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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tomeczek, Artur F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02259
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author Tomeczek, Artur F.
author_facet Tomeczek, Artur F.
contents Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard valued at $68.7 billion has drastically altered the landscape of the video game industry. At the time of the takeover, the intellectual properties of Activision Blizzard included World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Overwatch, Battlenet, Candy Crush Saga, and Call of Duty. This article aims to explore the patenting activity of Activision Blizzard between 2008 (the original merger) and 2023 (the Microsoft acquisition). Four IPC code co-occurrence networks (co-classification maps) are constructed and analyzed based on the patent data downloaded from the WIPO Patentscope database. International Patent Classification (IPC) codes are a language agnostic system for the classification of patents. When multiple IPC codes co-occur in a patent, it shows that the technologies are connected. These relationships can be used for patent mapping. The analysis identifies the prolific and bridging technologies of Activision Blizzard and explores its synergistic role as a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_02259
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Innovative activities of Activision Blizzard: A patent network analysis
Tomeczek, Artur F.
General Economics
Economics
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard valued at $68.7 billion has drastically altered the landscape of the video game industry. At the time of the takeover, the intellectual properties of Activision Blizzard included World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Overwatch, Battlenet, Candy Crush Saga, and Call of Duty. This article aims to explore the patenting activity of Activision Blizzard between 2008 (the original merger) and 2023 (the Microsoft acquisition). Four IPC code co-occurrence networks (co-classification maps) are constructed and analyzed based on the patent data downloaded from the WIPO Patentscope database. International Patent Classification (IPC) codes are a language agnostic system for the classification of patents. When multiple IPC codes co-occur in a patent, it shows that the technologies are connected. These relationships can be used for patent mapping. The analysis identifies the prolific and bridging technologies of Activision Blizzard and explores its synergistic role as a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation.
title Innovative activities of Activision Blizzard: A patent network analysis
topic General Economics
Economics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02259