Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, recently described the progress of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard as moving in a “positive direction”, as the company awaits regulatory approval of the deal that would allow it to own very popular franchises such as Call of Duty aD World of Warcraft. He also thinks we’re likely to see exclusives play “less and less” of a role in the console space going forward. These comments come after Xbox recently acquired Bethesda Softworks, creating highly anticipated upcoming games like star field and The Elder Scrolls VI console exclusive to Xbox and is looking to finalize the aforementioned Activision deal.
In a preview of an interview with Bloomberg‘s Emily Chang is set to air tonight on Bloomberg Studio 1.0 at 9:00 p.m. ET, Phil Spencer discussed a variety of topics, including recent steps taken by the company to Acquire Activision Blizzardthe examination of Activision’s documented culture of sexual harassmentthe organizing efforts seen at Activisionand how he thinks the very concept of exclusives should go the way of the dinosaur.
Commenting on Xbox’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Spencer said that while he never made a “$70 billion deal,” he’s optimistic that everything is going according to plan. Team Green recently went on a spending spree by buying Bethesda, the company that produced legendary titles like Ancient Scrolls series and the recent To fall sequels, before setting his sights on Cod editor. Spencer also thinks the experience of gamers not being able to play the same online games together because they “bought the wrong piece of plastic to plug into [the] television” is an outdated concept. He is before pledged to keep Call of Duty as a cross-platform title for at least a while, saying in the new interview:
“We really love being able to get more gamers to reduce friction, to make people feel safe when they play, to find their friends, to play with their friends, regardless of device – I think in the long run it’s good for this industry.
Speaking of people feeling safe, Spencer also said he thinks Activision Blizzard is “committed” to improving the company’s bad reputation for sexual harassment. Stating that he knows certain “studio heads” at Activision Blizzard “very well”, and that “some of them [are] former Xbox members,” he commented, they are on the “journey” of addressing systemic issues surrounding workplace sexual assault and harassment.
The full interview is slated to air later tonight, which may offer a bit more context to Spencer’s comments, including a desire to pick up more content for Xbox.
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