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
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
Clement Xue
Head of Activison Blizzard Media
Ken Wee
Chief strategy officer
Carin Huurnink
senior animator
Daniel Alegre
COO & President
Bobby Kotick
CEO
+2 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Activision Blizzard
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
Breakdown
Drake Star's Global Gaming Report: Breaking down the numbers, charts and more
What do Drake Star’s charts and graphs tell us about the gaming industry today?
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush
The iconic match3 game single-handedly helped popularise the genre
Financials
King celebrates 9% year-on-year increase in net revenue
Candy Crush remains the company's top performer, being the USA's top-grossing title for the 24th consecutive quarter
Activision Blizzard Financials
43% of Activision Blizzard’s Q2 2023 revenue came from mobile
Despite growth in every vertical, mobile remains the company’s top performer
Acuiblizz
FTC to appeal against the judge’s decision in Microsoft case
A San Francisco judge denied the regulatory body’s preliminary injunction against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Acquiblizz
California judge denies the FTC’s preliminary injunction against Microsoft
The FTC’s attempts to scupper Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard have hit a roadblock
Threads
Pulling the Threads: Inside social media's latest trend
Meta’s Twitter competitor has launched to great success with over 50 million users so far. But what are its aims and what's its story?
Competition Authority
South African authorities unconditionally approve Activision Blizzard acquisition
Another win for Microsoft despite home-grown struggles
Ranking
AppLovin takes downloads top spot for US companies worldwide
Data.ai's latest shows mobile-first beating the big names to take pole position
Delays
New Zealand competition authorities to delay decision on Activision Blizzard acquisition to July 17th
The delay comes as the US FTC and UK CMA both levy actions against the landmark deal
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 MiHoYo's star performance, gaming in India and never-ending legislation woes…
Milestones
Diablo Immortal passes $500m milestone
It’s only the 15th game to pass this threshold in its first year
Acquiblizz
A US judge has blocked Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Despite being approved around the world, the biggest acquisition in gaming history still faces significant hurdles
Deal Disruption
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard sued by FTC
The Federal Trade Commission aims to block the acquisition sooner rather than later
Teaming Up
Activision Blizzard piles in to support Microsoft’s CMA appeal
UK regulator to face Microsoft and Activision Blizzard together in cloud gaming appeal
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 Apple's latest hardware, Silent Hill's next steps, and Microsoft's appeal against the CMA
Acquiblizz
Microsoft and the UK's CMA begin their appeal tribunal on July 24
Microsoft hopes to change the CMA’s mind regarding its acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Aquiblizz
South Korean regulators approve Activision Blizzard deal
The approval puts further pressure on the UK CMA
China Chimes In
China approves Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
Yet another approval counter to the UK’s decision
Acquiblizz
“It’s really important that we own this decision." The EU responds to the UK CMA’s Microsoft merger comments
The EU commission cements its stance on the Activision Blizzard takeover following the UK CMA's mixed messages yesterday
Acquiblizz
Could Microsoft pull off a 'Mexit' and quit the UK after Aquiblizz blocks?
It's not impossible. Microsoft could pull prohibited games out of the UK to close the Activision Blizzard deal. But what would that mean and how likely is it to happen?
Acquiblizz
Electronic Arts boss Andrew Wilson claims Microsoft/Activision Blizzard deal is immaterial to them
EA remains Microsoft's "biggest partner and number one publisher on their platform"
Acquiblizz
The CMA responds to the European Commission’s approval of the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Deal
The group took to Twitter to reaffirm its position regarding the acquisition
Acquiblizz
Approved: The EU gives Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard the go ahead
The EU’s decision puts it at odds with the UK and USA
Environment, Social, And Governance
Activision Blizzard releases its second ESG report
The report clarifies how the company performed last year, and its commitment to the future
Regulation
The UK CMA place blanket ban on investment between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard
It just gets worse. Now the two giants will not even be able to “acquire an interest” in one another
Acquiblizz
Microsoft prepares to appeal against the CMA’s Activision Blizzard ruling
The UK group blocked the biggest acquisition in gaming history last month
A Yes From Ukraine
Ukraine grants approval of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition
Ukraine is less concerned about cloud gaming than the European Commission
Acquiblizz
Is the biggest deal in gaming history dead and what happens next?
With the UK's CMA blocking Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, where does that leave the deal and the rest of the industry?
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 and discuss Apple's 'win' over Epic, all that AquiBlizz action and Scopely's stumble to victory
Regulators
Bobby Kotick and Brad Smith defiant after CMA ruling
The bosses of both Activision Blizzard and Microsoft have hit back harshly at regulators who've blocked their deal
Financials
Activision Blizzard Q1 2023 financials show another record quarter for King
The mobile division of the trifecta continues to perform well
Acquiblizz
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority blocks the Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal
Microsoft was unable to address the CMA’s concerns regarding how the deal would affect competitors in the cloud gaming space
Legal
Now NetEase aren't suing Activision Blizzard
The suit was actually raised by a serial litigator naming NetEase, while Activision Blizzard express their puzzlement in a new statement
Esports
Snapdragon Pro Series partners with Activision to bring Call of Duty: Mobile to Mobile Masters
The title will join other mobile heavyweights Garena: Fire and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Legal
NetEase to sue over Blizzard breakup for $43.5m
The lawsuit comes months after their fallout, attempted make up, and heated disagreements
Netease X Blizzard
Breaking down the break-up of NetEase and Blizzard
NetEase allegedly suggested it could sway the government’s decision regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Acquiblizz
Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal inches closer as the UK's CMA flips its decision
The authority has backtracked on its previous findings and is satisfied that the deal WON'T affect console competitors. But cloud gaming remains an issue
Acquiblizz
This week in the Microsoft x Activision Blizzard deal
All the latest in one place as the EU and CMA flip-flop opinions and a conclusion draws nearer
Microsoft Merger
EU delays decision on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Relax. The $69 billion acquisition decision has been pushed back to May 22
Microsoft App Store
Microsoft hopes to launch its mobile app store next year
The tech giant hopes to capitalise on changes to regulations regarding alternative app stores
Acquivision Blizzard
Microsoft, Activision, and Sony: The story so far
As the deal inches towards a conclusion Microsoft still face opposition in both the mobile and console spaces
Regulations
Microsoft: Acquiring mobile portion of Activision Blizzard is “key strategic objective”
The comments were made in the response to key CMA remedies for the merger
Acquivision Blizzard
Microsoft may be winning the Activision war
A new decision by the FTC shows the tides may be turning in the tech giant’s favour
Sony Acquisition
Sony reportedly eyeing up acquisition of Take-Two Interactive
The tech giant could be preparing to unleash the latest volley in its arms race with Microsoft
Acquivision Blizzard
EU unlikely to demand asset dump in Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard battle
The deal has come under scrutiny from regulators worldwide
Phil Spencer Interview
Xbox's Phil Spencer talks Microsoft's moves on mobile, plus Activision Blizzard and AI
“What we realised, and it’s painfully obvious, is that we don’t really have any capability on mobile”
Acquivision Blizzard
Microsoft signs deals with Nvidia for Call of Duty on GeForce Now
The company announced the deal at a press briefing to discuss its acquisition of Activision Blizzard