The future of Microsoft in the video game sector is perfectly defined and as we can see, it has been built around aggressive model of purchasing key studies. In that sense, the purchase of Activision Blizzard is something we can almost certainly take for granted, so much so that even Sony has decided to throw in the towel and sign a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for ten years, but what does this really mean for the Redmond giant?

In this article, we will answer this question, but in a very specific way, do a little reflection in which we will appreciate both what is appreciated by the naked eye and what is on a deeper level and therefore not easy to see. If we stay on the surface, it’s clear that the purchase of Activision Blizzard will give Microsoft a very important boost in the world of video games, on various levels.

The Call of Duty series is one of the biggest so far on consoles and PC was subject to conditions such as the classic “first on PlayStation”. It is clear that this will change and that the franchise will be extended to the next Nintendo console, which could help the big N further improve its position in this market.

On the other hand, there are Blizzard franchises that have more weight on PC, although we’ve had huge success with Diablo IV on all the platforms it’s available on. Call of Duty will not be exclusive to Xbox and PC, but other installments of Blizzard’s most important franchises yes, they may eventually become exclusive these platforms, and this would significantly strengthen its position in the market, which seemed to condemn it to mediocrity, i.e. in terms of sales, the Xbox 360 was its only major success.

The truth is like this number of triple-A franchises the great importance that Microsoft will have on its account is truly spectacular, as it includes games of the caliber of Call of Duty, DOOM, Fallout, Diablo, Warcraft, Overwatch, Gears, Halo, Wolfenstein and highly anticipated games like Starfield. On the other hand, it should also be taken into account that Activision Blizzard’s purchase includes King, a company that has a lot of traction in the smartphone sectorand this will undoubtedly help Microsoft improve its position in the said market.

What Microsoft will gain and lose if it buys Activision Blizzard

In broad terms, we have already explained quite clearly what the Redmond giant can get with the mentioned purchase, it will take over some of the most important franchises in the world of video games and with all of them it will be able to improve its position in three key sectors: game consoles, services and mobile devices.

The exclusivity of some of those franchises and have some advantage in terms of optimization and early releasesomething that PlayStation previously benefited from with things like Call of Duty will be an important advantage for its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles. On the service level, Microsoft could brings Activision Blizzard games to Game Pass and gaming in the cloud and in the mobile sector we already know the weight that King, the giant of Candy Crush.

However, buying Activision Blizzard will leave Microsoft in a very advantageous position in terms of intellectual property against the competition, and it is clear that this will make it very difficult for you if you try to buy other studios in the future which carry a lot of weight in the world of video games. That’s what the Redmond giant is losing.

However, we must approach this correctly to avoid mistakes. I’m not saying that Microsoft won’t be able to buy more studios, but if they try to buy another big game development company yes, it could face strong opposition from regulators who agreed to buy Activision Blizzard.

A good example would be Capcom, which has such important franchises as Street Fighter, Resident Evil and Monster Hunter to its credit. After Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is completed, it would be nearly impossible to get the green light to buy Capcom, but it could be relatively easy to buy smaller studios with lighter franchises.

In general, I think Microsoft succeeded with the purchase of Activision Blizzard and in choosing that “last great company to buy” it was the best option he had in mind. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years if said purchase finally goes through, and especially if Microsoft keeps its word or eventually decides to start converting almost all of Activision Blizzard’s franchises into Xbox and PC exclusives.

The Redmond giant will have to be very careful with all this, because if it finally decides to start closing exclusives this could be used against you on future purchase attempts and it would only make things more difficult for you. Without further ado, the Redfall and Starfield exclusivities were used as arguments in a lawsuit against the FTC, though Microsoft was lucky that the judge didn’t give it much weight in the end.