Bombshell announcement sees Microsoft pony up whopping £50 billion for embattled publisher, in what could be the biggest studio acquisition in history.

Where were you when Microsoft bought Activision?? Such a phrase could well be uttered for years to come as gamers come to terms with what could be a seismic event in the games industry.

The publisher behind Diablo, Crash Bandicoot, Starcraft, World of Warcraft and yes, Call of Duty, is now owned by team green, and gamers are freaking out about it.

If you’re an Xbox guy, you’re probably licking your lips at the prospect of never having to pay for CoD again – as it’ll inevitably appear on Game Pass. But if you’re a Sony fanboy, you may be trashing your Mum’s basement in a fit of nerd rage right now, as many of your favourite games franchises may no longer be coming to PlayStation. More on that shortly.

What the deal means for Activision given it’s current struggles with harassment claims

In case you haven’t heard, Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in open warfare with many of its staff for months now, as countless allegations of sexual harassment and staff misconduct have forced management into sacking dozens of employees.

Embattled boss Bobby Kotick, who is accused of covering up the worst abuses, is still in charge but is thought to be one of the first casualties of the Microsoft acquisition. A smart move for Phil Spencer as he’ll want to start the relationship on a positive note with the wider gaming community.

With no sign of staff unrest resolving itself anytime soon, a change in management at the top is probably the best thing that could happen to the publisher right now.

And given how many massive games the publisher is responsible for there’s no doubt that despite the trouble Activision Blizzard is in, it’s a worthwhile investment for Microsoft.

Will all Activision games be Xbox exclusives from now on??

This is the question gamers are furiously debating online, as no announcements have yet been made.

Phil Spencer has been quoted on the matter, but his answer could not have been more vague. Phil said: “I’ll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remain committed to that.”

To give Phil the benefit of the doubt, it’s likely some but not all of the publisher’s titles will be exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft bought Minecraft and kept that across all platforms. They also didn’t mess with Sony timed-exclusive deals on Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo either, despite owning the studios behind them in their last massive acquisition of Bethesda.

What’s for certain is Xbox is increasingly becoming the most versatile platform for the biggest 3rd party games, as it acquires more and more studios. Why are they doing it? It’s all about Game Pass.

Reports suggest Microsoft has surpassed 25 million subscribers, and just like every other media we consume these days, feel that a subscription-based model is the future of games consumption.

There are rumors that Sony is planning its own rival to Game Pass, but at the rate Xbox keeps splashing the cash for big publishers, along with their already mammoth Game Pass user base, it may be too little too late for Sony to stem the tide of players turning from team blue to team green over the coming years. Whatever your take on Microsoft’s latest gaming cash-grab, it’s going to be exciting to see where it all leads.