Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard is apparently part of a plan to reach a wider set of consumers.
Xbox head Phil Spencer recently spoke with The Washington Post on a variety of topics related to the recent acquisition. This included the potential for IPs like Crash and Spyro seeing new games. But it also saw Spencer talking about how the acquisition is part of a wider plan for Microsoft. According to The Washington Post interview, Spencer worries about other big tech companies unfamiliar in the gaming space coming into it, rather than their current major competitors Sony and Nintendo.
“They have a long history in video games,” Spencer said. “Nintendo’s not going to do anything that damages gaming in the long run because that’s the business they’re in. Sony is the same and I trust them. … Valve’s the same way.” Interestingly, when Microsoft looks to other tech companies, they look at how they serve their consumer base. And they believe that gaming could be how they reach a wider audience.
“When we look at the other big tech competitors for Microsoft: Google has search and Chrome, Amazon has shopping, Facebook has social, all these large-scale consumer businesses. … The discussion we’ve had internally, where those things are important to those other tech companies for how many consumers they reach, gaming can be that for us.”
It came as a big surprise when Microsoft announced it had acquired Activision Blizzard. There was a lot of confusion over the hows and the whys, but a bigger picture is slowly coming together. We know that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is expected to leave, but nothing is 100% set in stone as of yet. And Xbox has also said that ‘some’ Activision games will still come to PlayStation. We’ll just have to wait for the dust to settle to get fully understand Microsoft’s intentions.
Don’t forget you can find great games and more on the GameByte Shop! Our store is stocked up with the latest games, merch and accessories. We might even have a new-gen console or two! Sign up to our newsletter to be notified of our console drops, deals and more. Please note the is available for UK customers only.
Featured Image Credit: E3/Microsoft