Now that Activision Blizzard is officially becoming a part of Microsoft, starting next Friday, significant changes in their production methods are expected. Under Microsoft’s umbrella, they will likely alter their current development approach. This is natural and happens in all companies when they are acquired. And while their games won’t automatically enter Game Pass, a likely change for the near future is the return of an acclaimed fame that no one understands why it vanished.
On Tuesday, October 10th, the infamous CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, had a meeting with the company’s employees. In this meeting, he wanted to discuss the state of the company given the imminent acquisition by Microsoft.
Regarding what Kotick himself has done, he emphasized that he has taken a keen interest in what they are working on at Microsoft. Highlighting that Microsoft has made significant advancements in many areas, particularly in the fields of AI and data analytics, he believes they can bring a lot of potential to the company in developing their franchises. As for Activision itself, he stated that he believes that is what they bring most substantially to Microsoft— a series of major franchises that can be exploited in unique ways.
This is where Bobby Kotick emphasized Guitar Hero. Saying that he has a very particular vision of what a new Guitar Hero could be, he stated that only with Microsoft’s technology does he believe it would now be possible to carry out what he truly wants to do with the franchise. This is something he has talked about in the past, but it seems that this time, it could be formalized more concretely.
