Microsoft CEO Explains Why Buying Activision Blizzard Is The Right Move
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has discussed the company's blockbuster buyout of Activision Blizzard, which hasn't been approved by regulators yet but could end up being one of the biggest gaming news stories in a long time. In a presentation this morning, Nadella laid out his thoughts on the buyout and spoke about why it's such a momentous occasion for Microsoft and Xbox as they look to the future.
Starting off, Nadella said Activision Blizzard's mission to «connect and engage the world through epic entertainment» lines up with what Microsoft is trying to achieve. «Together, our ambition is to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet,» Nadella said.
Nadella observed that gaming is the fastest-growing category across all entertainment, surpassing movies, TV, music, and more. In the past two years alone during the pandemic, Nadella said games have proven to be «critical» to help people stay connected even when they aren't physically together.
Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard because it believes Xbox still has lots of room to grow, Nadella said. Right now, there are around 3 billion gamers in the world, and this is projected to reach 4.5 billion by 2030, he said. «We are seeing more players, more streamers, more titles and more new game publishers than ever before,» Nadella explained.
There are problems, though, Nadella said. To begin with, there is «too much friction» between content, consumption, and commerce in the gaming landscape, the executive said.
«We need to make it easier for people to connect and play great games, wherever, whenever and however they want. Today, we face strong global competition from companies that generate more revenue from game distribution than we do from our share
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