or could build one quickly. Competition from Electronic Arts was tougher, and sales of its key series were slowing.
Around 2006, Kotick approached Jean-Bernard Lévy, the chief executive of the French media conglomerate Vivendi. Vivendi owned Vivendi Games, a holding company chiefly for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. Kotick wanted a way to reach Blizzard's World of Warcraft, a successful MMO. Lévy answered with a different offer. He would merge Vivendi Games into Activision, but only if Vivendi kept majority control.
People close to Kotick said the condition worried him, because it meant giving up control of Activision. A talk with Blizzard's chief executive, Mike Morhaime, changed his thinking. Kotick came to see that Vivendi could give the company a foothold in China's growing video game market.
Activision's board agreed to Kotick's merger proposal in December 2007. The new company would be called Activision Blizzard and keep its central headquarters in California. Kotick would serve as president and chief executive, and Vivendi's René Penisson would be chairman. The European Commission cleared the deal in April 2008, finding no antitrust problem. On the 8th of July 2008, Activision announced that stockholders had agreed to the merger. The deal closed the next day at an estimated US$18.9 billion.
Vivendi became the majority shareholder with 54% of outstanding shares, or 52% if shares were fully diluted. The rest were held by institutional and private investors and traded on the NASDAQ, first under the ticker ATVID and then as ATVI. Lévy replaced Penisson as chairman.
Blizzard kept its autonomy and its own leadership, but other Vivendi Games divisions fared worse. Sierra ceased operation. Kotick was quoted saying that a Sierra product failing Activision's requirements "won't likely be retained." Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Brütal Legend, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand all ended up with other publishers. Crash Bandicoot, Spyro and Prototype stayed, and Activision publishes them today. Spyro in particular would soon return in a very different form.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 brought in US$310 million on its first day in 2009. A year later, Call of Duty: Black Ops grossed US$360 million on day one. In 2011, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 took US$400 million in the US and UK alone within 24 hours. That made it the biggest entertainment launch of all time and the third year running that the series broke the launch record.
In early 2010, the independent studio Bungie entered a 10-year publishing agreement with Activision Blizzard. By the end of that year, the company was the largest video game publisher in the world.
The year 2011 brought Skylanders, a franchise that led the press to credit the company with inventing and popularizing a new category called toys-to-life. The first release, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, was nominated for two Toy Industry Association awards that year, "Game of the Year" and "Innovative Toy of the Year." It and its sequels reached major consoles and PC, and many also came to mobile devices.
On the 5th of November 2013, the company released Call of Duty: Ghosts, written by the screenwriter Stephen Gaghan. It sold US$1 billion into retail on its first release day. Destiny followed on the 9th of September 2014 and made over US$500 million in retail sales on day one. That was a record for the biggest first-day launch of a new gaming franchise.
In 2015, Call of Duty: Black Ops III grossed US$550 million worldwide over its opening weekend, the biggest entertainment launch of that year. The company also released a new Skylanders iteration in September 2015, adding vehicles to the toys-to-life category.
On the 15th of September 2015, Activision and Bungie released Destiny: The Taken King. Two days later, Sony announced it had broken the PlayStation record for most downloaded day-one game, in both total players and peak online concurrency.
On the 25th of July 2013, Activision Blizzard announced it would buy 429 million of its own shares from Vivendi for US$5.83 billion. The purchase cut Vivendi's stake from 63% to 11.8% by the end of the deal in September. Vivendi was no longer the parent company, and a majority of shares now belonged to the public. Kotick and Brian Kelly kept a 24.4% stake overall. Kotick stayed as president and chief executive, and Kelly became chairman.
The buyback was completed on the 12th of October 2013, shortly after approval from the Delaware Supreme Court. On the 22nd of May 2014, Vivendi sold half of what remained, reducing its ownership to 5.8%. It left completely two years later.
By 2014, Activision Blizzard was the fifth largest gaming company in the world by revenue. Its total assets stood at US$14.746 billion, and its total equity was estimated at US$7.513 billion.
The company joined the S&P 500 stock index on the 28th of August 2015. Only one other gaming-related company shared the list: Electronic Arts.
In November 2015, Activision Blizzard bought the social gaming company King, creator of the casual game Candy Crush Saga, for US$5.9 billion. That same month it formed Activision Blizzard Studios, a film production arm for movies and television series based on its franchises. The producer Stacey Sher and Nick van Dyk, a former executive at The Walt Disney Company, co-headed it.
