Regulations
Italy watchdog opens probes into Activision Blizzard over mobile game monetisation
Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile are under scrutiny for allegedly misleading free-to-play practices
Company Profile
Activision Blizzard
Website
www.activisionblizzard.com
About
Activision Blizzard, formerly Activision, is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi, and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games (formerly Vivendi Universal Games), announced on December 2nd, 2007.
Related People
Carin Huurnink
senior animator
Bobby Kotick
CEO
Daniel Alegre
COO & President
Clement Xue
Head of Activison Blizzard Media
Ken Wee
Chief strategy officer
+2 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Activision Blizzard
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Layoffs
Blizzard ends Warcraft Rumble development as company reportedly slashes up to 100 jobs
Move is part of sweeping cuts across Microsoft and its games division
Jobs Roundup
June 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Unity CTO exits, Embracer appoints new CEO, Roblox gets a CFO, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Week In Views
FTC drops the Microsoft Activision antitrust case and mobile games have returned to growth | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Major Market
PGC San Francisco 2025 nears after US mobile gamers spend record-breaking $28bn
Monopoly Go was the highest-grossing game on mobile, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 took the console crown
Major Milestone
Call of Duty: Mobile hits one billion downloads
AppMagic estimates show the title has generated consistent revenue each year since launch
Here Comes Halloween
Halloween hijinks get underway in Monopoly Go, Pokémon Sleep, Marvel Snap and more
Many developers are going spooky this month with tricks, treats and more planned for the days ahead…
Overwatch Ahead
Report: Overwatch Mobile is in development
Blizzard Entertainment has yet to officially confirm the title, but staff claim it's in the works
Loads Of Layoffs
Microsoft’s latest layoffs reportedly impact Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile and Warcraft Rumble teams
Warzone: Mobile has generated less than 10% of Call of Duty: Mobile’s revenue in respective first six months
Week That Was
Apple's acquiescence, Google's guilt, and what to expect from Nintendo's S(Wii)tch… | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Offerings
Microsoft and Activision form new Blizzard team to expand iconic franchises
This new team is focused on developing smaller games based on existing Blizzard franchises, potentially for mobile platforms
Tough Times
2024's games industry lay-offs: The stories so far - all in one place
The second half of the year is still providing tough times. Here are all the companies that have resized, restructured and shed staff so far this year
Top Charts
April 2024 mobile game charts: Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile loses launch momentum and Brawl Stars’ astronomical rise
Our monthly look at the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters levels up, retro Nintendo on iOS, and Genshin Impact’s worst month yet
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Warzone Wobble
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile generated 'just' $6.92 million in its first month
Meanwhile its predecessor Call of Duty: Mobile’s launch month brought in over six times as much at $44 million
Microsoft's Might
Microsoft saves the day: Activision Blizzard games are set to return to China in new NetEase deal
The untimely end of Activision Blizzard and NetEase’s deal meant that games such as Overwatch and World of Warcraft have spent over a year offline in China
Bot Backlash
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile has a bot problem and players aren't happy
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile’s Season 3 update has brought in a cascade of complaints
Hot Five
Hot Five: GDC highlights, Tencent’s strategy shift, and Candy Crush’s biggest tournament yet
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile to CookieRun: Witch’s Castle
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Revenue Rivals
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile generates $1.4m in first four days
Shooter launched globally on March 21st after racking up more than 50 million pre-registrations
This Means War
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile ready for battle with 50 million players on board
The latest CoD is ready to drop on March 21 with a record-breaking number of pre-registrations set to make it the biggest mobile launch of the year
Microsoft Mucks Up
FTC cries foul at Microsoft’s 1,900 layoffs with Activision Blizzard merger under threat
Microsoft counter claim that Activision Blizzard were already planning layoffs before taking them on
New Broom
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra is out as Microsoft lays off 1,900
The inevitable restructure and consolidation of the two giants - with the nuking of dual roles and now superfluous departments - didn't take long…
Strategic Comeback
Activision Blizzard kiss and make up with NetEase ahead of China return
The move will see the return of Blizzard titles such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft III: Reforged and Overwatch to the Chinese market
Kotick Conclusion
Leadership changes under Microsoft as Bobby Kotick departure date confirmed
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard means leadership changes and a transition period ahead
Legal News
Activision Blizzard to pay $55 million in gender discrimination settlement
Agreement puts end to lawsuit filed by the Department of Fair Employment and Houses in 2021
Hot Five
Hot Five: Activision Blizzard’s app store alternative, Google Play’s download dominance and a 3D Candy Crush
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Activision App Store
Activision Blizzard, Epic Games and Supercell considered forming a Google Play competitor
The Epic vs Google case reveals past plans for an app store alliance
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: One month on, what next for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard?
