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Acquisitions
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]  
Acquisitions
Acquisitions
 
King Digital Entertainment

On February 23, 2016, we completed the King Acquisition, purchasing all of King's outstanding shares. As a result, King became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. King is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services, particularly on mobile platforms, such as Android and iOS, and on online and social platforms, such as Facebook and the king.com websites. King’s results of operations since the King Closing Date are included in our condensed consolidated financial statements.

We made this acquisition because we believe that the addition of King’s highly-complementary mobile business positions us as a global leader in interactive entertainment across console, PC, and mobile platforms, as well as positioning us for future growth.

The aggregate purchase price of the King Acquisition was approximately $5.8 billion, which was paid on the King Closing Date and funded primarily with $3.6 billion of existing cash and $2.2 billion of cash from new debt issued by the Company. We identified and recorded assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values at the King Closing Date and allocated the remaining value of approximately $2.7 billion to goodwill. The final purchase price allocation was as follows (amounts in millions):
 
 
February 23, 2016
Estimated useful lives
Tangible assets and liabilities assumed:
 
 
 
     Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
1,151

 
     Accounts receivable
 
162

 
     Other current assets
 
72

 
     Property and equipment
 
57

 2 - 7 years
     Deferred income tax assets, net
 
27

 
     Other assets
 
47

 
     Accounts payable
 
(9
)
 
     Accrued expenses and other liabilities
 
(272
)
 
     Other liabilities
 
(110
)
 
     Deferred income tax liabilities, net
 
(52
)
 
Intangible assets
 
 
 
     Internally-developed franchises
 
845

3 - 5 years
     Customer base
 
609

2 years
     Developed software
 
580

3 - 4 years
     Trade name
 
46

7 years
Goodwill
 
2,675

 
Total purchase price
 
$
5,828

 


During the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company incurred $34 million of expenses related to the King Acquisition, which are included within "General and administrative" in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. In connection with the debt financing that occurred on the King Closing Date, we incurred $38 million of issuance costs that were capitalized and recorded within "Long-term debt, net" on our condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Share-Based Compensation

In connection with the King Acquisition, a majority of the outstanding King options and awards that were unvested as of the King Closing Date were converted into equivalent options and awards with respect to shares of the Company’s common stock, using an equity award exchange ratio calculated in accordance with the transaction agreement. As a result, replacement stock options and equity awards of 10 million and 3 million, respectively, were issued. The portion of the fair value related to pre-combination services of $76 million was included in the purchase price, while the remaining fair value will be recognized over the remaining service periods. As of December 31, 2016, the future expense for the converted King unvested stock options and equity awards was approximately $40 million, which will be recognized over a weighted average service period of approximately 1.6 years.

The remaining portion of outstanding unvested awards that were assumed were replaced with deferred cash awards. The cash proceeds were placed in an escrow-like account, with the cash releases occurring as future services are rendered in accordance with the awards' original vesting schedules. The cash associated with these awards is recorded in "Other current assets" and "Other assets" in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. The portion of the fair value related to pre-combination services of $22 million was included in the purchase price while the remaining fair value of approximately $9 million will be recognized over the remaining service periods.

Identifiable Intangible Assets Acquired and Goodwill

The internally-developed franchises, customer base, developed software, and trade name intangible assets will be amortized to “Cost of revenues-subscription, licensing, and other revenues-Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses,” “Sales and marketing,” “Cost of revenues-subscription, licensing, and other revenues-Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses,” and “General and administrative,” respectively. The intangible assets will be amortized over their estimated useful lives in proportion to the economic benefits received.

The $2.7 billion of goodwill recognized is primarily attributable to the benefits the Company expects to derive from accelerated expansion as an interactive entertainment provider in the mobile sector, future franchises, and technology, as well as the management team’s proven ability to create future games and franchises. Approximately $620 million of the goodwill is expected to be deductible for tax purposes in the U.S.

King Net Revenue and Earnings

The amount of net revenue and earnings attributable to King in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations during the three months ended March 31, 2016, the period of the King Acquisition, are included in the table below. The amounts presented represent the net revenues and earnings after adjustments for purchase price accounting, inclusive of amortization of intangible assets, share-based payments, and deferral of revenues and related cost of revenues.
(in millions)
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016
Net revenues
$
183

Net loss
$
(50
)


Pro Forma Financial Information

The unaudited financial information in the table below summarizes the combined results of operations of the Company and King for the three months ended March 31, 2016, on a pro forma basis, as though the acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2015. The 2016 pro forma financial information presented includes the effects of adjustments related to amortization charges from acquired intangible assets, employee compensation from replacement equity awards issued in the King Acquisition and the profit sharing bonus plan established as part of the King Acquisition, and interest expense from the new debt, among other adjustments. We also adjusted for Activision Blizzard and King non-recurring acquisition related costs of approximately $60 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016.

The unaudited pro forma financial information as presented below is for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the King Acquisition, and any borrowings undertaken to finance the King Acquisition, had taken place at the beginning of the earliest period presented, nor does it intend to be a projection of future results.

(in millions)
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016
Net revenues
$
1,735

Net income
$
329

Basic earnings per common share
$
0.44

Diluted earnings per common share
$
0.44