In June 2017, the company joined the Fortune 500. It was the third gaming company ever to do so, after Atari and Electronic Arts.
In February 2019, Kotick told shareholders that the 2018 fiscal year had been a record for revenue. He also said the company would lay off around 775 people, about 8% of its workforce, in non-management divisions. The plan was to put more resources into development teams, esports, the Battle.net service and core games such as Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Warcraft, Diablo and Hearthstone.
Before that, Activision Blizzard and Bungie had agreed to end their distribution deal for Destiny 2, which was not bringing in the revenue Activision expected. Bungie kept all rights to Destiny, and the transaction let Activision Blizzard report US$164 million in its 2018 fiscal year filings. That same year, the company was one of 90 Fortune 500 firms that paid an effective federal tax rate of 0% or less, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Daniel Alegre replaced Coddy Johnson as president effective the 7th of April 2020, with Johnson moving to a special advisory role. In the second quarter of 2020, net revenues from digital channels reached US$1.44 billion, driven by demand for online games during COVID-19 lockdowns. By January 2021, the company's value was estimated at US$72 billion.
In February 2021, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia acquired 14.9 million shares, valued at US$1.4 billion. In April 2021, Fernando Machado, a former Brazilian executive at Burger King, joined as chief marketing officer. The company also announced that Kotick would remain chief executive through April 2023 after taking a 50% pay cut, equal to US$875,000. He stayed eligible for bonuses of up to 200% of his base pay, depending on company performance. Three months later, a lawsuit filed in California would test that arrangement.
On the 21st of October 2015, Activision Blizzard announced a new esports division called Activision Blizzard Media Networks. Sports executive Steve Bornstein, its chairman, and Mike Sepso, a co-founder of Major League Gaming, led it. Its assets came from the acquisition of the now defunct IGN Pro League. The company already owned Call of Duty and StarCraft, both popular as esports.
On the 31st of December 2015, reports said "substantially all" of Major League Gaming's assets would be acquired. The New York Times reported that the purchase was meant to strengthen the esports push and a plan to develop an esports cable channel. Reports also indicated that most of the purchase price would go toward paying off Major League Gaming's debt. Activision Blizzard completed the acquisition on the 4th of January 2016 for US$46 million.
In November 2016, Blizzard Entertainment announced the Overwatch League, a professional video gaming league. Its first season began in the second half of 2017 with 12 teams. The league followed the structure of traditional sports and recruited sports figures as team owners, among them Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, and Jeff Wilpon, chief operating officer of the New York Mets.
The inaugural Overwatch Grand Finals took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in July 2018 and drew 10.8 million viewers worldwide. The league hoped to field 18 teams in its second season in 2019, with an ultimate goal of 28 teams across the world.
In 2018, the company signed a multi-year deal with The Walt Disney Company to stream Overwatch League games on ESPN and Disney XD. It also struck an exclusive multi-year deal with Google to stream later esports events, including Call of Duty and Overwatch, on YouTube. The agreement included using Google's cloud services for game hosting. It followed a two-year Twitch deal for the Overwatch League, and the YouTube deal was estimated at US$160 million, double what Twitch had paid.
The boom did not last. Viewership and profits declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Activision shut down Major League Gaming by the 15th of January 2024.
A quieter project began in 2009, when Kotick launched the Call of Duty Endowment. Since then, over 50,000 veterans have been placed in high-quality jobs. In 2013 it started the Seal of Distinction, which recognizes non-profits that succeed in placing veterans in good jobs, and winners receive a US$30,000 grant. The endowment funds nonprofit organizations and raises awareness of the value veterans bring to the workplace. Its goal was to help 100,000 US and UK veterans find high-quality jobs by 2024.
In early 2010, Activision fired Vince Zampella and Jason West, two founders of its studio Infinity Ward, citing "breaches of contract and insubordination." Several other Infinity Ward staff resigned afterward. Zampella and West formed Respawn Entertainment with help from Electronic Arts' partner program and hired most of the people who had left.
In April 2010, the pair sued Activision, claiming unpaid royalties on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Activision countersued, calling them "self-serving schemers." It later tried to add Electronic Arts to its suit after finding that Zampella and West had talked with the company while still working for Activision. It also claimed they had not returned all Call of Duty material while at Respawn. A separate suit that April, from current and former Infinity Ward members, made the same royalty claim.
