Largest acquisition of a videogames studio

On 13 October 2023, Microsoft completed its cash purchase of Activision Blizzard (both USA) for an eye-watering $68.7 bn (£56 bn). This gave the giant corporation ownership of successful franchises such as Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Call of Duty, Candy Crush and Overwatch, plus the likes of Diablo, Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft.

This deal towers over that of the Chinese technology company Tencent Holdings Ltd., who announced on 21 June 2016 that they were buying a majority stake (84.3%) in the Finnish game developer Supercell – makers of the mobile strategy hits Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. The deal valued Supercell at $10.2 billion, with Tencent Holdings splurging approximately $8.6 billion on the acquisition.