When Microsoft said they were going after 2-3 Billion gamers, they were not kidding! In a move that has stunned the industry, Microsoft today announced their intent to acquire Activision-Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Activision Blizzard, despite some of the bad press they have had in recent weeks, are one of the industry power houses across console, mobile and PC gaming. Activision’s impressive portfolio includes Call of Duty, Overwatch, Candycrush, World of Warcraft and more.
Microsoft’s Metaverse moves
Phil Spencer recently gave an interview on the programme ‘Sway’ with Kara Swisher, discussing the metaverse and Microsofts relationship with Activision. We can see now why he was coy on the topic. To read the Gamerhub article covering this, find the link here. It appears that this acquisition is a key part of their strategy to grow within the metaverse space. “This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.”
According to Microsoft, once the transaction closes in 2023, this will make Microsoft ” …the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.” In addition to the massive library of games and studios, Microsoft will absorb a network of nearly 10,000 employees and a whole host of eSports activities. It sure is an exciting time to be a gamer!
A quote from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadalla “Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms. We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”
Exclusive? Or coming to PlayStation?
So what does this mean for Activision Blizzard games like Call of Duty. Will PlayStation players still be able to play future games on their PlayStation consoles? The wording I saw:
While we know Microsofts strategy is to have Game Pass as an app that can run on a toaster, they’re still trying to get people into their eco-system. In terms of exclusivity of Activision games, I think big multiplayer games like Call of Duty can be expected to release on PlayStation moving forward, as these games are better with larger player bases. However, single player games I think will probably end up being exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem.
Big Bad Bobby Kotic here to stay?
Bobby Kotic is to stay on as CEO at Activision Blizzard, according to Microsoft. Something that has will surprise many considering the bad publicity, and general discontent within the industry towards Activision and Bobby Kotic. “Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth.” I have to say though I do not think we have heard the end of this. Microsoft would be very unwise to announce such things until after the deal goes through.
Mobile gaming looks to be an area Microsoft are keen to push into. In their press release Microsoft highlighted mobile gaming. Owing to the size of mobile gaming worldwide, and Microsoft’s ambitions, this makes a lot of sense. It will be interesting to see though, how this might affect services like Xbox Game Pass.
Here is the paragraph where mobile is mentioned. “Mobile is the largest segment in gaming, with nearly 95% of all players globally enjoying games on mobile. Through great teams and great technology, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will empower players to enjoy the most-immersive franchises, like “Halo” and “Warcraft,” virtually anywhere they want. And with games like “Candy Crush,” Activision Blizzard´s mobile business represents a significant presence and opportunity for Microsoft in this fast-growing segment.”
Xbox Game Pass subscribers are the winners here!
What is the thing about this acquisition? All of these games coming to Xbox Game Pass of course! A newly announced milestone of 25 million subscribers will surely carry on its huge growth with regular additions to Game Pass such as the annual Call of Duty games, overwatch and Warcraft. The total number of studios under the Xbox umbrella will jump up to 30, once the deal closes. Forming the most impressive and diverse line up of development talent under one publisher.
Needless to say, I am sure this is something that people in the industry will be discussing for weeks and Gamerhub will keep you up-to-date. If you would like to read the full press release please see it here: Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone, across every device – Stories
