Benzinga - by Franca Quarneti, Benzinga Staff Writer.
Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella expressed enthusiasm for the company's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, emphasizing the opportunity to become a "good publisher" across various platforms, including rival consoles like Sony Group Corp. (NYSE: SONY) and Nintendo ADR (OTC: NTDOY).
Nadella highlighted Microsoft's commitment to releasing games across all platforms, extending beyond Xbox and PCs to include mobile gaming and cloud gaming.
"We love gaming. In fact, Flight Simulator was created before even Windows," Nadella said in an interview with Bloomberg. "But, we were number three, number four. And now with Activision, I think we have a chance of being a good publisher — quite frankly — on Sony and Nintendo and PCs and Xbox. We’re excited about that acquisition closing and I’m glad we’ve got it through."
The acquisition brings major video game franchises under the Xbox umbrella, such as Call of Duty, Diablo, Halo, World of Warcraft, and The Elder Scrolls. Call of Duty, known for its consistent high sales, has become a flagship title for Xbox.
Nadella's enthusiasm for the acquisition echoes his previous remarks, where he emphasized Microsoft's ability to fulfill its goal of building great games for players across diverse platforms.
"We think that now we have the ability to do what we always set out to do, which is build great games and deliver them to folks across all platforms, which is Xbox and consoles, the PCs, and now even including mobile gaming and cloud gaming," he stated at the time.
The CEO's remarks resonate with Microsoft's evolving strategy, indicating a shift towards cross-platform publishing. There are also signs that Microsoft may consider releasing some exclusives, like Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush and Rare’s Sea of Thieves, on Nintendo and Sony consoles after an initial period of exclusivity on Xbox, IGN reported.
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