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After a long and hard-fought battle to complete the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, the dust is finally beginning to settle as both companies are already starting their transitions into this new mindset, while also relieving any worries that gamers currently have.
Recently, one worry has been put to ease by Blizzard President Mike Ybarra as he talks about the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard and how he has sat down with Phil Spencer to discuss the future of the company, which he feels is leading more into an independent studio like it was back in 2008.
Why Is the Blizzard President Happy Regarding This Potential Independence?
No matter what industry you work in, it is always a pain when management is constantly breathing down your neck. This is still true, even for game developers, as many of the higher-ups want to keep an eye on gaming development and ensure that what is happening is good for the developers.
This sort of business model can sometimes work depending on the game that is being developed, but for some companies, this can be a major issue as it will cause a lot of issues for the staff that are currently working there and will also slow down the game development that is taking place.
Back in 2008, when Activision originally acquired Blizzard, they were largely left to self-govern and continue working to their normal schedule and planning. But further down the line, management began to put pressure on the development studios in an effort to reduce costs and push out content.
For obvious reasons, the staff that had been with Blizzard for years began to get sick of this and left the company, leaving the studio in rough shape. But now that Activision Blizzard has now been acquired by Microsoft, Mike Ybarra is hoping that things will go back to what they were, and Blizzard can begin to self-manage a lot more.
Speaking withThe Verge, the Blizzard President said,
I think the way [Phil Spencer] approaches building teams and focusing on culture and enabling creative freedom is going to give Blizzard a lot more of that sense of being an independent studio than ever before.
With Mike Ybarra being the Blizzard President, this opens up a lot more opportunities for Blizzard, as they will no longer have to look towards the people higher up for small decisions, which could slow down the development process, meaning games will be developed a lot faster and better.
Why Is Blizzard Being More Independent a Good Thing?
As stated above, if Blizzard does become a more independent studio like it originally was, this could mean a better work environment for the developers who work there while also providing a better flow of content for the gaming community to enjoy, as the developers will have more options to work with.
Another benefit of being an independent studio is that the Blizzard President will have more decisions regarding projects that can be taken on by the teams working for Blizzard. This could help revitalize some of Blizzard’s older franchises, likeStarcraft, if a team could be brought together.
While also being able to bring back some of its older titles, if the Blizzard President was able to focus more on certain projects, this would mean that many of the current live-service games that are currently available would get a lot more love and attention from the developers, leading to more content and faster releases.
So far, this news has already received a lot of positive feedback from the gaming community, as they are very excited to see Blizzard go back to its roots and potentially bring back some of its older titles. But for now, this is still an uncertainty and could change at any time.
Even though Microsoft has purchased Activision Blizzard, they are already meeting with the staff and working towards a better relationship between Microsoft and the Blizzard President. There are still some quirks to iron out, as Mike Ybarra has also mentioned that it is unlikely that any Activision Blizzard games will be coming to Xbox Game Pass until 2024.
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Liam Magee
Gaming Writer/Editor
Articles Published :534
Liam is a writer who loves to spend his time gaming, streaming, playing board games, and just talking about games in general. He will play pretty much any game you put in front of him, but he absolutely loves soul-like games the most, or anything story-driven.
