Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Company History
Activision Blizzard History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2008 in Santa Monica, California
When was Activision Blizzard founded?
Activision Blizzard was founded in 2008 in Santa Monica, California by Jim Levy, David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead, Allen Adham, Michael Morhaime and Frank Pearce, making it 18 years old.
- Founded
- 2008
- Founding place
- Santa Monica, California
- Founders
- Jim Levy, David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead, Allen Adham, Michael Morhaime and Frank Pearce
- Headquarters today
- Santa Monica, California
- Milestones documented
- 14 (1979–2024)
- Current CEO
- Phil Spencer (CEO, Microsoft Gaming)
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Activision Founded |
| 1991 | Silicon & Synapse Founded |
| 2003 | Call of Duty Launches |
| 2004 | World of Warcraft Launches |
| 2008 | Activision Blizzard Created |
| 2013 | Vivendi Majority Ownership Ends |
| 2016 | King Acquisition Closes |
| 2021 | Digital Legends Acquired |
| 2021 | Workplace Matters Disclosed |
| 2022 | Microsoft Acquisition Announced |
| 2023 | Microsoft Acquisition Closes |
| 2023 | Bobby Kotick Departs |
| 2024 | Johanna Faries Leads Blizzard |
| 2024 | Games Expand Across Microsoft Channels |
- Where was Activision Blizzard founded?
- Activision Blizzard was founded in Santa Monica, California in 2008.
- Who founded Activision Blizzard?
- Activision Blizzard was founded by Jim Levy, David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead, Allen Adham, Michael Morhaime and Frank Pearce.
- When did Activision Blizzard start?
- Activision Blizzard was founded in 2008.
- How old is Activision Blizzard?
- Activision Blizzard is 18 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Activision Blizzard itself was formed in July 2008 when Activision combined with Vivendi Games. Its predecessor history begins with Activision, founded in 1979 by Jim Levy and former Atari programmers, and Silicon & Synapse, founded in 1991 by Allen Adham, Michael Morhaime, and Frank Pearce before becoming Blizzard Entertainment.
Founders
Jim Levy
Born in 1944, Levy earned his B.S. and M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University. As a music-industry executive, he recognized that game designers should be credited like recording artists. He co-founded Activision in 1979 as its first CEO, leading the company through its early rapid growth and its 1983 public offering. He stepped down in 1986. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
David Crane
Born in 1953, Crane earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from the DeVry Institute of Technology. After working as a programmer at Atari, he left to co-found Activision in 1979 to secure better pay and creative recognition. He designed some of the company's biggest early hits, including the massively successful Pitfall!, before leaving in 1986 to co-found Absolute Entertainment. David Crane was born in 1953.
Larry Kaplan
Born in 1949, Kaplan earned a B.A. in computer science from UC Berkeley. As an early Atari programmer, he helped create several popular games before leaving to co-found Activision in 1979. He designed the hit game Kaboom! for the Atari 2600. He left Activision in 1982 to briefly return to Atari and later worked at other technology companies. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Alan Miller
Miller earned a degree in electrical engineering and computer science from UC Berkeley. After developing games for Atari, he grew dissatisfied with the lack of creator recognition and co-founded Activision in 1979. He designed several successful early titles before leaving the company in 1984 to co-found Accolade with Bob Whitehead. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Bob Whitehead
Whitehead earned a degree in mathematics from San Jose State University. He joined Atari as a programmer and created several early console games before leaving to co-found Activision in 1979 in pursuit of better compensation and creative credit. He developed several hits for the company before leaving in 1984 to co-found Accolade with Alan Miller. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Allen Adham
Adham earned his undergraduate degree from UCLA. In 1991, he co-founded Silicon & Synapse, which would later be renamed Blizzard Entertainment. As lead designer and executive, he guided the creation of foundational franchises including Warcraft and StarCraft. He left the company in 2004 to pursue a career in finance but returned to Blizzard in 2016 as an executive producer. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Michael Morhaime
Born in 1967, Morhaime earned a bachelor's degree from UCLA. In 1991, he co-founded Silicon & Synapse with Allen Adham and Frank Pearce. He served as the president and CEO of Blizzard Entertainment for over two decades, overseeing the launch of World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo. He stepped down as president in 2018 and co-founded Dreamhaven in 2020. Education: University of California, Los Angeles. Morhaime was born on November 3, 1967. He sat on the Vivendi Games executive committee from January 1999, when Blizzard became a Vivendi Games subsidiary, until July 2008. He later founded Dreamhaven, a games company based in Irvine, California, where he is chief executive. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Frank Pearce
Pearce earned a bachelor's degree from UCLA. He co-founded Silicon & Synapse in 1991 with Allen Adham and Michael Morhaime. As Chief Development Officer of Blizzard Entertainment, he played a crucial role in overseeing the development of World of Warcraft and other major franchises. He stepped down from his leadership role at Blizzard in 2019. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Activision Founded
Jim Levy and former Atari programmers David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, and Bob Whitehead founded Activision.
