Experts Discuss State of Activision Blizzard Esports Under Microsoft
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard last week left many questions in its wake. One question being asked around is now that Microsoft is set to be in charge of the company's esports ventures, what is in the cards for those games? Pros and esports executives alike are pondering the future as Microsoft is set to take the helm of Activision's esports programs.
Overwatch League and Call of Duty League pros took the announcement as they usually do, with the best memes and Halo mashup reactions. But deep down the sentiment of "what next?" still lingered. Activision Blizzard has had some trouble with its esports programs as of late. The Overwatch League and Call of Duty League have been having trouble paying dividends thanks to the prolonged effect of the pandemic on its desire to host live events in team cities. In terms of the games themselves, they're not pulling the numbers expected, despite growth in some markets.
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Interviews with the Washington Post claim that even esports executives of participating teams were caught just as unaware as fans that Activision Blizzard had been acquired by Microsoft. Team Envy Chief Executive Tom Murphy admitted that he, like many gamers, was awoken that Tuesday morning with a barrage of texts that told him of the news before he could get a chance to see it himself on TV. The feeling among Murphy and other esports executives is optimism as Microsoft may be able to inject new cash into the respective leagues and open it up to even more viewership avenues.
Industry analyst Michael Pachter spoke with Axios, and he believes Kotick had a misguided belief that the popularity of Call of Duty and Overwatch would be
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