Microsoft has nearly acquired Activision Blizzard. The last major hurdle, the CMA, has just provisionally approved Microsoft’s latest iteration of the merger.
However, this deal has been a long road of hardships for Microsoft. PlayStation, in particular, has been a massive hurdle for Microsoft, trying its best to block the deal at every moment possible.
A recently revealed interview from Jim Ryan provides further insight into his thoughts about Activision Blizzard. The CEO of PlayStation believes Bungie is a more valuable partner for PlayStation than Activision would have been.
Why it matters: Activision Blizzard owns several IPs compared to Bungie, which has been limited to Destiny over the last few years. Therefore, some have found this statement surprising.
From the FTC case, Jim Ryan of PlayStation told Fidelity that Bungie can give them "Way more than a $69 Billion acquisition" can.
Me being me I wanted to find the original source of this quote making the rounds and, well… there it is. pic.twitter.com/8NqAiumpfo
— Destin (@DestinLegarie) September 24, 2023
Jim Ryan compared the Activision Blizzard acquisition with Bungie in terms of value. He pointed out that Bungie is less than 1/10th of the price of Activision Blizzard, making it a better deal.
The CEO further said:
“We believe that Bungie can give us way more than a $69 Billion acquisition of Activision.”
While this may come off as surprising, Jim Ryan is currently focused on bringing PlayStation to the forefront of live service gaming.
The gaming giant is best known for its single-player games, and while these will continue to remain a focus, PlayStation has over ten games in the live service genre in development.
Bungie is familiar with this genre, leading the development of Destiny for nearly a decade. Therefore, the studio’s experience with the genre is essential to ensuring PlayStation’s first attempts at live service do not fail altogether.
The studio has already begun to offer its advice, reportedly asking Naughty Dog to shift direction with the multiplayer offering for The Last of Us. While this has led to a delay, Bungie hopes Naughty Dog will be able to offer a more meaningful game.
Still, Microsoft has much to gain from the $70 billion spent on Activision Blizzard.
This acquisition will aid Microsoft in breaking into mobile gaming through IPs like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, and more. However, it appears this is not something PlayStation is interested in.
Nonetheless, only time will tell if either acquisition will result in massive benefits for the gaming giants. PlayStation is yet to begin its live service endeavors, while Xbox has not been able to merge with Activision Blizzard so far.
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