Microsoft still hasn’t closed the deal to buy Activision Blizzard. But, if you ask Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO, the tech giant is already on the lookout for its next buyout.
In a Squawk Asia interview, Spencer claims that he’s not ruling out further acquisitions even if it still hasn’t finalized the massive Activision Blizzard buyout.
Here’s what Spencer had to say about whether Microsoft will “remain acquisitive”:
This is such a competitive market, I don’t think we get to press pause on anything. Tencent is the largest gaming company on the planet today, and they continue to heavily invest in gaming content and game creators.
$MSFT's @XboxP3 talks #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’s words echo a recent trend in the gaming industry. Sony can complain all it wants about the impending exclusivity of Call of Duty but it’s not innocent. Sony has established a pattern of “auditioning” smaller studios with exclusive PlayStation titles only to acquire the studios months later. Housemarque and Bluepoint Games are the best and the most recent examples of this. Spencer made sure to point this out in the same interview as he defended the company’s buying spree.
After two years of relative silence, the Xbox platform is in a good position right now to take advantage of the recent PS5 price hike.
According to Spencer, Microsoft has no plans to raise the price of the Xbox. If the Xbox can retain its pricing, the release of Starfield and Redfall next year, among others, could be the determining factor as to why people will get an Xbox Series S/X over a PS5. We’ve already seen signs of the Xbox Series S/X outselling the PS5 earlier this year. The arrival of Deathloop on Xbox platforms and the Game Pass should make sure that this continues.
Speaking of Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard has confirmed the release date for Warzone 2.
