Just when everyone thought that Microsoft would be done with the studio acquisitions for a while after purchasing off ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda last year, the software giant and parent company of Xbox shocked everyone this week by announcing the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming and head of Xbox recently shared his thoughts about the deal.
Speaking in a conference call, which was also attended by Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, and Amy Hood, EVP and CFO of Microsoft, Spencer shared his thoughts about the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
Spencer started by expressing how exciting the news is for everyone, and that Microsoft Gaming will become the world’s third-largest company, right behind the China’s Tencent and Japan’s Sony, with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
He also strongly reiterated that the deal is not about short-term results, saying: “I’ll reinforce that this is not about short-term results. We have seen Activision Blizzard’s product roadmap and are incredibly enthusiastic about what the teams are creating and the company’s pipeline over many years to come.”
Spencer also cited ZeniMax’s acquisition from last year, saying that in similar vein, he is personally excited to work directly with the teams at Activision Blizzard. “We have seen a strong recent performance from our existing ZeniMax and Xbox Games Studios and are well-positioned as the stewards of Activision Blizzard’s great franchises,” he said.
He also reaffirmed that since Microsoft and Xbox are all about putting players at the center of everything they do, the transaction is going to be fantastic for their existing player base, and also to new audiences via innovative experiences, such as bringing Activision Blizzard’s catalog through cloud streaming and such.
He added: “It doesn’t stop there. Extending our horizon a bit, this transaction will make our approach to the consumer metaverse even stronger. That’s because our vision of the metaverse is based on intersecting global communities rooted in strong franchises.”
He went on: “This transaction adds one of the most successful mobile publishers to Microsoft Gaming, and I’m personally looking forward to learning from the innovative teams at King.”
Spencer ended his portion of the talk by mentioning that he is excited to work with the talented teams at Activision Blizzard with the same approach they extend to every member of the Microsoft family, and that they are looking forward to ensuring that the teams feel supported, safe, and engaged in every aspect of their work moving forward.