The Shady Details Of Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard

Everything about Activision Blizzard seems shady, and that shadiness is either contagious or has always been everywhere without any of us noticing. When Microsoft announced they would be acquiring Activision Blizzard this past February, everyone rejoiced as that meant Microsoft would get rid of hated CEO Bobby Kotick, right?! I mean, Phil Spencer, Xbox's top guy himself, said that he was deeply troubled by the actions of Activision ... right before he announced he was going to buy it. Well, Kotick is still there, and because this is Activision Blizzard that we're talking about, that's obviously far from the only problem taking place under the company's shadow right now. 

First, there are the parents of ex-employee Kerri Moynihan, who have announced that they're suing the company over alleged sexual harassment that they claim led to her committing suicide. Meanwhile, the acquisition of Activision, which is now being investigated over allegations of messy dealings conducted by one of Kotick's pals. There are two ongoing federal investigations over the allegation that Fox co-founder and Kotick's longtime friend Barry Diller, music mogul David Geffen, and just-loaded-guy Alexander Von Furstenberg were meddling with insider trading of Activision's shares while aware of the upcoming acquisition by Microsoft.

The allegations spawned from the acquisition of $108 million worth of Activision shares that took place shortly before Microsoft showed up, seemingly out of nowhere to swallow the company whole. The move earned them a cool $68 million overnight, but I'm not sure if that's going to be worth the hassle of having to explain the decision of investing such a large amount in a company that was struggling to even keep players in the World Of Warcraft.

Top Image: Activision Blizzard, Microsoft