Lawsuit against Activision Blizzard
Publisher Activision Blizzard is currently embroiled in ongoing litigation over allegations of a workplace culture that allowed sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination. Read our timeline of Activision Blizzard Test Events for continued coverage of events.
Microsoft has been on something of a buying spree lately, and its latest purchase, from beleaguered developer Activision Blizzard, has been its most surprising and controversial acquisition yet.
It's not just about the numbers at stake, although the total prize money of €68,7 billion is certainly eye-catching, or the implications of buying a company that is currently mired in scandal and facing several lawsuits. What has a lot of people talking about is the impact an acquisition of this size will have on the gaming landscape.
Activision Blizzard has a huge library of some of gaming's biggest titles, including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo, and the idea that these franchises could one day be exclusive to Microsoft platforms worries some people. The repercussions are already being felt, with Sony shares falling after the news.
Personally, I think big acquisitions like this are bad for gaming. This reduces competition and consumer choice, especially if Sony and Nintendo do the same thing. What we don't want is for one company to own the majority of game developers.
There's also a sense that while Nintendo and Sony have organically grown and developed many of their own studios (while also acquiring third-party studios, of course), Microsoft is taking a more pay-to-win approach when buying studios. Existing ones to help fill in the gaps from its first outing, which was pretty disastrous back in the Xbox One days.
While it's not yet clear how this decision will affect PlayStation and Switch owners, what does it mean for PC gamers, especially those waiting for the Steam Deck handheld?
What this means for PC gamers
Things are a bit simpler for PC gamers. Given that Microsoft is also behind the Windows operating system that powers most of our platforms, there's a good chance that even if Microsoft made some of Activision Blizzard's games exclusive, they'd still make it to PC.
After all, many of its franchises, like World of Warcraft and Diablo, are PC-only or have long histories with PC gaming. It would be quite inconceivable for any of them to stop coming to PC.
So for many PC gamers, there may not be any immediate changes, barring any dislike of Microsoft's growing dominance over game developers.
In fact, it may end up being quite a positive for PC gamers. For starters, assuming Activision Blizzard games make it to PC Game Pass (Microsoft's subscription service that, like Xbox Game Pass, gives you access to a library of games), this will make the service even better for PC gamers who have subscribed.
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It might also result in fewer game launchers, since many Activision Blizzard games use the Battle.net launcher. If Microsoft brings these games to the Microsoft Store, and even Steam, that means one less piece of software to install, and that's still a good thing.
Microsoft has also done a commendable job of releasing its games on Steam, and that could hold some very exciting possibilities.
What this means for Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is a highly anticipated handheld game console from Valve, the company behind the Steam store (and games like Half-Life). Essentially a portable gaming PC, the Steam Deck will allow you to (hopefully) play most of your Steam library on the go.
While Steam has a large library of games, there are some notable absences, notably many Activision Blizzard games, that aren't on the service. Therefore, people who wanted to play World of Warcraft on the Steam Deck would have had a hard time playing the game.
It would be possible, as Valve said, to replace the Linux-based SteamOS operating system with Windows, which would then allow you to install Battle.net and play World of Warcraft that way. However, if Microsoft brings more Activision Blizzard games to Steam, it will make things even easier and could further expand the Steam Deck library.
Of course, that may not happen. Microsoft may keep Battle.net for certain titles or make them exclusive to the Microsoft Store. After all, Steam is a competitor.
Has the damage been done?
Perhaps the biggest concern in all of this is the controversies looming over Activision Blizzard. Some of the alleged allegations are extremely disturbing and unsettling, leading many to boycott future games from the developer.
Now that Microsoft has acquired the company (pending the usual legal proceedings), there may be an opportunity to address concerns about Activision Blizzard. Microsoft will undoubtedly have a lot of work to do, and until it can show that it has made radical positive changes, many PC gamers will continue to give Activision Blizzard games a big hand.