Microsoft Can Counter Three PlayStation Franchises With New Activision Series

gamerant.com:

Microsoft has announced its plans to buy Activision Blizzard, and the implications of the deal are mind-boggling. Many journalists in the industry are speculating about what this means for the industry at large, what it means for the employees at Activision Blizzard, and of course, the possible games that could be developed as a result. The usual suspects have been mentioned, such as Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk, and Spyro. However, there are a few lesser-known franchises that aren't being talked about that deserve attention, as they could give Microsoft franchises to compete against some of Sony's biggest exclusives.

Sony's biggest strength over Microsoft is that it has several franchises made by its own studios that push the medium forward, such as The Last of Us, God of War, and Death Stranding. Microsoft has its own exclusive franchises such as Gears of War, Forza, and Halo but none of them have had the same impact as PlayStation's output. Halo may have gotten millions in sales in its heyday but so did Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima. With the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, however, not only could Xbox have exclusives that are special to it like Skylanders and Hexen, but it now has access to three franchises that could compete with three of PlayStation's biggest IPs. Furthermore, because of the talent Microsoft has accrued, it has plenty of studios and developers to make these titles.

Microsoft's Reputation is On the Line with Activision Blizzard

The first titles to compete with is Bloodborne and Demon's Souls. The classics developed by From Software were instrumental in solidifying and popularizing the Souls sub-genre. Fans of Souls games may also know that there was a PlayStation 1 game