Ten months later, Microsoft is still having trouble getting their massive $69B Activision acquisition approved. The uncertainty has sent Activision trading 20% below the $95 acquisition price. The odds are stacking against Microsoft Activision is the creator of popular games like Overwatch, Call of Duty and Warcraft. Microsoft owns Xbox and other gaming studios. Combined,…

The launch of the highly anticipated Pokémon sold a record 10M units — the highest of any Nintendo game release. Twenty-six years after the debut of their first Pokémon game, it has evolved into an open-world 3D concept. Millennials, remember playing on the OG Game Boy? But the game quickly became a PR nightmare as…

Yesterday, AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) — proposed a merger with Unity Software (NYSE:U) in an all-stock deal — valuing Unity at $20B. What’s the big deal? Unity Software’s development tools help render 3D graphics — powering 50% of all video games. AppLovin helps developers grow and monetize their mobile apps. Combined, the two could create a $35B…

Private equity firm Joffre Capital is buying a 20% stake in Playtika (NASDAQ:PLTK) — an Israeli mobile gaming company — from a Chinese investment group. What’s the big deal? The purchase price was at a 46% premium compared to Playtika’s previous day’s closing price. But why pay such a big premium? It’s unlikely Joffre could…

Yesterday, two things sent China’s second-largest gaming giant NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) lower: The delay of the highly anticipated China game launch of Diablo Immortal. Winnie the Pooh. What’s the big deal? China was expected to be the biggest market for the game — co-developed by NetEase and Activision Blizzard. NetEase is pushing the release to “optimise…