When exploring what Microsoft can do now after the Activision Blizzard King deal has processed, the possibilities find no end thanks to the vault of IPs its purchased and already owned now. One of the biggest developments thus far is the departure for publisher CEO Bobby Kotick who agreed with Phil Spencer to step down from his position at the start of 2024 next year.
Even industry insiders are questioning what is possible. The most certainty is what PlayStation does. In a piece from gamesindustry.biz, Kantan Games CEO Dr. Serkan Toto told that Sony Interactive Entertainment will surely face pressure to respond to the deal – even after the previous acquisition for Bungie last year.
Now entering the honeymoon phase for the Activision Blizzard King deal, Microsoft is prepared to engage in its focus on games. One report told that it is exploring a revival for Guitar Hero already. Additionally, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told Business Insider that the firm is aiming to double-down its investment on games moving forward.
For us, there are a few things that go all the way back for us as a company. Gaming is one, right? 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. 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.
Noted, this is not the first time Nadella has spoke on further pursuing this effort for Xbox. Already adamant on the future of the platform following the launch of Xbox Series X|S, he expressed the firm is “all-in” on the endeavor. He elaborated that the combined forces of cloud, Game Pass, and creator-first emphasis could truly lead to “democratizing gaming.” Similarly, Spencer also backs the developer-first effort recently as well.
Furthermore, Nadella shares other sentiments with Spencer when it comes to unique releases. In the past, the CEO told he’d prefer doing away with exclusive titles. Following in a separate interview with Game Watch, Spencer expressed that there is no room for such titles on Xbox Game Pass. You can read the full report by heading here.
Are you behind Nadella on his recent statement?
Source: Business Insider
