Photo from @Xbox Twitter
Microsoft has made another massive purchase, and this time, it is the gaming phenom of Activision-Blizzard. The deal is worth an estimated near 70 billion dollars. Activision-Blizzard is one of the most prestigious companies in the gaming world. Their properties rank among some of the highest-selling products each year. Games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Overwatch has dominated the gaming world for years, and now they will be under Microsoft’s control.
As recent as last year, Microsoft has been buying up studios left and right, trying to equal the exclusives that Sony has on their PlayStation consoles. Sony for years has flexed on Microsoft with titles like God of War, Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Ratchet & Clank, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Gran Turismo, Days Gone, Little Big Planet, and Detroit: Become Human. Microsoft countered with Halo, Forza, Gears of War, Sea of Thieves, & Sunset Overdrive in response to that list. But, Sony has been winning, so Microsoft had to do something.
Then, Microsoft purchased Bethesda Studios. This added Starfield, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout to their list, but more was needed. This purchase gives them a possible massive exclusive in Call of Duty. It is unknown if Microsoft wants to make Call of Duty exclusive, but it would indeed cause a stir if they did. Call of Duty has consistently ranked among the highest selling of each year, and making it an exclusive would surely increase console sales. But, there is another option they have, which comes with the Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that lets you play certain games as long as you are subscribed. It is Netflix for gaming. Microsoft has made most of its exclusives available on Game Pass on release day. But, subscription numbers are still nowhere near where they should be, and adding Call of Duty to the list could easily triple the number of current subscribers. This would still leave the option for Call of Duty to be played on other systems. It is a win for everyone.
There is also a side that is about more than just business in this deal. Activision-Blizzard is in shambles currently, with their higher-ups not being well-liked by the workers. Countless controversies and strikes have seen their games suffer. Workers who usually help keep these games alive and well are too busy striking against their own company. This has left games feeling broken, buggy, and unplayable.
There is no game more broken right now than Call of Duty: Warzone. The title has countless bugs that are getting worse each day, and the team that is meant to fix these bugs lacks numbers. The few workers left to save the game aren’t capable of doing it on time. This downfall has caused Warzone player numbers to drop and dwindle. This is shocking since Warzone was the most popular game in the world at one point. When you thought it couldn’t get any worse, new hacks that allow players to avoid the new Ricochet Anti-Cheat arrive. This has caused Warzone to become an inorganic mess filled with aim-bots, wallhacks, and flying cars.
In the purchase of Activision-Blizzard, Microsoft’s most significant task at hand is not capitalizing on the situation to make money. Instead, it is trying to rebuild a company that has fallen apart before the downfall costs them money. The task will be challenging, and the problems seem to start at the top. But, if Microsoft can manage to revitalize this company, they are looking at a jackpot of a purchase. As a gamer myself, I am hoping they can help get the company back on their feet to provide top-quality games for their gamers.
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