In an interview with the CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer, he said the “responsibility” for the £50billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard “definitely hits home.”
In an interview with Axios, Spencer has revealed more of his feelings on one of the largest ever acquisitions. Spencer said: “I don’t know that I’m equipped to do it, and the responsibility for that definitely hits home.” The deal has come under scrutiny of late as the FTC have stepped in to assess it over fears of monopolisation.
However, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says he believes the deal will not be blocked. Spencer also addresses this claim in his interview.
“I want to stand for things that make teams better and people feel safe. I think we’ve been public about those things, but I would push back that we’re in some kind of hyper power position that is unfettered. I don’t believe that.”
Spencer also addressed accusations that Microsoft initiated the deal following the lawsuit held against Activision Blizzard for numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. Many believed Microsoft used the opportunity to purchase the major publisher at a lower price after its stock price tanked. Spencer denies this:
“There was no thermometer that said, ‘Oh, OK, now we can afford it, as a company.’ That was never part of any conversation.”
Instead Spencer insists that the move was centred around a decision within Microsoft and Xbox to expand into the “mobile and casual” market. King, the owners of Candy Crush, are also part of the Activision Blizzard deal and hold a huge part of the mobile market.
“The board of Microsoft, on the day that we got approval for ZeniMax, asked, ‘What was next?’ And the constant conversation had always been about mobile and casual. The longest goal for us is: ‘Do creators on our platform feel like they have the best opportunity to reach the maximum number of players with the maximum creative diversity that they need?'”
In other news, In other news, in spite of misgivings by staff, Ubisoft have given the Ghost Recon team NFTs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series.
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