Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is advising Activision Blizzard, Inc. in its acquisition of King Digital Entertainment plc for $18.00 in cash per share, for a total equity value of $5.9 billion. The acquisition is subject to approval by King’s shareholders and the Irish High Court, clearances by the relevant antitrust authorities and other customary closing conditions. It is likely to be completed in the Spring of 2016.

Activision Blizzard believes that the addition of King’s mobile focused business will position Activision Blizzard as a global leader in interactive entertainment across mobile, console and PC platforms, and positions the company for future growth.

Activision Blizzard, a member of the S&P 500, is the world’s most successful standalone interactive entertainment company. It develops and publishes games based on some of the most beloved entertainment franchises, including Call of Duty®, Destiny, Skylanders®, Guitar Hero®, World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo®, and Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™. The company is also one of the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies To Work For®” 2015. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, it has operations throughout the world and is listed to trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “ATVI”.

The Debevoise team is led by partners Jeffrey J. Rosen and William D. Regner, and includes partners David A. Brittenham, Lawrence K. Cagney, Gary M. Friedman, Paul M. Rodel and Jeffrey E. Ross, counsel Margaret M. O’Neill and Dmitriy A. Tartakovskiy, international counsel Nathan Parker and associates Christine Shu Gilleland, Andrew G. Jamieson, Katarina Molnarova, Adam M. Namm and Anna Smith.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. We deliver effective solutions to our clients’ most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctively collaborative approach.