Anyone with a faint connection to video games has probably already heard the news that rocked the industry just the other day. Immediately following Take-Two’s $13 billion acquisition of Zynga, Xbox set the new record for the largest corporate buyout in the games industry with a $68.7 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard. It will take up to a year-and-a-half for the deal to be finalized, but the gaming community will still be reeling from the implications of such a huge announcement. Not since Activision merged with Vivendi Games in 2008, and added Blizzard to its name, has there been such an industry-shaping acquisition.
It’s too soon to say what will become of Activision Blizzard under Microsoft’s umbrella. Fans and developers alike are hopeful that the change in upper management will help solve the many controversies that have been plaguing the company for the past year. Ideally, this will improve conditions for Activision Blizzard employees and mitigate the harassment issues that have allegedly festered for many years. On the players’ end, many are wondering what will happen to the many franchises owned by Activision and Blizzard. Microsoft’s presence may be just the opportunity many IPs with no developers need to come back, and existing projects could probably benefit from some extra money and staff.
Xbox Can Be a Major Asset to Activision’s Franchises
A lot of PlayStation Call of Duty fans are worried about whether the franchise will stay on their console. It probably will for a few more years, though it only makes sense for Microsoft to make such a lucrative franchise into an Xbox console exclusive. Within that time, however, there could be some major changes for the better as a result of new leadership.
Microsoft could make the call for regular Call of Duty games to go from a yearly to a bi-annual release schedule, allowing for more time to be spent in development. In the meantime, a live-service game like Warzone or a dedicated Zombies spin-off could receive a few major updates. This could go a long way towards improving the overall quality of Call of Duty, and could start disentangling all of Activision’s developers from the franchise.
The next step in that process is to give them something else to do, and there is no shortage of franchises to work on. Activision owns a ton of game series that fans would love to see new entries in, and Microsoft would be wise to meet that demand. In particular, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon are all video game icons that can’t be left to rust like they once were. Two of the three were recently revived to great success, and Spyro is overdue for a new game. A proper resurrection of Pitfall and the financial backing for another Prototype game would also be appreciated.
However, the biggest boon Microsoft’s acquisition may give to Activision’s franchises is integration into Game Pass and Xbox backwards compatibility. A Call of Duty game joining Game Pass is a big deal, but the door is also open for Activision’s other games to join the service. This can include current games like the last few Call of Duty entries and the recent Crash Bandicoot titles, but would also include future games.
Through the convenience of Game Pass, Activision could start green-lighting smaller projects again, with some amount of success guaranteed through the service. If nothing else, Microsoft should definitely take this opportunity to add all the Activision games it can to Xbox Game Pass and the backwards compatibility program. It can look at the resulting numbers and choose franchises to support from there.
Blizzard’s IPs Would Feel Brand New on Xbox
As for the Blizzard side of things, there is another core group of important franchises that will be the initial focus of the Xbox merge. At the head of these is Blizzard’s Call of Duty equivalent: World of Warcraft, the leading MMORPG, even after Blizzard’s controversies and Final Fantasy 14’s runaway success. It has been PC exclusive for a long time, and there is little doubt that Microsoft wants the Xbox to be its debut console. That is easier said than done, but Microsoft is likely willing to lay down the time and talent to make it happen. Such a project may also give World of Warcraft Classic a second, albeit abridged, shot at life, as expansions are gradually ported and released.
What is certainly within the realm of possibility is additional support for Blizzard’s other star franchises. Diablo 4 is slowly progressing in the background, but Microsoft could help speed up its development. The Xbox Series has untapped Esports potential, and Starcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and even a resurrected Heroes of the Storm could fill that niche. Speaking of Overwatch, Xbox’s backing could ensure that the strange expansion pack Overwatch 2 has been described as becomes a worthy sequel to Blizzard’s newest IP. Plenty of good could come from Microsoft overseeing Blizzard’s affairs.
That brings the discussion back to Xbox Game Pass and backwards compatibility. These are two of the most competitive features Xbox has right now, and they can work perfectly with Blizzard’s library. Games like Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are shoe-ins for Game Pass games, especially considering that they are likely to have very strong live-service and monetization elements. Smaller titles and re-releases like Warcraft 3: Reforged and Diablo 2: Resurrected are also ideal Game Pass titles, and Microsoft could help Blizzard earn some respect back by ensuring they are updated with plenty of polish.
Last but not least, a move that would win the hearts of countless fans would be to bring legacy Blizzard games like Starcraft and its expansion, Diablo 1 and 3, Warcraft 1 and 2, and other titles like Blackthorne and The Lost Vikings to Game Pass and Xbox. The potential for Activision and Blizzard games on Xbox seems limitless, and it will be exciting to see how Microsoft takes advantage of it in the coming years.