Microsoft, the world is watching: You need to prove you will do right by Activision Blizzard King employees
Watch this space. Source: Jez Corden | Windows Central
Yesterday, Microsoft shook the world with the revelation it is spending almost $70 billion dollars to acquire Activision Blizzard for its new Microsoft Gaming segmentation. The acquisition presents a whole lot of opportunity, but likewise, a whole lot of questions.
For the average consumer, Activision Blizzard represents decades of beloved universes, from Warcraft to Call of Duty. All likewise often, nosotros forget those games and franchises are fabricated by passionate humans, who pour their talent, skills, and lives into building these titles. Whether information technology's customer support staff, marketing teams, server engineers, artists, programmers, and across — the frontline staff bears the burden of all the recent scandals, complaints, and pressure level from Activision's management layer and shareholders. And they've had a hell of a few years.
Scandals, the legacy of maltreatment, CEO Robert Kotick's cool compensation packages, company-wide unfair pay, and capricious layoffs — Microsoft has a hell of a lot to evidence to a squad that really, actually deserves a reprieve. This is a call on Microsoft to bear witness they will do correct by anybody involved at Activision Blizzard (when, and if the bargain closes), whose legacy extends to joy and relaxation for hundreds of millions over the years.
A dear legacy to protect
Source: Blizzard
I don't need to describe the size of some of these franchises; Crash Bandicoot, Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, Starcraft, Diablo, and dozens more than, dating back decades. Activision, Blizzard, and King serve millions upon millions of gamers beyond console, PC, and mobile, with mountains of legacy IP that Microsoft could revive and adjust for futurity audiences. Skylanders, Guitar Hero, Hexen, Singularity are among the new backdrop truly beyond what Xbox had earlier.
Many of Activision Blizzard'southward core franchises are sorely under-represented and nether-appreciated, yet. Starcraft has languished out of the spotlight for a while, neglected and forgotten. The Warcraft III "remake" was an unmitigated disaster, too, with reports that Activision cut corners and rushed the release to encounter a quarterly report, rather than build a adept game.
For gamers, Microsoft should move fast to prove it volition serve these franchises well. For devs, Microsoft should bear witness it will give them the resources and time they need to realize their ambitions.
Microsoft has more recently shown itself to exist willing to prioritize quality over quarterlies, all the same. They delayed Halo Infinite for an entire year, missing the Xbox console launch window, to ensure it met expectations. Microsoft is besides vastly expanding and growing some of its older core acquisitions, with studios like Undead Labs, inXile amusement, Ninja Theory, and The Coalition ballooning in headcount.
The fact Microsoft was willing to drop a truly insane $70 billion on Activision signals they're all-in on gaming, and nickel-and-diming games and, more crucially, staff and studios, is hopefully something that volition stay with Activision as a bad memory.
As part of Microsoft, the inventiveness of Activision Blizzard is somewhat shielded from shareholders. Microsoft's share price typically hinges on cloud growth and business concern-to-business deals, with Xbox largely left to its ain devices. Naturally, the just metric Microsoft cares about with regards to growth is Xbox Game Laissez passer and monthly active users in its gaming sector. You tin't acquire Xbox Game Pass subscribers without a diverse portfolio of high-quality games and positive sentiment, particularly on PC, where competition from Steam and other storefronts presents higher resistance to converting Xbox console players to Game Pass subscribers.
Source: Activision
Microsoft has a real opportunity to permit Activision Blizzard return its focus entirely to making high-quality games, casting off some of the shareholder-baiting mechanics like forced fourth dimension gating and systems to inflate monthly agile user (MAU) and engagement in the brusk term. Blizzard particularly was formerly a studio known wholly for quality, and while they had a recent win with Vicarious Visions' Diablo Ii remake, Warcraft III Reforged, WoW: Shadowlands, the slow decay of Overwatch, and the effective expiry of Starcraft leaves a sour gustatory modality.
For gamers, Microsoft should move fast to prove information technology volition serve these franchises well — quality, value, and players first — over the corner-cutting practices. For devs, Microsoft should show it volition give them the resource and time they need to realize their ambitions.
