In a recent interview with Belgium’s L’Echo (via WCCFTech), Microsoft president and vice chairman Brad Smith provided new details about the progress of the major acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
A few months ago, Microsoft confirmed that it was trying to buy Activision Blizzard, which would put it in charge of mega franchises such as Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Candy Crush Saga. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, also confirmed that they are even looking to revive some dormant IP franchises, such as Guitar Hero and StarCraft.
“It’s moving fast, at least fast enough for an acquisition of this magnitude,” Smith said. “We have received requests for information on this subject here in Brussels, but also in London and Washington. We answer questions, we give briefings and we provide the requested information.
“One of our lawyers summed it up nicely by saying, ‘We’re coming to the end of the beginning and now we’re going into the beginning of the middle.’ “It’s a long process and we’re still at the stage of answering questions. For us, of course, the sooner it’s done the better, but we’ll respect the process.”
It’s moving fast, at least fast enough for an acquisition of this magnitude. We have received requests for information on this subject here in Brussels, but also in London and Washington.
Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith (L’Echo)
The deal is subject to a host of regulatory scrutiny, with lawmakers in both the US and Europe examining the details of what the deal will mean for the workforce and the wider gaming market.
Microsoft president Brad Smith noted that the deal is moving “quickly” as Redmond receives inquiries from London, Washington and Brussels.
Microsoft has previously stated it hopes the deal closes in the first half of 2023, which could mean upcoming unannounced Activision titles will become exclusive to Xbox Game Pass platforms such as phones, Windows PCs, and Xbox consoles. However, Microsoft has confirmed that they plan to keep Call of Duty multi-platform, much like Minecraft. It remains to be seen what that might mean for franchises like Diablo and Overwatch, or Blizzard’s upcoming unannounced survival game. As with all things, time will tell.
Microsoft is building its gaming portfolio to compete with industry giant Tencent as it expands Xbox beyond the home video game console. Microsoft is expected to expand its cloud gaming platform to TVs and other devices in the coming months, expanding the Xbox Game Pass subscription service to include a family subscription, while also building new device-independent titles that can run on phones, PCs and consoles. seamless.
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