While Microsoft is keen to distance itself from Sony, the Microsoft acquisition could also solidify its position against other deep wallet tech giants like Amazon, Tencent and Google, which have all declared their intention to invest more in the lucrative gaming business.
Joost van Drijnen, a gaming investor, advisor and professor at NYU who studies the video game business, said the Activision purchase was “partially defensive” because “you’re doing it in a way that other people can’t get it.”
“They are raising the bar on acquisition cost,” he added. “If you want to sit at the table, you’d better bring your wallet.”
While Microsoft initially touted the deal as a foray into the metaverse, it’s not clear how owning more shooters, RPGs, and strategy video games helps Microsoft achieve this. Mr. Spencer and Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, gave a more sober explanation in an interview.
Mr. Kotik said the goal was “on the devices that people play games on today, whether they be phones, consoles, computers or other smart screens, we deliver the most compelling, most compelling, best games.” .
After all, games may very well be what popularizes the metaverse. Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at gaming research firm Niko Partners, said Activision regularly improves games like Call of Duty by updating them with new content and interacting with the gamer community. This, he says, could be “a piece of the puzzle for building these metaverses.”
But such ideas are still quite far away.
Erin Wu and Karen Way made a report.
