The word came in on January 18, 2022, that Microsoft intends to buy Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. Almost a couple of years later, Activision ultimately came under Microsoft Gaming, with Phil Spencer leading the charge. Fans expected the tech giant wouldn’t make any games exclusive to their console, and so far, it hasn’t.
A year later, the acquisition hasn’t proven to be too fruitful. Maybe it will in the future, but as of now, all the news we got to hear were the layoffs or studio shutdowns.
Shaping the Future of Gaming, But How Really?
The deal was obvious enough to turn some big heads toward it. From Europe to the Middle East, those guardians of standards began adjusting their spectacles for some serious scrutiny of the matter.
While regulators were concerned about the monopoly Microsoft may spread, the gaming community was concerned with a potential threat to franchises like Call of Duty. None of it has come to fruition thankfully.
More ‘joy‘ to the gaming community—that was the idea behind this deal. This is supposed to be shaping the future of gaming. How? That is still a mystery.
Now that the tech giant is in power to make the games its way, there is a good likelihood of poisoning the pot. Our beloved Activision Blizzard franchise’s legacy has been on the decline for quite some time now. And then there’s Starfield too that was supposed to put the space on fire. The bottom line is, despite the company acquiring these big guns, it is struggling still.
While this may be a competitive edge to its competitors, it is likely still concerned.
But when the entire gaming industry is taken into account, it can be a boon or a curse at the same time. More technologies like the metaverse are trending and the company mentioned the acquisition will help develop one. But then the metaverse, as many have pointed out, is already dead. Why work for it?
Now this acquisition is a real thing and cannot be undone. So, the company should make sure it plays out like that of Tencent after it acquired Riot Games and not like Meta’s Oculus VR acquisition.
A Good Focus on Quality Would Likely Make Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Deal Successful
The acquisition was the highest-value tech merger in history. But there are things that many might wonder will ever be pulled off. The Call of Duty maker has lots of useful ideas, including games and its engines. How is Microsoft integrating them?
But before the question of integrating assets, there’s a question of potential workplace mistreatment. This especially comes into play when you think of the employees that were sent the other way in the name of layoffs. COVID-19 really affected organizational decision-making for many.
As many have seen the way out, hopefully new windows for people will open in the future. One thing to consider here is that the company plans to focus on Mobile gaming. While this may be great for Call of Duty: Mobile, it can be bad for its console and PC counterparts.
There is one thing that will certainly make things better when it enters the mainstream: cloud gaming. For the next fifteen years from the deal, Microsoft has handed over to Ubisoft the rights to publish Activision games on the cloud. We’ve yet to see how far it will go.
Activision Blizzard was one large piece of pie that the tech giant put on the plate, but then the bigger the piece, the more difficult it is to digest. Its gaming division is still in an uphill battle even after a year of the acquisition.
More than anything, the gaming community wants quality, something that is often missing in the games that are being released today. This uphill battle can become a smooth path for Microsoft only if they focus on it. I hope it won’t focus on just churning content mindlessly.
What do you think about the future of Microsoft’s gaming division? We would like to know about it in the comments section below.
