Xbox boss wants to revive old Activision Blizzard games like Hexen and King's Quest

rockpapershotgun.com:

Of the many possibilities that Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard might enable, only one seems really clear: that Microsoft will put Actiblizz games on Game Pass. Beyond that, it's all mights and maybes. Here's another maybe: Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says they're hoping to dig into Actiblizz's "franchises that I love from my childhood," raising the likes of Hexen and King's Quest. What better use for $69 billion than wallowing in nostalgia?

"I was looking at the IP list, I mean, let's go!" Spencer told the Washington Post in an interview. "King's Quest, Guitar Hero, ...I should know this but I think they got Hexen."

Sure, they probably got Hexen one way or another. Microsoft will soon own Hexen developers Raven Software when they buy Activision Blizzard, and already own Hexen publishers Id Software thanks to buying Zenimax and Bethesda. The WP say Spencer told them the Xbox team plan to talk with developers about working on a variety of old games Actiblizz own.

"We're hoping that we'll be able to work with them when the deal closes to make sure we have resources to work on franchises that I love from my childhood, and that the teams really want to get," Spencer said. "I'm looking forward to these conversations. I really think it's about adding resources and increasing capability."

One business fanfic story being written by many this week is that Microsoft will free studios from Activision Blizzard's cruel regime. A new golden age, saved from endless annual sequels! Activision were villains and Microsoft are saviours. I'm no fan of how Actiblizz do business but I'm wary of what Microsoft's buyout means, even aside from the horrors of the consolidation of the video games industry.

"Surplus developers are more