Microsoft has discussed its plans for Activision Blizzard’s game after the planned acquisition of the gaming giant, from how it will not make multi-platform games exclusive, to its plans to put titles in Game Pass.
Speaking during a briefing for the media, head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty addressed the issue of exclusive deals and tried to reassure fans with existing multiplatform games that they might love outside of the Xbox:
“If we acquire a game that comes with a large community across a variety of platforms,” Booty began, “the last thing we want to do is take something away. If anything, we feel it’s our job. to be caretakers, to be shepherds, to continue to build and nurture that community, not to cut it to pieces and try to take some of it away. “
This seems to be Microsoft’s philosophy for existing games, and perhaps series, as we’ve heard that Xbox will release more new Call of Duty games as multiplatform titles (though it’s not clear if it will continue indefinitely ). GM for programming and events Tina Summerford pointed to Xbox’s previous acquisition of Minecraft – and how the game has been expanded across new platforms since the acquisition – as proof of that philosophy.
However, Summerford made it clear that some games will be exclusive – these would probably be brand new titles from Activision-Blizzard developers, rather than existing ones.
The philosophy of how the Xbox will look at Activision-Blizzard games on Game Pass seems to be much more straightforward. Corporate Vice President Sarah Bond put it simply: “We want to put as many titles as possible from Activision Blizzard into Game Pass when they join us.”
We’ve seen a similar move since Xbox’s acquisition of Bethesda, after which it put dozens of Bethesda games into the subscription service. It feels likely that we will see much the same thing – on both console and PC – if one when the acquisition goes through.
Microsoft announced its intention to buy Activision Blizzard in January for a record $ 68.7 billion trade. The move has been approved by shareholders but is currently under investigation by the FTC for antitrust purposes.
The Activision Blizzard acquisition comes at a time of ongoing turbulence in and around the company. The deal itself has given rise to allegations of insider trading, but even more notable is the ongoing lawsuit in California against the publisher, which accuses it of promoting a “frat boy culture” as well as exposing female employees to unequal pay and sexual harassment. You can see a full timeline of events related to the trial here.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Do you have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to nyhedstips@ign.com.
