What Microsoft's massive Activision Blizzard acquisition means for gamers

Games like Call of Duty and Crash Bandicoot will soon have a new home following a mammoth acquisition by Microsoft.

Microsoft today announced it is acquiring one of the biggest gaming studios in the world, Activision Blizzard Inc.

The deal has set a new record in the gaming world, costing Microsoft a whopping US$68.7 billion, which equates to almost $100 billion in Australian dollars.

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Once finalised, this deal will see Microsoft at the helm of over 30 video game studios.

Microsoft will then be the third-largest gaming studio in the world, behind Sony and Tencent.

This means that games like Call of Duty, Warcraft, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Crash Bandicoot and StarCraft will be now be owned by Microsoft Gaming.

This is the second major deal we've seen in the past 12 months, with Microsoft snapping up gaming studio Bethesda/Zenimax for $7.5 billion - which is nothing in comparison.

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Activision Blizzard's CEO Bobby Kottick will continue in his role, but once the deal is finalised, Activision Blizzard will report directly to Microsoft gaming's CEO Phil Spencer.

The companies will continue to operate independently until the deal closes.

What does this mean for PlayStation gamers?

You'd think PlayStation gamers will now be left in the dust, but it's too early to say.

While Mr Spencer claims they'll continue to support gaming on existing platforms, it's not clear if that's support for current titles or future.

"Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward." Mr Spencer said in an Xbox blog post.

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Microsoft's main focus now is seemingly on cloud gaming and their Xbox Game Pass service.

Microsoft also announced today they've hit a milestone of 25 million subscribers to the service.

"(The acquisition) will also accelerate our plans for Cloud Gaming, allowing more people in more places around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices you already own." Mr Spencer said.

There's no announced close date for the Activision Blizzard deal.