I am still surprised by what Microsoft has just done, and it is not for less, especially considering what we told you a few days ago in this news. In it, we saw that the Redmond giant was going to rethink its relationship with Activision Blizzard after numerous scandals that was dragging the latter, and the truth is that, with that in mind, the last thing I expected was a purchase operation.
We had been seeing rumors a few hours ago, and in the end they have been confirmed. Microsoft has bought Activision Blizzard and King for an amount of $68.7 billion, an astronomical figure with which the Redmond company has made a real demonstration of economic power. The acquisition has been confirmed by Phil Spencer himself, head of the gaming division at Microsoft, who has welcomed the “incredible and legendary” Activision Blizzard franchises to Microsoft Gaming.
There is no doubt that we are facing an important operation, but in aspects that go far beyond gaming. On the one hand, the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft means that franchises as important as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Tony Hawk, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot and StarCraft may end up being exclusive to Xbox and PC. If this happens, Sony could be in trouble, especially because of the weight that the Call of Duty saga has on PlayStation.
We will see how Microsoft handles the exclusive issue after this purchase operation, but for now Phil Spencer has confirmed that, while the acquisition is closing, Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently. Once all the ends are tied, this will report directly to Phil Spencer because he is, as we said, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
On the other hand, there is the issue of Activision Blizzard’s public image, which he wasn’t going through his best moment after the scandals that we began to see about six months ago. The purchase of this by Microsoft is an important change that could help clean up its image, since the Redmond giant enjoys a good reputation, and Activision Blizzard will have to answer directly to Phil Spencer. We will see how the situation evolves, since at the moment the only thing we know for sure is that Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, will remain in office, at least, until the purchase operation is completed.
Microsoft is bringing as many Activision Blizzard games as it can to Xbox Game Pass
This has been one of the most important keys that Phil Spencer has confirmed. The executive has openly said that once the purchase of Activision Blizzard is complete, will try to bring as many Activision Blizzard titles as possible to Xbox Game Pass, and also to PC Game Pass. It goes without saying that this is excellent news, since it could mean that fans of the Call of Duty series will save on buying a new installment every year, since they would have it available on said service.
The Game Pass service has become one of the central pillars of the Microsoft gaming ecosystem, both on Xbox and PC, and with the purchase of Activision Blizzard has raised the bar to a level that, frankly, I do not think it will be possible match Sony on your PlayStation. Yes, the Japanese company has top-tier exclusive franchises to its credit, but Microsoft has it all in the palm of its hand to shape a “devastating” Game Pass.
With this new purchase, Microsoft can boast of having in its ranks some of the most important companies in the world of video games, among which are names like Rare, id Software and Bethesda. Personally, I think Microsoft will avoid full exclusivity of Activision Blizzard’s biggest franchises, at least in the early post-purchase phase, something that has already been suggested by Phil Spencer himself, but I think that approach is likely to shift to long term.