All parties reached undisclosed settlements by May 2012. Electronic Arts settled separately on the poaching charges, and the other suits ended by the end of that month.
A different fight began with Worlds, Inc., which received several United States patents around 2009 for a "System and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space." The patents described server and client communication for multiplayer games where players interact through avatars. Worlds had challenged NCSoft over its MMOs in 2008. In early 2009 it named Activision as an intended target, and in March 2012 it sued Activision Blizzard, claiming Call of Duty and World of Warcraft infringed its patents.
The judge issued a summary judgment in Activision's favor. Activision had shown that Worlds' own programs, AlphaWorld and World Chat, demonstrated the patented technologies before the 1995 priority date. The ruling related to filing irregularities that the Patent Office later corrected. Worlds then filed a new lawsuit, saying Call of Duty: Ghosts violated its corrected patents, and later said it would add Bungie over Destiny.
Bungie filed three inter partes reviews, one for each core patent. The new case was heard on the 3rd of October 2014 and then put on hold while the reviews proceeded. The Patent Office agreed that portions of the patents were invalid. In September 2018, the Federal Circuit ruled for Worlds, questioning whether Bungie had legal standing to file them. The lawsuit was finally dismissed in 2021, when a district court ruled that Worlds' patents were abstract ideas "not sufficiently transformative to be legally patentable."
In May 2024, families affected by the 2022 Uvalde school shooting sued Activision Blizzard, Meta and the gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. The claim against Activision Blizzard alleged that Call of Duty promoted specific gun brands to teenagers. The company argued that its games are protected by the First Amendment and asked the court to dismiss the complaint under anti-SLAPP protections, which stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation.
On the 20th of July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a suit against Activision Blizzard alleging sexual harassment, employment discrimination and retaliation. The suit triggered an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, multiple workplace walkouts, and the resignation or dismissal of several employees. The company also lost multiple event sponsors and faced hundreds of workplace harassment allegations.
Shareholders filed a second suit, claiming the company had falsified its knowledge of these problems in its financial statements. A court dismissed it because it did not meet the thresholds for claims. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also sued after its own investigation, but the company settled the same day, setting aside an US$18 million relief fund for affected employees.
In December 2023, the state agency and Activision Blizzard agreed to a US$54 million settlement covering pay and promotion inequities. Both sides agreed there was no substantial evidence of widespread harassment.
Workers also organized. In May 2022, quality assurance testers at the subsidiary Raven Software went public as the Game Workers Alliance, with support from the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees-CWA. They voted 19-2 to unionize, and the National Labor Relations Board recognized the union.
In July 2022, the 20-member quality assurance team at Blizzard Albany launched its own drive as GWA Albany. The vote passed 14-0, forming the second union at an Activision Blizzard subsidiary.
On the 18th of January 2022, Microsoft announced it would acquire Activision Blizzard for US$68.7 billion in an all-cash deal, or about US$95 per share. The stock jumped nearly 40% in pre-market trading that day. The deal would make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company in the world, behind Tencent and Sony, and the largest headquartered in the Americas. Shareholders approved it near-unanimously in April 2022.
Several countries, including the European Union and China, approved the deal ahead of the planned closure in October 2023. The United States Federal Trade Commission and the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority challenged it as anticompetitive and began legal procedures. To resolve the objections, Microsoft agreed to outsource the cloud gaming rights to Activision Blizzard's games to Ubisoft, and regulators cleared that arrangement. The acquisition was completed on the 13th of October 2023. Activision Blizzard is now a subsidiary of Xbox, alongside Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax Media.
The last annual results before the takeover came on the 6th of February 2023, showing US$7.54 billion in revenue and US$1.52 billion in net income. As part of the deal, Kotick announced his resignation as chief executive, along with other high-level executives. He stayed through the end of 2023 to help with the transition and left on the 29th of December 2023.
Work rules changed too. In February 2023, the company told employees it would end its full-time remote policy starting between April and June. On the 30th of November, quality assurance staff learned the hybrid model would also end, and workers in Austin, Texas, Eden Prairie, Minnesota and El Segundo, California would return to the office full time in 2024. The ABK Workers Alliance accused the company of forcing out employees with that decision.
