Gamers play the game Call of Duty: Black Ops at the 24th Electronic Expo in Los Angeles in 2018.Credit…Frederic J. Brown/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesMicrosoft is the dominant force in business software, and a giant player in cloud computing. On Tuesday, the company made clear that its ambitions were even bigger, saying it planned to buy the powerhouse video game player Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion, in a deal meant to position the company for the next generation of the internet.The acquisition, Microsoft’s largest ever, would catapult the company into a leading spot in both the video game industry and could strengthen its hand in the nascent world of virtual and augmented reality.It is also a challenge to regulators in Washington, as Democrats and Republicans alike have pushed to limit the power of technology giants. Microsoft, which makes Xbox consoles and owns studios that produce hits like Minecraft, has expanded its gaming business to surpass $10 billion in annual revenue. In anticipation of a longer review, Microsoft said it did not expect the Activision deal to close until the next fiscal year, which ends in June 2023.Activision make …
