What happens if the authorities of this world agree and Microsoft is actually allowed to take over the Activision Blizzard studios for 70 billion dollars? Well, there is criticism of it and that’s why Microsoft is now even going on the offensive.
Point 1: You will stick to all the contracts that currently exist, for example with Sony. This primarily affects Call of Duty as a very popular series, but also other “popular Activision Blizzard titles” (no specific games are mentioned).
To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision.
Point 2: This is a bit more surprising and different than Bethesda. Microsoft will also release new games for the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch beyond the contracts. However, no specific names are mentioned here either.
And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love. We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform.
Why is Microsoft doing this? At Bethesda, we can already see with Starfield that Microsoft will use the blockbusters for Xbox and Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft probably wants to reassure authorities
I think they also want to accommodate the authorities because they will definitely take a look if a new Diablo or Call of Duty suddenly no longer appears for all platforms. It’s about not giving the authorities the impression that you’re somehow exploiting the current market power.
After this statement, I’m curious to see what the strategy for the many studios looks like. I can’t imagine releasing all AAA blockbusters for the PS5. Sure, you can make good money as a publisher, but that’s not Microsoft’s strategy. The focus is more on the Xbox Game Pass.
It will be exciting and maybe there will also be conditions from the authorities. Microsoft positions itself here as a casual provider, but as I said, exclusive games can also be bought here and there with deals, like Sony does. Almost 70 billion for the whole store is a different story.