On the 8th of March 2024, 600 quality assurance testers at three Activision studios in Austin, Eden Prairie and El Segundo formed Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA. They voted 390-8 to unionize, making it the largest video game union in the United States, and Microsoft voluntarily recognized it. On the 24th of July 2024, 500 artists, designers, engineers, producers and quality assurance testers working on World of Warcraft also voted to unionize.
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Common questions
What is Activision Blizzard?
Activision Blizzard is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. Its three operating units are Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and King, and it is now a subsidiary of Xbox.
When was Activision Blizzard founded?
Activision Blizzard was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. and Vivendi Games. The merger was announced on the 8th of July 2008 and completed on the 9th of July 2008.
How much did Microsoft pay for Activision Blizzard?
Microsoft announced on the 18th of January 2022 that it would acquire Activision Blizzard for US$68.7 billion in an all-cash deal, or about US$95 per share. The acquisition was completed on the 13th of October 2023.
Who owned Activision Blizzard before Microsoft?
Vivendi was the majority shareholder after the 2008 merger, holding 54% of outstanding shares. In July 2013 the company bought back 429 million shares from Vivendi for US$5.83 billion, and Vivendi exited completely two years after selling half its remaining stake in May 2014.
What happened in the Activision Blizzard California harassment lawsuit?
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Activision Blizzard on the 20th of July 2021 over sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation. The parties agreed to a US$54 million settlement in December 2023 covering pay and promotion inequities.
What games did Activision Blizzard make?
Activision Blizzard's major franchises include Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, Skylanders, Spyro, Tony Hawk's, Diablo, Hearthstone, Overwatch, StarCraft, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush Saga. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 grossed US$400 million in the US and UK in its first 24 hours in 2011.
All sources
124 references cited across the entry
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- 3NewsTop 5 Mutual Fund Holders of Activision Blizzard (ATVI, FOCPX)Evan Tarver — Investopedia — March 15, 2016
- 5NewsActivision Blizzard to Buy King Digital, Maker of Candy CrushNovember 2, 2015
- 6MW3 Breaks Black Ops Launch RecordNovember 11, 2011
- 8'Call of Duty: Black Ops III' was the best-selling game of 2015Shawn Knight — January 15, 2016
- 9Earnings report roundup: Game industry winners and losers in Q4 2017Jon Jordan — March 16, 2018
- 10Activision Blizzard Sued Over 'Frat Boy' culture, HarassmentMaeve Allsup — July 21, 2021
- 11SEC Is Investigating Activision Blizzard Over Workplace Practices, DisclosuresKirsten Grind et al. — September 20, 2021
- 12Activision Blizzard employees to walk out following sexual harassment lawsuitZoe Schiffer et al. — July 27, 2021
- 13Activision Blizzard loses T-Mobile as sponsor for Overwatch, Call of Duty esports leaguesMichael McWhertor — August 3, 2021
- 15MagazineActivision Blizzard Employees Are Done With CEO Bobby KotickCecilia D'Anastasio
- 16Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of XboxTom Warren — 2023-10-13
- 17NewsMicrosoft to buy 'Call of Duty' maker for $68.7 bln in gaming pushSubrat Patnaik
- 18Activision's Unlikely HeroPeter Beller — January 15, 2009
- 19NewsVivendi and Activision to Create Activision Blizzard - World's Largest, Most Profitable Pure-Play Video Game PublisherActivision.com — December 2, 2007
- 20EU greenlights Activision-Vivendi mergerAlexander Sliwinski
- 22Activision Blizzard Merger OfficialLeigh Alexander — Kotaku — July 8, 2008
- 23Vivendi CEO Activision Blizzard's new chairmanTor Thorsen et al. — GameSpot — May 5, 2009
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- 25Activision Blizzard Merger FinalizedLeigh Alexander — July 10, 2008
