Microsoft investors call gives more details on Activision Blizzard purchase

digitaltrends.com:

In an investor relations call, Microsoft revealed that following its acquisition, Activision Blizzard will report to the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer. However, the company’s embattled CEO, Bobby Kotick, will retain his position.

Throughout the investor call, which included Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood, as well as Spencer and Kotick, each speaker emphasized that the purchase would make gaming easier for players. Nadella restated that Microsoft is planning to “bring as many Activision Blizzard games to our Game Pass service, including new games as well as games from Activision Blizzard’s incredibly catalog.”

However, an emphasis was put on mobile gaming. The acquisition brings one of the largest mobile gaming developers, King, under Microsoft’s umbrella, and the company is now looking to bring other major franchises, including Call of Duty and Overwatch, to users on mobile devices via Xbox Game Pass.

Once the acquisition comes to a close in 2023, Phil Spencer will be in charge of leading Microsoft’s expansion into mobile gaming. According to Nadella, Activision Blizzard will report directly to Phil Spencer, the front-facing head of Xbox, a responsibility he seemingly seeks to have for the foreseeable future. During the call, Spencer said that the acquisition is “not about short-term results” but rather what is coming down the pipeline from Activision Blizzard.

Despite Spencer’s new position as the boss of Activision Blizzard, the company’s current CEO, Bobby Kotick, will remain in place. While an explanation for Kotick retaining his job was not offered, it’s a divisive move, as the CEO has gained negative face within his own company and throughout the gaming industry due to Activision