By Michael Scott
Microsoft, Xbox’s creator, acquired Diablo, Candy Crush, Call of Duty, and Overwatch. What is the implication on players as well as the games they adore?
Following a protracted legal war with regulators, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a game publisher, by Microsoft for $68.7B has been completed. This has added another studio and franchise stack to the technology firm’s collection.
In the process, the Xbox division just acquired major gaming brands, for instance, Warcraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Candy Crush Saga. This has resulted in it joining the already owned intellectual properties such as The Elder Scrolls and Minecraft. Additionally, it owns Activision studios, for instance, Infinity Ward, Blizzard, and King. At present, Microsoft has more than 23 game studios.
What Happens to Activision Blizzard?
In a Friday tweet, Phil Spencer, Xbox boss, celebrated the acquisition by acknowledging the many Blizzard, Activision, and King games fans. Specifically, he said they are aware of the fans being at the core of the franchises. Additionally, he claimed they are honored to have fans as part of the community.
Because Microsoft currently owns Activision and its several major gaming franchises, one wonders what should happen next. So far, Microsoft and Activision have provided examples of primary and crucial questions and answers concerning the matter.
An internal email sent by Spencer to workers on Friday showed that Bobby Kotic, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, will retain his role. However, he must report directly to Spencer. A blog post from Bobby shows that Kotic was requested to remain in his present role until the end of this year. Microsoft has not provided recommendations that it will fold the brands into Xbox completely. Brands, for instance, King Carry and Blizzard, hold significant weight. As such, it would be appropriate for Microsoft to keep utilizing them for as long as they stay beneficial.
Are Activision Blizzard Games Scope Exclusive to PC and Xbox?
A pair of separate deals agreed with Nintendo and Sony PlayStation earlier this year entailed Microsoft coordinating to maintain Activision’s famous Call of Duty franchise on the hardware makers’ consoles for at least a decade. The interventions were implemented to ease regulators’ concerns that the acquisition would result in a monopoly.
Since Microsoft’s 2021 acquisition of Bethesda, it honored PS5 special agreements for games such as Ghostwire and Deathloop. However, this year, Redfall and Starfield were released as PC and Xbox specials. As such, future Bethesda titles might be dismissed as Xbox specials, likely disappointing owners.
It remains uncertain if Activision Blizzard will embrace the same approach besides Call of Duty. However, if the Bethesda deal indicates precedent, some popular gaming franchise franchises might be nonexistent in Nintendo and Sony consoles in years to come.
Are Activision Games Unveiling on Xbox Game Pass?
Spencer published a post on Friday indicating that Xbox is attempting to introduce Blizzard, Activision, and King games to Game Pass and other platforms. He added that additional information will be provided later.
Xbox Game Pass is an all-you-can-play subscription service by Microsoft, and with a monthly fee, users can access more than 100 games to download and play. The studio claims that titles such as Overwatch 2, Call of Duty, and Diablo IV will not be included this year. However, players will witness the tricking of Activision Blizzard games onto the service next year.
On Twitter, Activision Blizzard claimed they expect to start including games into Game Pass sometime in 2024.
Viability of Cloud-Streaming Games?
Ubisoft, the publisher of Assassin’s Creed, has lasting cloud streaming permissions for Activision Blizzard games, which includes Call of Duty. This indicates that including all present Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft+, Ubisoft’s game subscription service, is possible. Besides, the publisher can authorize streaming services to other cloud gaming firms.
The firm also says the video game publisher possesses the cloud streaming power for the next decade of Activision Blizzard games. The Ubisoft deal formed part of Microsoft’s more significant move to satisfy regulators by acquiring Activision Blizzard.
Daniel O’Connor, the Senior Community Experience Manager at Ubisoft, claimed they own the streaming powers permanently. Hence, even following the end of the deal’s terms, they will still own the rights and ability to offer the games to persons and firms globally. Hence, numerous possibilities exist.
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