Microsoft Bets on Activision Blizzard in $70 Billion Sale—What Does This Mean for Film and TV?

The gaming world shook this morning as news of Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion was announced. The deal will value Activision at $68.7 billion, meaning it's the third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. 

“Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog,” Microsoft’s CEO of gaming Phil Spencer said in a statement.

Spencer went on to say, “As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.”

Microsoft's new foray into gaming allows it to control titles like Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. Not only will those be fruitful for gaming, but these are tall titles being rumored for film and television as well. While not addressed specifically in the takeover, it has to be on everyone's minds. With Microsoft controlling Xbox, maybe they could make content that goes directly there. Or content only accessible from the Xbox GamePass. 

“We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community, and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive, and accessible to all,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

With this purchase, it will be interesting to see what other streamers do. Netflix has been rumored to get into gaming, and we know Apple and Amazon have similar goals. These conglomerates working to open gaming companies could lead to way more storytelling and cinematic jobs opening. Gaming truly is becoming the next biggest revolution in storytelling, with intricate stories, characters, and choices. This union of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard seems to be the tip of the iceberg in these streaming wars. 

Let us know what you think in the comments.