Much has been said about Microsoft’s recent spree of video game publisher acquisitions. In 2020 it acquired Zenimax Media which owned Arkane Studios, Bethesda Softworks, id Software, MachineGames, and more. Previous to this they had been picking up different video game development companies, like Obsidian Entertainment in 2018.
Now, in 2023, they have been provisionally approved by the UK’s CMA financial regulator to acquire Activision-Blizzard, a household name in the gaming space for developing franchises like Diablo, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and on the Activision side, most notably Call of Duty.
Now that the deal looks likely to go through having already been accepted by the USA and EU, gamers are asking one essential question - what could Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard look like for them? Microsoft’s Xbox division has made very interesting moves as of late, such as by rolling out Game Pass, a relatively popular subscription service providing rotating access to a list of video games on both console and PC.
Let’s theorize a few examples of the changes gamers could see as this deal is concluded and Microsoft’s strategy unveils itself:
Game Pass & Exclusivity
Part of the reason that the UK regulatory authority was reticent to accept MIcrosoft’s acquisition plans was because the ability to limit and wall off popular franchises into a closed console ecosystem was more likely than ever. We can no doubt expect some of that, with carefully curated exclusivity deals that may give limited access to franchise like Call of Duty on different consoles. As anyone who keeps up with the live service economy and gaming currencies knows this can shape the development of franchises, potentially causing them to play very differently as time passes on.
Streamlining Of Essential Franchises
Microsoft now has a great number of franchises to manage, and not all of them have been performing as hoped. For example, the Halo series has since become much less popular and exciting to fans thanks to the mismanagement of Infinite, a title beset by many delays and controversial design decisions. We can also expect Microsoft to take a closer look at the underperforming player counts of newly acquired IP’s like Overwatch. In order to properly decide on the future of each franchise, we can expect some to be cut, old fan favorites to be rejuvenated, and the best of current design teams to work on brand-new initiatives.
The Merging Of Several Studios
As Microsoft diligently considers which franchises to renew and which to leave in the past, we can expect certain studios to merge together. This might involve bringing the best staff of individual teams together, such as Obsidian with Bethesda. Some outperforming studios have had trouble in recent years with their direction, as per Arkane and its disastrous Redfall release. As Blizzard becomes the hot new property within Microsoft’s purview, we can expect it to be supported and even merged with other outfits. Thankfully, Microsoft seems to be interested in giving each studio a fair attempt at releases before making drastic decisions, so not all merges are guaranteed for now.
The jury is out on how Microsoft’s acquisition of Activsion-Blizzard will progress, but one thing is for sure, any approach is sure to cause seismic changes in the gaming space.