- 27NewsGaming merger leaves Ghostbusters in limboMarc Saltzman — Toronto Star — August 2, 2008
- 28Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters, more dropped by ActivisionBrendan Sinclair
- 29Activision Blizzard Aims to Breathe New Life Into This Classic FranchiseKeith Noonan — April 20, 2018
- 30NewsIndustry Shocker: Developer Bungie Signs Deal With ActivisionPatrick Klepek — April 29, 2010
- 31MagazineBungie, Activision Sign 10-Year Publishing DealChris Kohler — April 29, 2010
- 32NewsComputer games industry hits at tax rethinkMaija Palmer et al. — June 30, 2010
- 33Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Shatters All Sales RecordsBrian Crecente — Kotaku — November 11, 2011
- 34Bobby Kotick On Hatching Skylanders: Spyro's AdventureDavid Ewalt — July 29, 2011
- 35Skylanders storypolygon.com — April 16, 2014
- 36NewsWith Skylanders Giants, Activision could dominate toys and video games (video and gallery)Dean Takahashi — June 5, 2012
- 37Toy Industry Unveils Nominees for 2012 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards; Announces Inductees into Toy Industry Hall of FameAdrienne Appell — Toy Industry Association
- 39NewsActivision Blizzard completes buyback from Vivendi Universal in multi-billion dollar dealTimothy Seppala — Engadget — October 13, 2013
- 40Activision Blizzard completes buyback from VivendiEddie Makuch — GameSpot — October 12, 2013
- 42Vivendi Sells Remaining Activision Blizzard Stake to Unknown BuyerTamoor Hussain — January 15, 2016
- 43News'Destiny' Crosses $500 Million On Day One, Biggest New Video Game Launch EverErik Kain — September 10, 2014
- 44NewsChallenge for Activision CEO: capitalizing on next-gen game consolesDawn Chmielewski — December 10, 2013
- 45The Top 25 Public Companies Generated $54.1Bn Game Revenues in 2014, Up 10.4% Year-on-YearNewZoo — April 20, 2015
- 47NewsCall of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard joins the S&P 500Dean Takahashi — August 27, 2015
- 48Skylanders SuperChargers adds vehicles to the listWesley Yin-Poole — June 3, 2015
- 49NewsDestiny: The Taken King claims PSN's recordsBen Parfitt — MCV - UK — September 18, 2015
- 50NewsCall of Duty Movie, Skylander TV Show Headline New Activision Blizzard Film StudioAndrew Goldfarb — November 6, 2015
- 51Activision Blizzard recruits ex-Tarantino producer to turn its video games into filmsJames Vincent — January 13, 2016
- 52NewsCould the Call of Duty franchise be the next Marvel?Jasper Jackson — April 5, 2017
- 54Activision-Blizzard lays off 775 people after "record results in 2018"Samuel Axon — February 12, 2019
- 55Activision reports $164 million in revenue from handing Destiny back to BungieDustin Bailey — March 1, 2019
- 56NewsThese 91 companies paid no federal taxes in 2018Jesse Pound — December 16, 2019
- 57Activision Blizzard Has A New President -- Here's How Much Money He MakesEddie Makuch — March 11, 2020
- 58NewsLockdown and loaded: virus triggers video game boostMay 6, 2020
- 59NewsActivision Blizzard is currently valued at $72 billionMollie Taylor — January 21, 2021
- 60Saudi investment fund acquires shares in Activision Blizzard, Take-Two, and EAChris Kerr — February 18, 2021
- 61Fernando Machado join Activision Blizzard as CMOApril 2, 2021
- 62Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick takes 50% pay cutDanielle Partis — April 29, 2021
- 63Shareholders sue Activision Blizzard for withholding harassment infoKyle Orland — August 3, 2021
- 64Activision Gets Investor Suit Over Sex Harassment Probes TossedMaeve Allsup — April 20, 2022
- 65US employment watchdog sues Activision Blizzard over discrimination claimsAdi Robertson — September 27, 2021
- 66NewsCalifornia Drops Sexual Harassment Suit in $54 Million Settlement With ActivisionAndrew Ross Sorkin et al. — December 15, 2023
- 68Microsoft has officially completed its acquisition of Activision BlizzardTom Ivan — October 13, 2023
- 70Microsoft Officially Acquires Activision, Nearly Two Years Later; Bobby Kotick ResignsEddie Makuch — October 13, 2023
- 71Microsoft Sets New Activision Blizzard Management Structure as Bobby Kotick Confirms Exit DateTodd Spangler — 2023-12-20
- 72Members of Activision's Raven Software QA team form a unionKyle Orland — 2022-01-21
