Listed by the Numbers -3 Things I Would Like to See From The Activision Blizzard Acquisition

 

One of the biggest events in gaming and technology occurred on January 18th when Microsoft announced it was in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard. The news was shocking because of the price of the acquisition ($68.7 billion) and the troubled workplace at Activision Blizzard. The move is also a huge lurch toward consolidation in the gaming industry, and even Sony’s January 31st acquisition of Bungie feels tiny in comparison. According to Bloomberg, the FTC will be looking at Microsoft’s latest acquisition to determine whether the deal will harm competition in gaming space. I’m doubtful the FTC will block the deal because even with Activision Blizzard under its umbrella, Microsoft still falls behind Tencent and Sony terms of overall size in the gaming industry.

With the acquisition deal likely to take place in 2023, 2024 will mark a huge turning point in the gaming industry. Here are few things I’d personally like to see come out of Microsoft’s purchase:

1. Power washing of a toxic work culture:

One bright spot to come out of Activision Blizzard being purchased is the impending departure of current CEO Bobby Kotick. I’m doubtful I need to remind you of what a piece of human garbage Kotick has been during his time at Activision. Once the acquisition is complete, Kotick is out of his CEO role and hopefully out of the gaming industry as a whole. The downside is an already insanely wealthy man will be that much more wealthier after his exit, having to face zero consequences for his actions. As for the remaining employees at Activision Blizzard, I hope that the workplace will be scrubbed clean of most, if not all, of its current toxic elements.

Microsoft is by no means a perfect corporation, but they don’t carry the same frat boy culture as both Activision and Blizzard. I hope the culture that led to practices like “The Cosby Room,” cubicle crawls, and other transgressions will be a thing of the past. Hopefully higher ups take the concerns of employees seriously and employees actually feel valued. Fortunately, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella did address some of the issues in a January conference call. Promises aside, it’s a good thing that employees at Activision Blizzard will continue their efforts to unionize.

 

2. Smaller IPs/Franchises/Games return:

Activision Blizzard is sitting on a lot of gaming franchises that have gone by the wayside as the company focused on its largest games. A change of leadership could see the revival of some of these long dormant games. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer expressed excitement for long dead games, with the mention of HeXen raising eyebrows. I’d be surprised if HeXen actually returned in some form, but it would be great to see new entries in other franchises. Imagine Toys for Bob developing a new game, perhaps another Guitar Hero entry, or even Activision taking another shot at King’s Quest. The combination of a multitude of developers, franchises, and needing content for Game Pass could make this a reality in coming years. Microsoft has a good track record with the studios it has acquired, and the idea of so many developers being released from the Call of Duty grindstone has me excited.

 

3. An Overwatch 2 release date:

Since Overwatch 2 was announced at BlizzCon 2019, Activision Blizzard has been somewhat silent on the sequel. It doesn’t help that former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard in April of 2021 mostly because of the company’s toxic work culture. Kaplan handled much of the communications to the public for the game. Since his departure Overwatch 2 along with Diablo 4 have been delayed. BlizzCon 2021 revealed two new maps, changes to the Tank class, and a better look at the character Sojourn for Overwatch 2. It was also revealed that Overwatch League players will be able to play an early build of game in April. Fans digging into a recently released build of Overwatch discovered the existence of a build named “Overwatch Demo 2” which means a beta could also be releasing this spring. Keep in mind Activision Blizzard has not made an official announcement. More importantly, Overwatch 2 still doesn’t have a release date outside of a vague “2023.” Given the acquisition, we may have to wait a while longer for that definitive release date.

 

All and all, consolidation in the gaming industry continues to be a problem. In the case of Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, it might be a net positive for the company, its developers, and the many franchises it owns. Are you looking forward to any developments from the acquisition?