Liberty, and integration without layoffs
Source: Coolcaesar / Wikimedia Commons
Indeed, Microsoft has by and large painted the picture that it takes a hands-off approach to its studios. Mojang and Minecraft is a good instance, where Microsoft has, past and large, kept the game running as is, allowing Mojang to gear up its own priorities while keeping Minecraft growing with big and relatively frequent updates. Every bit I outlined higher up, we can merely hope that Microsoft's leadership will grant Activision Blizzard teams the liberty to build games, rather than money press machines, but there are other things to consider outside of game development itself.
I think I can speak for the unabridged gaming globe to say nosotros will not forgive y'all if we see big-calibration layoffs.
Ane thing that frequently bugs me about Xbox and Microsoft, in general, is the quality of its client service. Microsoft used to accept a large client service department, that has gradually been replaced with bots and even "Xbox Ambassador" volunteers, which I think is cool for a visitor as large and rich as it is. For all its faults, Activision Blizzard, peculiarly Blizzard, has some of the best client service teams in the entire industry in my view.
Blizzard's "GM" game masters are fully paid staff and oft exercise their jobs with flair and humour while helping players in World of Warcraft and other titles. Blizzard has a world-grade cine modeling team too, alongside a huge internal trade functioning. Pre-pandemic, Blizzard also spent a huge portion of its income celebrating its games with the BlizzCon expos. Activision too has a huge hand in esports — a sector Microsoft historically has shown ambiguity toward.
I can't help but worry about some of the teams at Activision Blizzard exterior of Microsoft'southward typical wheelhouse. The terminal thing anyone watching this unfold wants to see is mass layoffs. And believe me, Microsoft, I think I can speak for the entire gaming earth to say we will not forgive you if we run into large-scale layoffs in some of the lesser-known and under-appreciated departments. Integrate them, do non cut them.
Bear witness you'll do the right thing, Microsoft
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Cardinal
The world is watching correct at present, Microsoft. It's not the aforementioned when you lot buy an AI company like Nuance or a dev platform similar Github, or a work-oriented social network like LinkedIn. Activision Blizzard games come with a vast legacy of emotional attachment, admiration, and fandom dating back decades. Gamers and fans of these franchises take been desperate generally for a leadership change at Activision for years, and many seem cautiously optimistic given Phil Spencer'south leadership at Xbox, and the value being driven by Xbox Game Pass.
Related: Why Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard, and what this means for Xbox
As big as the legacy of positive emotions is for Activision Blizzard, there's a legacy of scandal and maltreatment in contempo years, too. Reports have discussed arbitrary layoffs, unfair pay, and at worst, sexual corruption taking place in and effectually the company and its high-contour staff. Activision's leadership has been defendant of turning a blind center to this for years, and while CEO Robert Kotick continues to search for scapegoats to save his own skin, employees on the front line suffered.
Robert Kotick had the gall to blame Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 delays for Activision Blizzard'south declining stock, deflecting responsibility for his leadership. Parting with Robert and the residual of Activision'southward legacy leadership team should exist Phil Spencer'due south get-go move once (and if) this deal closes in the coming year. Information technology'll help to turn and page for Activision, and hopefully, pb to a renaissance for the unabridged studio.
Activision Blizzard will hopefully be able to return its focus entirely on building quality games, shielded from shareholder pressure, as the new Microsoft Gaming grouping focuses entirely on Xbox Game Pass, cloud, and quality, over arbitrary quarterly goals.
The world is watching, Microsoft. There's a huge opportunity to prove to a gaming world, that still sees Microsoft as an evil malevolent corporate presence, that things can be different.
Shooty bang bang
Where are all the guns in Dying Light ii?
It'south by design, sure, but there's a distinct lack of firearms in Dying Calorie-free ii. For ameliorate or worse, modernistic medieval Villedor is a place to build your ain weapons. But what happened to the guns and ammo and might it e'er make a comeback?
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-needs-prove-it-will-do-right-activision-blizzard-king-employees
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