Yes. Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard on October 13, 2023. The useful questions now are what Microsoft actually acquired, what regulators required, and how the FTC’s challenge ended.
The timeline at a glance
Microsoft announced the completed acquisition on October 13, 2023. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer wrote in that announcement: “Today, Microsoft officially completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history across console, PC and mobile.” Because the deal has closed, the correct phrasing for any current article is past tense: Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard.
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| Date | Event | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| October 13, 2023 | Microsoft announces it has completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard | Corporate ownership changed hands on this date. |
| October 13, 2023 | The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) consents to a revised deal that excludes Activision’s non-EEA cloud streaming rights | UK approval covered a narrower transaction than the original proposal. |
| May 7, 2025 | The Ninth Circuit affirms denial of the FTC’s application for a preliminary injunction, as recited in the FTC’s later order | The FTC’s attempt to temporarily halt the deal remained unsuccessful. |
| May 22, 2025 | The FTC dismisses its administrative complaint and marks the case closed | The regulatory matter ended. The dismissal did not reverse the 2023 closing. |
What Microsoft bought, and what it did not
The phrase “Activision Blizzard” refers to the whole company, not only the Activision label. Ownership and streaming rights are different things, and the deal treated them differently.
Corporate ownership
Microsoft’s acquisition of the company is the completed event. Microsoft’s own announcement is the primary record of the closing date.
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Cloud streaming rights outside the EEA
The UK-approved version of the transaction excluded Activision’s non-EEA cloud streaming rights. Those rights were transferred to Ubisoft under the revised arrangement. Microsoft therefore did not acquire every Activision cloud streaming right worldwide.
Cloud streaming rights inside the EEA
Because the carve-out applied to non-EEA rights, the revised UK-approved transaction did not exclude EEA rights. Microsoft’s 2024 account of the arrangement describes Ubisoft as owning the relevant Activision cloud streaming rights, and it describes Activision titles becoming available through Xbox Cloud Gaming under regulatory commitments. That is a dated company statement, not a guarantee of which titles are available today.
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The regulatory challenge: allegation, litigation, dismissal
What the FTC alleged
The FTC argued that the deal could enable Microsoft to suppress rivals in console, subscription, and cloud gaming. That is the agency’s allegation. It is not a judicial finding that the acquisition would or did have that effect.
What the courts decided
The FTC sought a preliminary injunction, which would have paused the deal while the case continued. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of that request on May 7, 2025, as the FTC’s later order recites it. The deal had already closed in 2023, so the litigation concerned the FTC’s administrative case rather than whether Microsoft could complete the purchase.
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How the case ended
On May 22, 2025, the FTC dismissed its administrative complaint and marked the case closed. The dismissal ended the challenge. It did not unwind the acquisition.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this answers, and what it does not
- Settled: Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard as of October 13, 2023, and the FTC’s administrative case was dismissed on May 22, 2025.
- Settled: The UK approval applied to the revised transaction, which excluded Activision’s non-EEA cloud streaming rights.
- Not settled here: Which Activision titles are playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming today. Check the current Xbox Cloud Gaming catalog directly, because a 2024 company account cannot confirm present-day availability.
- Not covered here: Share-price history, shareholder payments, and subscription pricing for Activision Blizzard or Microsoft products.
If you are asking because of an investment, a budget decision, or a subscription choice, the closing date and the FTC dismissal are the facts to build on. Anything about current titles or prices should be checked against the company’s own current pages.
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