Source: sec.govSilicon & Synapse Founded
Allen Adham, Michael Morhaime, and Frank Pearce founded the studio that became Blizzard Entertainment.
Source: sec.govCall of Duty Launches
Activision launched Call of Duty, which became a core publishing franchise.
Source: sec.govWorld of Warcraft Launches
Blizzard launched World of Warcraft, establishing a subscription-based online game business.
Source: investor.activision.comActivision Blizzard Created
Activision and Vivendi completed the transaction creating Activision Blizzard on July 9, 2008.
Source: investor.activision.comVivendi Majority Ownership Ends
Activision Blizzard and an investor group completed share purchases that ended Vivendi's majority ownership.
Source: investor.activision.comKing Acquisition Closes
Activision Blizzard completed its $5.9 billion equity-value acquisition of King on February 23, 2016.
Source: investor.activision.comDigital Legends Acquired
Activision acquired Barcelona-based mobile game developer Digital Legends.
Source: investor.activision.comWorkplace Matters Disclosed
Workplace misconduct allegations, investigations, and related settlements became a material governance issue.
Source: sec.govMicrosoft Acquisition Announced
Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard for $95 per share in a transaction valued at $68.7 billion including net cash.
Source: news.microsoft.comMicrosoft Acquisition Closes
Microsoft completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard on October 13, 2023.
Source: blogs.microsoft.comBobby Kotick Departs
Bobby Kotick left Activision Blizzard on December 29, 2023 after remaining through the acquisition transition.
Source: cnbc.comJohanna Faries Leads Blizzard
Johanna Faries became President of Blizzard Entertainment effective February 5, 2024.
Source: news.blizzard.comGames Expand Across Microsoft Channels
Microsoft added Activision Blizzard titles to Game Pass and cloud services and renewed Blizzard publishing in mainland China through NetEase.
Source: blogs.microsoft.comMajor Acquisitions
King Digital Entertainment
2016Add a mobile free-to-play games business led by Candy Crush to the console and PC portfolio.
Digital Legends Entertainment
2021Add a Barcelona-based mobile game development studio to Activision.
Proletariat, Inc.
2022Expand Blizzard's World of Warcraft development capacity.
Keep researching Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard Company History FAQ
When was Activision Blizzard formed?
Activision Blizzard was formed in July 2008 through the combination of Activision and Vivendi Games.
When did Activision Blizzard acquire King?
The $5.9 billion equity-value King acquisition closed on February 23, 2016.
When did Microsoft acquire Activision Blizzard?
Microsoft completed the acquisition on October 13, 2023.
What changed after the Microsoft acquisition?
Activision, Blizzard, and King became part of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard stopped reporting as a standalone public company.
When did Activision and Blizzard merge?
The companies officially merged in 2008 in a massive $18.9 billion deal orchestrated with Vivendi Games.
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