Microsoft to gobble up Activision in $69 billion metaverse bet

Microsoft is buying “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in the biggest gaming industry deal in history as global technology giants stake their claims to a virtual future.

The all-cash deal announced by Microsoft yesterday, its biggest-ever acquisition, will bolster its firepower in the booming videogaming market where it takes on leaders Tencent and Sony.