2022 started with one of the biggest moves in the tech/gaming industry. Microsoft acquiring Activision-Blizzard. Activision-Blizzard might as well be one of the largest AAA gaming studios with titles like Call of duty and World of Warcraft under their belt. With the launch of the new Diablo and the upcoming Overwatch 2 launch, no one thought that they would be swooped in by Microsoft. On the contrary, though Microsoft has been acquiring a lot of new studios for Xbox and PC gaming, no one thought that Activision would be on the list.
But out of a surprise show of power, Sony has acquired Bungie, creator of Destiny, and also previous installments of Halo under Microsoft. From the perspective of the general audience, this clearly has been a power move on the side of Sony.
What it means right now?
Both the companies have mentioned that their existing titles will be multiplatform till the end of their life cycle. What is unclear for now is the launch of future titles, Sony has been one of those developers who is hated and loved, hated for the fact that almost all of their games are platform exclusive, except for some recent titles. On the other hand, Microsoft has been a blessing in disguise for the PC gaming industry. Pushing the boundary every year and publishing more first-hand titles to the market which had been missing for a really long time.
Future Implications
We have to keep a few things in mind when it comes to both the companies that were acquired. In terms of Activision-Blizzard, the company has several titles which work as GaaS(Games as a service) and in the future Blizzard is set to launch their most successful esports franchises’ second iteration, Overwatch 2. Also, Activision has several Call of duty titles, which have to be taken care of.
Right now the biggest question which is on the minds of many is whether or not these games will be available on the Xbox Game Pass. The Xbox Games pass has been a huge deal when it comes to first-hand gaming titles offered by Microsoft. As most first-party launches through Microsoft are available on the Xbox Games pass, it is unsure whether we will get the titles from Activision-Blizzard.
Jumping to the field of Bungie right now they are only offering one game, Destiny 2, which also has a GaaS model. But they are also working as a future title.
The Community
Both the PC/Xbox Community and PS community are right now riled up by these two acquisitions, but what we have to always be aware of is that the deals don’t hinder the growth of future titles. We have seen that certain PS exclusive titles have made huge success when launched on PC. The community is right now walking a very tight line, as no one is sure of what is going to happen in the near future. Host of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, has hinted something amazing coming from both sides, and right now we just have to anticipate.
Business Conclusivity
At the end of the day, we all know that companies are here to make business. The four companies involved in the deals have been part of some really bad and hurtful business decisions in the past, but what we can expect is that they have grown and are willing to put the industry first. Though it is completely blind faith what we have seen in the past few years we can hope that we might see something really amazing from both sides.
The Better Side
All these speculations and what-ifs are for the future, understandably we have to just wait, but if you are playing any of the titles which are currently offered you do not need to worry and just enjoy the game.
