Since 2013

Search

Search

Report: Matt Booty Shares Select Games Will Be Unique To Xbox Following Activision Deal, But Major IPs Will Remain Multiplatform

In the ongoing wait for Microsoft to finish its deal with Activision to acquire the entertainment conglomerate for $70 billion, concern continues to linger for the publisher’s largest IPs. For one, Microsoft has proven to solidify exclusive ties for upcoming Bethesda titles like Starfield in the past – so what says the firm won’t do the same? Well, Activision is required by contract to honor its marketing arrangements with firms like Sony Interactive Entertainment for instance.

Additionally, Microsoft has also backed this notion as well in its corporate sector. President Brad Smith ensured that popular IPs within Activision Blizzard are to remain multiplatform years following the arrangement closing. One of the larger attributes to this deal is the ejection of current Activision CEO Bobby Kotich which many chant onward to be implemented.

According to a new media briefing transcribed by IGN, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty speaks on the matter. Firstly, he iterates on bigger franchises following the deal: those are to remain on multiple platforms, he shares.

If we acquire a game that comes with a big community across a number of platforms, the last thing we want to do is take something away. If anything, we feel that it’s our job to be caretakers, to be shepherds, to continue to build and nurture that community, not to cut it up into pieces and try to take some of it away.

Atop of confirming IPs like Call of Duty & Overwatch are likely to continue releasing on systems outside of Xbox, the firm did press that some titles will be selectively unique to Microsoft’s ecosystem. Xbox General Manager of Programming and Events Tina Summerford gave a similar “case-by-case” analogy to how the Xbox firm approached Bethesda when announcing that buyout for the company back in fall 2020.

The least surprising comes from Corporate Vice President Sarah Bond who shared the largest part of the Activision deal is to fuel the service with even more games from publisher’s repertoire. “We want to put as many titles as possible from Activision Blizzard into Game Pass when they join us,” she said.

The most anticipated to hopefully be added by release is the upcoming game from Infinity Ward – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. The game received a world reveal and is slated to arrive later this October in the fall. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you confident in Microsoft’s approach for the Activision acquisition?

Source: IGN

Share Everywhere!
RELATED ARTICLES