Videogame companies have also sharpened their focus on mobile games as restrictions ease and people ditch their PCs and TV screens to step outside. The mobile gaming market is likely to reach a size of $116.4 billion by 2024, according to data firm Newzoo.

Xbox maker Microsoft Corp said on Jan. 18 that it would buy "Call of Duty" videogame maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in cash, the largest deal in the sector.

Here is a list of the biggest videogame deals in the past few years:

Date Acquirer Target Deal Value Popular

Games

Jan. 2022 Microsoft Corp Activision $68.7 bln Call of

Blizzard Duty

Jan. 2022 Take-Two Zynga $11.04 bln FarmVille

Interactive

June 2016 Tencent Supercell $8.6 bln Clash of

Holdings-led Oy Clans,

investor group Brawl Stars

Sept. 2020 Microsoft Corp Zenimax $7.5 bln The Elder

Scrolls

Nov. 2015 Activision King $5.9 bln Candy Crush

Blizzard Saga

July 2016 Chinese Playtika $4.4 bln Best

investor group Fiends,

Bingo blitz

Sept. 2014 Microsoft Corp Mojang $2.5 bln Minecraft

Studios

Feb. 2021 Electronic Arts Glu Mobile $2.4 bln Kim

Kardashian:

Hollywood

June 2021 Electronic Arts Playdemic $1.4 bln Golf Clash

Source: Refinitiv, an LSEG Business

(Reporting by Eva Mathews and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)