Activision CEO wants Xbox to make Candy Crush game with more social features

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick describes an idea he had to make Candy Crush more social and how Xbox could make that happen.

Microsoft’s recently announced acquisition of Activision Blizzard has given controversial CEO Bobby Kotick the opportunity to speak on a variety of topics. The focus is clearly on why Kotick pursued the acquisition in the first place, as well as what it means for Activision Blizzard’s individual companies and franchises. A surprising thing Comment from Kotick related to mobile game franchise Candy Crush, how Kotick wants it to change, and how Microsoft can make it happen.

Speaking to VentureBeat, Kotick was asked if there’s something Microsoft and Activision Blizzard combined that they can’t do individually. Kotick has dived into some of his ideas that Activision Blizzard couldn’t execute on their own. That includes Activision Blizzard’s lack of what Kotick describes as sufficient “social competence” in Candy Crush. Kotick wants to be able to create a Candy Crush experience with multiplayer functionality, which he thinks is possible through Microsoft.

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The full idea is that Kotick wants a Candy Crush where players can compete with each other. Kotick even wants it to go beyond mere matchmaking; he wants to have full voice over IP and support video over IP as part of the game, allowing players to socialize while playing Candy Crush together.

Kotick doesn’t explain why Candy Crush ultimately did not move in this direction while under his command. In fact, King only released one Candy Crush game since Activision acquired the mobile game studio in 2016 and it doesn’t have any more or less social elements than previous games. It might be working on a New Candy Crush game for future release, though.

There’s no denying that Microsoft would be able to support those social features if King wanted to do it Candy Crush a more social experience, however. Xbox Live provides a powerful platform for social interaction, including voice support. In addition, Microsoft’s video over IP service Chat app can be used, if that’s the direction the King wants to go in.

Candy Crush not the only game that Kotick mentioned in the interview, when he talked about Guitar Hero and Skylanders, too. He never really talks about how Microsoft will help these franchises, instead framing his answer as his ideas failing. However, he acknowledged Microsoft’s many resources and said he believes those resources will “make a difference” in Activision Blizzard’s future.

Candy Crush Saga Now available on iOS and Android devices.

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The source: VentureBeat

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