In an interview with CNBC, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer says that Microsoft will continue to make acquisitions after the Activision Blizzard deal. According to Spencer, it is a very “competitive market” in which there is no room to “take a break.” Both Tencent and Sony are mentioned as examples. Both companies are ‘bigger’ and continue to ‘invest’.
$MSFTs @XboxP3 talk #Tencent, #JRPG‘s, and @discord – and explains why it’s not time to follow $SONY‘s hike in prices. #Xbox #PlayStation pic.twitter.com/BCIY0wE8Gt
— Squawk Asia (@asiasquawkbox) September 16, 2022
Spencer indicates that the goal is still to remain a ‘big player’ in the market. To this end, investments are not only being made in ‘internal teams and collaborations’, but ‘possible acquisitions’ are also being looked at. The work “never stops” to keep “innovating and staying ahead of the competition,” Spencer said. You can see the whole story in the video above.
The battle between Microsoft and Sony over the Activision Blizzard deal continues. Microsoft has therefore now launched a special site to explain the consequences of the acquisition.
In January, Microsoft announced it plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. The deal is still not done, because it must first be approved by the various watchdogs. There are doubts whether Microsoft will not become too powerful after the takeover, partly fueled by statements from Sony.
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To explain the consequences of the Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft has now launched a special site. On the site you can read what the vision of the American publisher is with the company behind Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Diablo, among others.
With the page, Microsoft also wants to make it clear that the company will not become too big a power within the game industry. In fact, according to an overview, ‘Sony and Nintendo remain the largest players’ in the field of games. Microsoft will also ensure healthy competition in the , where ‘a number of large players now dominate’.
Investigation into Activision Blizzard deal launched
The fact that Microsoft has now launched a special site to explain the consequences of the acquisition does not come at a strange time. In September it became clear that the EU and the watchdog of the United Kingdom have launched an investigation into the takeover. In particular, the possibility of Call of Duty becoming an Xbox-exclusive franchise would cause problems.
The deadline for the EU investigation is 8 November. On that date, the European Commission must give its approval, block the takeover or there is still a possibility to launch a more in-depth investigation. So it will be a while before we get more certainty about the Activision Blizzard deal.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is not going very smoothly. The deal is for a record amount of 69 billion and has many opponents. The deal is therefore being investigated by the necessary market authorities and the EU will take an important step in its investigation.
Microsoft is expected to receive a warning from the EU soon. The governing body has been investigating the potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard for some time, but has not yet made a decision in the matter. That will happen no later than April, but in the meantime Microsoft will receive a so-called statement of objections.
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That is, in fact, a list of objections and concerns that the EU has about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft has previously indicated that it wants to make concessions to get the deal through, but that seems impossible without first sending out a statement of objections. In the meantime, informal discussions are underway, Reuters reports.
What objections are there to the Activision Blizzard deal?
It is not yet known what exactly concerns the EU. But various parties, including Sony, Nvidia and Google think that Microsoft will become too powerful if it is allowed to take over Activision Blizzard. Microsoft insists it is not out for dominance and promises that Activision Blizzard’s games, especially Call of Duty, will also come to other platforms.
Despite this, Microsoft still has to convince several market authorities. In addition to the EU, the United Kingdom is also still investigating the deal. In the United States, Microsoft has been sued by the FTC, which is currently not considering a settlement.
In case you missed it, it was revealed in January that Toys For Bob appeared to have started development on Spyro 4. On Twitter, the studio tweeted a graphic from 2023 with the caption “Big moves and big mood for 2023.” This graphic happened to have an image of Spyro next to a logo, indicating that this year marks the franchise’s 25th anniversary.
In case you’ve never played Spyro: Spyro is the protagonist of the series of the same name. These are platform games starring the little purple dragon Spyro, who is always accompanied by the dragonfly Sparx.
Spyro The Dragon was originally released in 1998, so there is no better time to release a new game in the series. Now Activision itself has joined the hint as well.
Spyro 4 teaser leaked online
As the Twitter account SpyroUniverse reports, Activision updated its banner over the weekend. The new design shows our Spyro very prominently. To be fair, Spyro isn’t seen alone. The banner celebrates several of Activision’s biggest franchises including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Crash Bandicoot and Call of Duty.
The remaster versions of Pro Skater 1 and 2 were released in 2020. Call of Duty is of course still successful thanks to Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0, while Crash Team Rumble will only be on the market in a few months. Spyro is certainly the underdog as Spyro Reignited Trilogy is now five years old. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if Activision announced Spyro 4 during Summer Game Fest.
At least that’s what the fans hope. Twitter user SubjectWolf wrote: , while Starglosss added: A question we would all like an answer to. May the wish for a new Spyro offshoot come true.
Here you can see the tweet
So.. Spyro’s now included in @Activision‘s banner again. ?
It’s very apparent in their Twitter header. pic.twitter.com/dmwZIwvdXk
— Spyro Universe ? (@SpyroUniverse) April 10, 2023
