Xbox to Acquire Activision Blizzard

On January 18th, Xbox’s CEO, Phil Spencer, took to Xbox Wire and Twitter at 05:25 AM and announced that they are in the process of acquiring Activision for 68.7 billion dollars, of which the details of which are here, https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/01/18/welcoming-activision-blizzard-to-microsoft-gaming/. While the primary reaction has been one of shock, many are questioning if this may cause Xbox to become a monopoly. While it is a genuine concern, and one holding value, it also ignores the big picture. Xbox has been striving to become the “home” of video games, offering valuable services like Game Pass, cloud streaming – or a combo of two – to consumers. They aim to become accessible and have the most expansive reach possible. After this deal, the rumor is that Activision’s boss will step down. It is also uncertain if it will, as it is about a year left to finalize. However, if this happens, they will become the third biggest gaming publisher behind SONY and Tencent and gain access to “Call of Duty,” “Warcraft,” “Candy Crush,” “Diablo,” and “Overwatch,” among many others. Xbox will also control their newly acquired games future on consoles and whether they will become exclusive to Xbox or not remains under wraps. Many are also looking at this more in a more positive light with the deal, implying there will be a better workplace culture and wider variety when it comes to bringing back certain franchises and making them relevant again to satisfy consumers. Xbox has been buying many studios over the past few years with their previous. Who knows which they might go after next? Only time will tell!