Pros and Cons of Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard Acquisition
As evidenced by today’s news, it couldn’t be clearer that Microsoft continues to make huge contributions to Xbox’s future in the gaming industry. Whether it’s the expansion of Xbox Game Pass over the past few years or the introduction of backwards compatibility, among many other endeavors, Microsoft is working to overcome the drawback it has compared to the PlayStation. Microsoft today announced the $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, one of the largest video game publishers in the gaming industry. Topping all of the previous corporate acquisitions in the game, some of the biggest IPs in the game are now owned by Microsoft.
To say that this huge deal is unexpected is an understatement, especially given the state of affairs Activision Blizzard The current. Brimming with controversy due to toxic, workplace harassment, an ongoing lawsuit by the State of California, as well as the complicity and complacency of Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, the prospect of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft publisher was bleak. The plans granted for this acquisition may have been first laid out before the lawsuits or allegations took place, but they provide an important context for this acquisition. There are certainly positives to Microsoft’s acquisition, but it’s hard not to overlook the obvious problems that could arise.
Xbox’s influence on gaming extends even further
One of the immediate concerns stemming from this announcement was the fact that Xbox continued to grow at a proprietary pace; a criticism Microsoft as a technology company has often struggled with in the past. That’s not to say that Xbox has a complete “monopoly” in gaming, although it’s not unreasonable that these concerns grow among fans, especially when Microsoft acquired the former Bethesda / ZeniMax for $7.5 billion. Unlike Sony with PlayStation, Microsoft has the ability to finance these massive deals as they have capital from the general tech business (Windows, Azure, etc.) micromarket of Xbox.
Xbox’s dominance with Xbox Game Pass is one thing, but squabbling over IPs and big-name franchises just to make them exclusives later on isn’t sustainable. Phil Spencer, who was also named CEO of Microsoft Gaming as part of today’s announcement, has previously been adamant about not taking the game out of existing communities, but that’s not necessarily the case. consistent with future efforts.
Even today, Spencer has specifically commented on Xbox acquisitions and exclusivity, saying it was not “Xbox’s intention to pull the community away from [PlayStation] and we remain committed to that. “However, Spencer has also mentioned before that acquiring Bethesda means The Elder Scrolls 6 will most likely become an Xbox exclusive position. It cannot be ruled out that future Activision Blizzard games will receive similar treatment.
Activision Blizzard IPs likely to fall into Xbox exclusivity
From a player’s perspective, exclusivity is the number one concern with this acquisition announcement. Do IPs like it? Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Diabloand more will become Xbox exclusive as future items are developed and published? Will all the new IPs remain exclusive to Xbox in the future? It’s hard to say definitively, but examples like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 may indicate that it is more likely than Spencer’s comments seem to indicate. At this time, Upcoming Starfield Exclusively confirmed for Xbox and PC, while additional comments seem to suggest that The Elder Scrolls 6 will also become an Xbox exclusive.
Future efforts from Activision may be Xbox exclusive, whether it’s new IPs or new entries in Call of Duty or Overwatch Franchising. Whether it is a timed exclusivity or a perpetual platform exclusivity remains to be seen, but exclusivity in some form is possible. Obviously for PlayStation players it will be a huge blow, especially for previously mainstream (and popular) third-party franchises like Call of Duty. At the same time, Microsoft probably wouldn’t spend nearly $70 billion acquiring one of the biggest video game publishers in the industry just so they could continue to support platforms and companies that are in direct competition.
Monopoly when it comes to Xbox is a difficult situation to navigate, especially since so many fans respect Phil Spencer’s word and reputation. Spencer emphasized that they don’t want to divide the player communities, but the exclusivity has been confirmed for upcoming titles published by Microsoft as a result of the acquisition, so there is a the possibility that Activision Blizzard games could be completely exclusive Future.
Potential for a better workplace platform under Microsoft
Supposedly there are some conceivable benefits that could come to Activision Blizzard after Microsoft’s acquisition. Monopoly aside, Microsoft has the ability to provide many of Activision Blizzard’s development subsidiaries with the resources needed to improve the development process and platform of its games. Obviously the big caveat here is Problematic workplace culture now exists at Activision Blizzardand the company’s clear desire to design games like Call of Duty focus on making money and profit. None of this is likely to change under former Activision Blizzard leadership, but Microsoft can push for change.
Microsoft has worked hard to promote its creative and productivity platform at its other first-party studios, so Activision Blizzard may well receive the same treatment. It’s not a secret games like Call of Duty: Vanguard, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Overwatch there have been a degree of neglect for a variety of reasons. Organized employee strike, widespread fraud issues, controversy and backlash over cheap money and microtransaction attempts, bugs and technical issues, and more , all of which have caused quality degradation in live service games published by Activision Blizzard.
After a clear management restructuring, redesigning the development framework at Activision Blizzard (across all of its development subsidiaries, Raven Software, Toys for Bob, etc.) publisher and its entire IP.
Bobby Kotick’s perfection and smugness can’t be left behind
Yet another possible advantage from this acquisition has become almost as expected from many fans, employees, and investors of Activision Blizzard. Bobby Kotick’s disregard, willingness to join and defend the “brother culture” established at many of Activision Blizzard’s development studios is unacceptable. Many fans, current and former employees, as well as investors in the company have called for Kotick to step down, however he remains as CEO. Even now, among the reports that his term will end after the deal was completed between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, Kotick remained the CEO publisher until then.
Assuming the deal closes, Microsoft’s acquisition won’t inherently change any of the lingering office culture issues that are still plaguing Activision Blizzard, but there’s still some optimism there. Microsoft as a company, from both Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, both emphasized their commitment to “dignity and respect” among colleagues in response to the acquisition. It’s likely that Microsoft’s acquisition could lead to a much safer and more positive work environment, assuming it can eliminate problematic personnel and foster a friendly developer community. .
Unprecedented acquisitions, unprecedented problems
A company acquisition of this size has never happened in the gaming industry, even if this is nothing new for Microsoft (LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.). This is truly an unprecedented time for the gaming industry, at least in the past decade. This acquisition surpasses Microsoft’s previous Bethesda/ZeniMax Media acquisition, as well as vs. Take-Two Interactive acquires mobile developer Zynga just last week. The coming weeks/months absolutely mean things are changing for both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, especially with the ongoing State of California lawsuit, so this may not be the last to learn. and endorsements from this acquisition.
That being said, there are a number of potential benefits to Activision Blizzard that could come from the acquisition, even if the negative aspects are quite obvious at first glance. Microsoft and Xbox’s experience with first-party development support can certainly help realign the development platform at Activision Blizzard, which in turn can improve the continued development of titles like Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraftand many more IPs. That being said, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard also brings with it a lot of important and controversial baggage that Microsoft needs to deal with.
Over time, publishers can thrive under Microsoft’s lead. However, that can only happen if the Activision Blizzard workplace toxicity can be addressed and addressed at the root, giving employees the accountability and respect they deserve. after all this time.
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https://gamerant.com/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-xbox-workplace-culture-bobby-kotick/ Pros and Cons of Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard Acquisition