A month ago today Microsoft closed it’s deal and with no immediate upsets was it all a storm in a teacup? Or 28 days later, is the apocalypse imminent? We ask the experts…
Acquiblizz
Microsoft's Xbox boss Phil Spencer sticks to Call of Duty non exclusivity promise
"We have no goal of somehow trying to use Call of Duty to get you to buy an Xbox console."
Hot Five
Hot Five: Unity’s new CEO, Applovin rumours, and the biggest deal in games industry history is complete
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Done Deal
Microsoft's mobile mishaps: Why the Activision Blizzard deal had to happen
The tech giant has had a troubled history on mobile. Could gaming's biggest ever deal finally put right their wrongs?
Acquiblizz
Bobby Kotick out at Activision Blizzard
The company's CEO has confirmed he will continue his role until the end of 2023 after which time he'll be handing over to Microsoft management
Acquiblizz
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: The complete timeline
From inception to lawsuits - how has the biggest deal in gaming history progressed?
Mission Accomplished
Done deal: Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal approved by UK regulators
Video game's biggest deal ever just got approved with Activision Blizzard becoming part of Microsoft for $68.7 billion
Hot Five
Hot Five: Niantic has a new star, Epic warns of "degradation in quality", and new games hit the market
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Acquiblizz
Microsoft hopes to close its Activision Blizzard deal as early as October 13
The long-running saga may finally be coming to a close
Warzone Mobile
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile delayed once again
Activision Blizzard have confirmed a Spring 2024 release date at their Call of Duty Next event
Studio Seed
Krafton invests $7M in former Riot and Blizzard artist’s Studio Sai
The Seed Round comes after the success of Eternights and will support development of Sai’s next game
Leadership Changes
Activision Blizzard brings back Warcraft & Diablo old-hand Chris Metzen in creative leadership shake-up
The former contributor worked with Blizzard during some of its most successful years as a SVP of story and franchise development
Unity Runtime Fee
Unity's biggest games: The big names who'll pay the biggest bucks
With an 70% of developers using Unity, it's the power behind the throne for thousands of much-loved titles including smash hits that keep some of gaming's biggest names afloat
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including the rebirth of a legend and the creation of a new genre
Acquiblizz
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer stresses the importance of mobile in Xbox’s future success
The Xbox boss claims that Xbox needs mobile presence to thrive
Best Of 2023
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2023
The movers and the shakers of the last 12 months
Acquiblizz
Activision Blizzard's Bobby Kottick clarifies his company's position in the latest deal twist
With Microsoft cutting their cloud gaming titles adrift, what does that mean for Activision Blizzard?
Aquiblizz
Microsoft sell cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft to dodge the UK's Activision Blizzard deal block
And the deal goes on… All parties are agreed on the new UK-specific arrangement with an October 18 deadline for final approval
Monopoly Money
The biggest gaming acquisitions of all time
From Activision Blizzard and Zynga to Bethesda and Playdemic
July In Review
July 2023 was a massive month for new releases and crossovers
GameRefinery analyses the performance of the mobile gaming market throughout the month
Milestones
Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for the franchise is on mobile
The milestone was revealed in Activision Blizzard’s financials which said half of all engagement was on mobile