Microsoft-Activation-Blizzard deal: what's next?
The shaky announcement left the gaming world in shock and with so many questions and concerns.
We will try to answer the main ones
Matan Nishi, the gaming channel system
18/01/2022
Tuesday, 18 January 2022, 19:35 Updated: 19:39
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Just a few hours ago, one of the most shocking news in the gaming world was revealed:
Microsoft has acquired Activision-Blizzard.
Leave a moment that this is the largest acquisition in the gaming industry to date ($ 68.7 billion. No kidding).
One of the largest gaming companies in the industry has been acquired by the giant corporation that also owns and will be subordinate to the Xbox division.
So how did we get here, what exactly does this deal say and how will it affect the gaming industry, which to say the least, has undergone a piece of earthquake because of the announcement?
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Activision-Blizzard joins the Microsoft family and the Xbox division
microsoft atcivision-blizzard (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)
Let's start from the beginning
It's no secret that Activision-Blizzard has been in trouble for a long time.
The company is facing heavy charges and indictments for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the company.
In the end, it turned out that the entire senior echelon of the company was aware of all the mess that was going on, and took care to whitewash and modestize the situation, and if all that was not enough - the employees demanded
Bobby
Kotik
, the CEO, resign.
Whether it's the image damage, the various lawsuits and the ongoing criticism of its conduct as a company, we have not even talked about the fact that its brands are losing the praise they have received over the years. Negative has been heard about the company for several good years.
You are pushed into a corner
The pressure and criticism in the industry came not only from the courts, the trade unions, the press or the players. He also came from Coca-Cola shareholders, who demanded that Bobby Kotik be removed from his position as a board member of the global Coca-Cola company. Yes, for those who do not know, Kotik Hilter in two such essential roles simultaneously. Eventually we got to the point where so many federal authorities and organizations are examining Activision-Blizzard under a magnifying glass.
This is a very logical step for Microsoft, which in turn sees the situation in which the company finds itself, and it jumps at the chance. From the side of Activision-Blizzard this is an opportunity to try to save itself and succeed in restoring its name in the future. Maybe after Microsoft "cleans stables" - a move that must be taken into account in the future if Microsoft wants to re-brand Activision Blizzard. And who knows? Maybe Kotik will announce his departure in a few months.
Phil Spencer
He himself addressed the various charges and harassment several months ago and even issued an email to Microsoft employees claiming that the company would consider its future steps with Activision-Blizzard. Spencer claimed, among other things, that he could not criticize Activision-Blizzard because Microsoft also faced similar accusations - but they "changed the way business was conducted with them."
There is no doubt that this negotiation process has been going on for several months, and apparently those same statements were meant to create more pressure points on Activision-Blizzard and push them into a corner - just so they can make the purchase. Activision-Blizzard could easily make a "liquidation sale", sell its brands, fold the business and go home. But the acquisition of Microsoft allows all of the company's brands to move to a much larger corporation, which in recent years has begun to make a serious makeover and has become the most accessible RB for its players.
Pushed Activision-Blizzard into the corner?
Phil Spencer, CEO of the Xbox division at Microsoft (Photo: Official website, Xbox)
Dawn of a new day in the industry
Notable examples are accessibility to computer games, backward compatibility, advanced cloud services, and let's not forget how much the Game Pass service has changed the face of the industry, proving that the power of big companies is not necessarily in the number of console units sold, but in the number of users. regularly.
The fact that Sony is working on its own competitor service which according to rumors in the industry, is expected to be revealed in the coming months.
This means that Microsoft can make all Activision-Blizzard games, which include particularly successful and popular brands such as Cole of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and so much more, exclusive.
This means that all those games will become exclusive to Microsoft and the services it offers, including the Game Pass, which is offered for Xbox and PC gamers.
Services that Microsoft has begun to provide in recent years have changed the industry (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)
Add to that the fact that Microsoft acquired Bethesda last year, and it's a hit for Sony.
At the end of the day these are some of the most popular titles in the gaming world.
Can you really imagine a world where Voice of Duty is no longer available on the PlayStation?
It's just crazy.
The real consequences of this deal will continue to unfold for us in the coming weeks and months, and it is one of the most sensational news in the industry to this day.
It does not happen every day that a huge corporation acquires a huge company that until today we thought had no price and would remain "independent".
One thing is for sure: this is a new day for the gaming industry, and it may very well be a historic moment for consumers and employees who have banded together and flooded the management issues that apparently led to this acquisition.
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