Amidst rumors and industry speculation, Microsoft has addressed various aspects of its gaming strategy, particularly concerning its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the future of Xbox. For Variety VIP+ subscribers, Microsoft has remained silent on rumors about Xbox reversing exclusivity, which could potentially see certain games appear on PlayStation 5. According to Mr. Abyad, Microsoft had stated in last year's proceedings that Activision Blizzard would operate with a degree of independence post-merger. The software giant emphasized maintaining a 'premerger status quo' and sought vertical integration without the need to eliminate overlapping roles or redundancies. Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO, highlighted the company's efforts to set priorities and identify areas of overlap to align on growth opportunities after the layoffs were made public. In response to the FTC's letter, Microsoft claimed that it had already contemplated layoffs before finalizing the merger and structured the post-merger company to enable potential divestitures of Activision businesses if necessary. Rumors have also circulated about Xbox allowing some of its previously exclusive games to be available on PS5. Phil Spencer reassured employees in an internal townhall meeting that Microsoft has no plans to cease Xbox console production, a sentiment echoed in public statements.
Xbox is still committed to making consoles, says boss Phil Spencer https://t.co/CiyCFlCa1b https://t.co/5OYrXRbu60
I sat down with @DestinLegarie to talk Xbox strategy and more. Note: this was recorded before the Starfield rumors and Switch 2 launch rumors https://t.co/pr6bT1wOFd
Phil Spencer reportedly held an internal townhall meeting this week and reassured employees Microsoft ‘won’t stop making Xbox consoles’. https://t.co/A3ue5rRGib https://t.co/fX3lTaDqg0
Rumors are swirling that Xbox will let PS5 have some of its formerly exclusive first-party games. We talk about that, and more, on this episode of Next-Gen Console Watch! https://t.co/X9qNdA0X0u https://t.co/oasfwHNNvQ
“To be clear, while some overlap was identified and some jobs were eliminated, Microsoft has structured and is operating the post-merger company in a way that will readily enable it to divest any or all of the Activision businesses as robust market...” https://t.co/fqIoGdC0ux
Microsoft responded to the FTC’s letter on Thursday, claiming that the company was already considering layoffs before the merger was finalized. https://t.co/fqIoGdCyk5
“Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap and ensured that we're all aligned on the best opportunities for growth,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said after the layoffs were made public. https://t.co/fqIoGdCyk5
The software giant claimed that it wanted to maintain a “premerger status quo” and that it sought a vertical integration with the video game maker, meaning Microsoft likely wouldn’t need to eliminate overlap or redundancy. https://t.co/fqIoGdC0ux
According to Mr. Abyad’s claim, Microsoft asserted during proceedings last year that Activision Blizzard would remain mostly independent. https://t.co/fqIoGdC0ux
For Variety VIP+ subscribers: Microsoft is mum on the rumors, but if Xbox reverses exclusivity, expect these 3 games on PlayStation 5 https://t.co/bz5BFIqSSA https://t.co/igrLGDBUNZ