Overwatch 2 – sure, Overwatch is big but it’s not Pixar big (Picture: Blizzard)
The first meeting between Xbox and Blizzard proved to be a quiet affair, as Microsoft pledged to listen to developer’s needs.
Nearly two weeks after Microsoft finalised its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, key members of Xbox’s leadership have visited Blizzard division’s headquarters in Irvine, California to speak with staff for the first time (Activision is an hour down the road in Santa Monica, but it’s not clear if they also went there).
This was meant as an opportunity to field questions from staff regarding the future of Blizzard, now that Microsoft is calling the shots, as well as provide assurances. Big buyouts like this traditionally lead to layoffs, since many jobs will already exist at the parent company, particularly in terms of non-developer roles.
From the sound of things, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was as vague with them as he’s been with the public, saying he had no answers, but that Xbox would listen to what Blizzard’s staff needs and wants to become a ‘source of trust.’
As reported by Windows Central, Spencer also mentioned that Microsoft wants to help Blizzard create its dream games, which suggests it’ll approach running Blizzard similarly to its other studios and be surprsingly hands-off.
The idea of a publisher not interfering too much with a developer’s vision would normally be welcome, but Microsoft has already demonstrated that this approach can do more harm than good.
When it was discovered that Perfect Dark studio The Initiative was bleeding staff, former employees mentioned that Microsoft was being extremely lenient with the game’s development and how the studio was being run. The studio was accused of not listening to its employees on key issues and stifling any creative autonomy.
Microsoft’s hands-off strategy was also accused of allowing toxic work conditions to fester at Undead Labs, the studio behind the State Of Decay games. Blizzard itself doesn’t have the best track record with its own studio culture either, in fact that’s the whole reason the became *cheap* enough for Microsoft to afford.
Elsewhere during the meeting, one member of Xbox leadership is said to have called Blizzard the Pixar of the gaming industry. Their exact quote isn’t recorded, but the comparison is supposedly due to the pioneering nature of the Blizzard brand and its legacy of innovating with new genres and technologies.
The comparison seems like an awful stretch though and sounds more like Microsoft buttering Blizzard up and, perhaps, convincing themselves that’s all been money well spent.
Even so, staff are said to have been fairly optimistic during the meeting, despite their anxieties; Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, for instance, says he ‘couldn’t be happier’ with this new chapter, but he was hardly going to publicly say anything else (especially as he’ll personally make a fortune from the acquisition).
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While it’s far too soon to speculate on where things could go from here, it’s safe to assume that Microsoft has high expectations for Blizzard’s future turnout.
Just yesterday, it was discovered that Microsoft has experienced very little growth this past fiscal year and Xbox Game Pass missed its own growth targets for the third year in a row.
Microsoft obviously hopes getting Activision and Blizzard games on the service will bolster subscription numbers but, if they don’t, it’s going to become harder to justify dropping $69 billion on the buyout.
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The first meeting between Xbox and Blizzard proved to be a quiet affair as the former pledged to listen to the latter’s needs.