It's been 2 years since. 2 years since I realized I'd never see you do another appearance on a "tonight show," win another award for your story telling artwork, on ESPN criticizing or encouraging current NBA players; 2 years since I pretty much realized I would never get a chance to meet my greatest childhood hero and get that jersey I've saved for your autograph, signed by you. You had a pretty big impact on me and millions of others to say the least. The world truly misses you, I've never seen the entire world mourn for someone's death since the tragedy with Princess Diana. Till next time my friend. 24/8
I had been wanting this canvass for a couple of years and when I heard of the accident I purchased it that same day because I realized that there's no time like the present. Here's to living in the moment and enjoying every minute of life because we're not going to get another one.
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Microsoft has announced that it has acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.
The acquisition includes Activision Blizzard and all of its subsidiaries, such as Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch, and every other team.
Franchises acquired in the acquisition include Call of Duty, Warcraft, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft, and many more.
Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently until the transaction closes. Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as its CEO. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
Upon close, Microsoft will add “as many Activision Blizzard games as we can” to Xbox Game Pass, including new titles and back-catalog titles.
According to Spencer, “Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.”
According to Bloomberg, citing “a person familiar with the company’s thinking,” Microsoft plans to keep making some of Activision’s games for PlayStation consoles, but will also keep some content exclusive to Xbox.
Press release
REDMOND, Wash. and Santa Monica, Calif. – Jan. 18, 2022 – With three billion people actively playing games today, and fueled by a new generation steeped in the joys of interactive entertainment, gaming is now the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment. Today, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher. This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.
Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, inclusive of Activision Blizzard’s net cash. When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from the Activision, Blizzard and King studios like “Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush,” in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The company has studios around the word with nearly 10,000 employees.
Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming.
“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”
“Players everywhere love Activision Blizzard games, and we believe the creative teams have their best work in front of them,” said Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming. “Together we will build a future where people can play the games they want, virtually anywhere they want.”
“For more than 30 years our incredibly talented teams have created some of the most successful games,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard. “The combination of Activision Blizzard’s world-class talent and extraordinary franchises with Microsoft’s technology, distribution, access to talent, ambitious vision and shared commitment to gaming and inclusion will help ensure our continued success in an increasingly competitive industry.”
Mobile is the largest segment in gaming, with nearly 95% of all players globally enjoying games on mobile. Through great teams and great technology, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will empower players to enjoy the most-immersive franchises, like “Halo” and “Warcraft,” virtually anywhere they want. And with games like “Candy Crush,” Activision Blizzard´s mobile business represents a significant presence and opportunity for Microsoft in this fast-growing segment.
The acquisition also bolsters Microsoft’s Game Pass portfolio with plans to launch Activision Blizzard games into Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 25 million subscribers. With Activision Blizzard’s nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and three billion-dollar franchises, this acquisition will make Game Pass one of the most compelling and diverse lineups of gaming content in the industry. Upon close, Microsoft will have 30 internal game development studios, along with additional publishing and esports production capabilities.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and completion of regulatory review and Activision Blizzard’s shareholder approval. The deal is expected to close in fiscal year 2023 and will be accretive to non-GAAP earnings per share upon close. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard.
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This is my first post of 2022 and my 29 years alive. Birthday was a few days ago and honestly I just don't really feel loved by the people I would expect to really love me. A few people texted me haply birthday, one of them called and this ones my best friend and he didn't even really think to intentionally do something with me. I could tell he was trying to do something but only because he felt bad. It's hard to explain but it just didn't feel genuine and his invites to do something were for me to tag along to some stuff he planned for his brother while he was here for the weekend. I just like that because it's not about me at that point, it's just about him feeling better. I changed up my entire weekend plans for his birthday even tho the invite was all last minute and I was gonna celebrate my other friends bday. Anyway, long story short, I just don't feel like people love me and why would they..?
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