Console wars: Microsoft strikes back

Published January 21, 2022 4:00am ET



The “console wars” may sound like a Star Wars knockoff, but it is one of the biggest stories in the world of video games. Thanks to a sexual harassment scandal, the war has escalated dramatically.

Microsoft, which makes the Xbox, has reached a $68.7 billion deal to acquire video game developer Activision Blizzard. Activision Blizzard’s sexual harassment issues, which brought on an anti-discrimination lawsuit from the state of California, likely helped spur the deal. With Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service humming and the company previously acquiring Bethesda Softworks, the added possibility of more exclusive content with Activision Blizzard will change the video game landscape.

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