Microsoft to Increase Focus on Game Production and Publishing Following Activision Blizzard Acquisition

After the successful acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, expressed his excitement about the company’s plans to intensify its efforts as both a game producer and a publisher. In an interview with Axel Springer, Nadella emphasized the significance of the deal’s approval and highlighted Microsoft’s potential to make a valuable contribution to consumer markets.

“When I think about Microsoft, I think of perhaps developer tools, proprietary software, and gaming. Those are three things that we’ve done from the very beginning,” Nadella explained. “And so, to us, gaming is the one place where we think we have a real contribution to make in consumer markets. If I look at it, the amount of time people allocate to gaming is going up and Gen Z is going to do more of that. The way games are made, the way the games are delivered, is changing radically. Whether it’s mobile, or consoles, or PCs, or even the cloud. So, we’re looking forward to really doubling down both as a game producer and a publisher. Now we’ll be one of the largest game publishers and also as a company that’s building platforms for it.”

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision was finalized earlier this month, following approval from the UK regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, for an amended version of the deal. The original deal had been blocked due to concerns about potential competition issues in cloud gaming in the UK. However, Microsoft addressed these concerns by deciding to sell the cloud streaming rights for current and future Activision games to Ubisoft over the next 15 years.

In a statement released upon the deal’s closure, Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the company’s intention to bring popular franchises from Activision, Blizzard, and King to Game Pass and other platforms. More details about the availability of these games are expected to be shared in the following months.

If you’re on the lookout for some brilliant new game recommendations, be sure to take a look at our list of the best Xbox Series X games. You can also keep up with what’s around the corner with our roundup of upcoming games.