To celebrate the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has released an emotional trailer that showcases the wealth of games that Xbox now offers (and apparently the most important the company thinks and wants to show off).
The titles available now under the Xbox Games Studios banner are somewhat interesting, with some of the biggest video game franchises of all time appearing in trailers. World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Diablo, Crash Bandicoot and Candy Crush all feature alongside existing Xbox franchises such as Halo, Fallout, Forza and Starfield.
The trailer (above) was released alongside Microsoft’s announcement that it now owns Activision Blizzard, a $68.7 billion deal that is the largest in gaming history. You can read about the entire acquisition process, from its unveiling in January 2022 to its completion in October 2023, in IGN’s full timeline, which details the challenges Microsoft had to overcome.
Xbox is using its franchise to welcome Activision, Blizzard and mobile publisher King into its fold. For example, in a scene from World of Warcraft, a character says, “This is his home now. Family.” Another Pyschonauts 2 replied: “That’s cool.”
Perhaps StarCraft’s Tychus Findlay best sums up how Microsoft and Activision Blizzard feel right now. activism, blizzard, [and] “King joins the Xbox family,” the trailer says, before Findlay chimes in: “It’s about time.”
Other games featured in the trailer include Microsoft Flight Simulator, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Sea of Thieves, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Fallout Shelter, Spyro, Minecraft, Hi-Fi Rush and Doom Eternal.
Of course there will be plenty of other news alongside the Xbox announcement, including that Activision Blizzard’s controversial CEO Bobby Kotick will remain president of the Call of Duty maker until the end of 2023. Kotick said Xbox boss Phil Spencer has asked him to stay on as CEO until the end of this year, suggesting an exit in 2024.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He would talk about The Witcher all day.