- 73Activision Blizzard employees form first major NA games union, hope to inspire "growing movement of workers"Austin Wood — May 23, 2022
- 74Activision Blizzard's Raven Software workers vote to form industry's first unionKari Paul — May 23, 2022
- 76Blizzard Albany becomes second unionized studio at Activision BlizzardNicole Carpenter — 2022-12-02
- 77Activision Blizzard planning to end full remote workFebruary 14, 2024
- 78Activision Blizzard to end hybrid work for QA employeesJeffrey Rousseau — 2023-12-19
- 79600 Activision QA workers unionize, Microsoft voluntarily recognizesNicole Carpenter — 2024-03-08
- 80Activision QA workers form the largest US video game union yetAsh Parrish — 2024-03-09
- 81NewsMicrosoft's 'World of Warcraft' Gaming Staff Votes to UnionizeJosh Eidelson — 2024-07-24
- 82Xbox confirms plans to cut 5 studios and thousands of jobsAndy Robinson — 2026-07-06
- 83CONFIRMED: Microsoft Hands Halo to Call of Duty Developer Activision as Part of Seismic Xbox Studios ShakeupWesley Yin-Poole — 2026-09-22
- 842017 Annual ReportActivision Blizzard
- 87Report: Major League Gaming shuttered after $46 million Activision buyoutMark Walton — January 4, 2016
- 88Why Activision-Blizzard just launched a new eSports divisionChris Morris — October 22, 2015
- 89NewsActivision Buys Major League Gaming to Broaden Role in E-SportsNick Wingfield — January 4, 2016
- 91Activision Blizzard is building a professional esports leagueKelly Song — July 16, 2017
- 92Overwatch League Grand Finals Reached Nearly 11 Million ViewersEddie Makuch — August 8, 2018
- 94NewsActivision Signs Esports Broadcast Deal With Disney For Overwatch LeaguePatrick Seitz — July 11, 2018
- 95Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick on Inspiring Play, Competition, and CommunityCarlos M. Jr. Gutierrez — March 27, 2017
- 96YouTube Scores Exclusive Streaming for Activision Blizzard's E-Sports, Including Overwatch and Call of Duty LeaguesTodd Spangler — January 24, 2020
- 97Sources: YouTube's Deal With Activision Blizzard Valued At $160MAdam Stern — February 16, 2020
- 98Fans support MLG being brought back under Microsoft acquisitionDaniel Appleford — October 14, 2023
- 99NewsOnline tournament organiser GameBattles to shut down in 2024Dafydd Gwynn — November 14, 2023
- 100Call of Duty Endowment Finds Jobs For 50,000 VeteransStefanie Fogel — October 15, 2018
- 103NewsWorlds.com CEO: We're 'Absolutely' Going To Sue Second Life And World Of WarcraftEric Krangel — March 11, 2009
- 104Worlds.com vs. NCsoft lawsuit settledRudi Bayer — April 27, 2010
- 106NewsActivision Publishing Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Worlds Inc. and Worlds Online Inc.Activision Blizzard press release — October 4, 2013
- 107NewsActivision files virtual worlds patent countersuit against Worlds IncMike Suszek — Engadget — October 7, 2013
- 108Activision files software patent infringement suit against Worlds IncAlexa Ray Corriea — October 7, 2013
- 110NewsBlizzard scores a victory against patent troll Worlds, Inc.Elizaabeth Harper — March 19, 2014
- 111NewsActivision Blizzard wins patent lawsuit after nine yearsMarie Dealessandri — May 6, 2021
- 112Press releaseWorlds Wins Full Reversal of PTAB Invalidation Ruling from U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC)September 10, 2018
- 113Worlds Wins Appeals Court Ruling in Activision Patent FightSusan Decker — September 7, 2018
- 115Press releaseUSPTO Review Validates 6 Worlds Inc. Patent Claims for Multi-Player Online Gaming TechnologyWorlds Inc. — December 1, 2016
- 116After nine years, judge throws out WoW patent lawsuitIan Boudreau — May 5, 2021
- 117UPDATE: Infinity Ward Vs. ActivisionPhil Kollar — GameInformer — March 1, 2010
- 118Future Modern Warfare Releases Could Be Vetoed By West and ZampellaRichard Walker — March 4, 2010
- 120Activision Countersues Former Infinity Ward ExecsJim Reilly — IGN — April 9, 2010
- 121Activision Sued By New "Infinity Ward Employee Group"Dan Ryckert — GameInformer — April 27, 2010
- 122Settlement reached in Call of Duty's billion dollar West v. Activision lawsuitMichael McWhertor — May 31, 2012
- 124Activision files lengthy defence in Call of Duty lawsuit that accused it of "grooming" Uvalde school shooterMatt Wales — January 9, 2025