Activision’s track record with some of its games has also become more prominent. It delayed new releases of Diablo and Overwatch in November. That same month, the newly released Call of Duty: Vanguard was widely criticized for being boring and full of bugs.
Parris Lilly, a video game publisher and co-host of Gamertag Radio, said Microsoft’s deal to buy Activision will not only help Microsoft’s video game subscription service Xbox Game Pass, but also allow Activision developers to get off the treadmill. Mr Lilly said Microsoft’s acquisition could allow developers to “take a necessary break” so that they can improve games over time rather than updating them too often.
He added that the acquisition could be an opportunity for Activision to rectify workplace issues under Mr. Kotick’s direction. Mr Kotick declined to reveal in an interview whether he would remain CEO after the deal closes. The expectation is that he resigns, although people who are aware of his plans may move into the role of advisor.
Several players said the deal also has the potential to transform competitive video game leagues, known as esports, devoted to Activision games like Overwatch and Call of Duty: Warzone. Such leagues disappeared under Activision’s rule in the eyes of many players. Microsoft found success with the competitively played Halo game.
Many players said they couldn’t care less about Microsoft framing the deal as a way to strengthen its foothold in the world. metadata store. They said the Metaverse seemed like a distant idea, but the deal had the potential to immediately improve Activision’s games and workspace.
“To be honest, I don’t know much about the metaverse and all that,” said Mr. Bienusa.
Chris Nobriga, 28, from San Jose, California, said he’s spent more than 11,000 hours playing World of Warcraft, an online role-playing game, over the past decade after he caught the attention of his brother.
But he said that while he continued to play, his views on the game had changed over time as popular developers left Activision and the company re-used in-game systems.