Xbox could become irrelevant if it does not succeed in the mobile space, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer believes. Now that Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard franchises such as Call of Duty and Diablo, both of which have successful mobile games, a move toward this market seems natural, and it’s aligned with the company’s vision.

Microsoft has recently finished the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion after battling regulators for over a year. This is the biggest acquisition ever made in the gaming industry, and it seems that it’ll play an important part in Xbox’s move towards mobile.

Phil Spencer has recently talked about what the acquisition of Activision Blizzard King means for the company on the Xbox podcast. According to Spencer, "If you're going to continue to be relevant in gaming at a global scale, you're going to have to find a way to be relevant on the largest platform, which is mobile." Spencer claimed to be looking forward to learning how to operate in this new segment and explained that gamers will not need to be worried that this means the company will forget consoles. He affirmed that Microsoft has the ability to operate in different business sectors at the same time and that the decision to enter this new one does not mean all franchises will become mobile or F2P games.



It’s no secret that Microsoft always wanted to establish a stronger presence in the mobile space, and having games such as Candy Crush Saga, Diablo Immortal, and Call of Duty: Mobile is a pretty big step forward. Last year, Microsoft announced that it would create its own Mobile gaming store, for instance, which means that it’s already planning to develop its own games, which will be offered alongside the ones that it’s gaining from the acquisition.

Fortunately, Xbox gamers who are not interested in mobile still have a lot to gain from the acquisition. A few days ago, Phil Spencer talked more about the games that will reach Xbox Game Pass, and how long fans will have to wait for them. According to him, most Activision Blizzard games may take some time to hit Game Pass, but they are coming. The main reason why they’re taking this time is because the company was not 100% positive about the acquisition until it went through. Now, however, gamers can expect at least some part of the company’s catalog to hit Game Pass in 2024. It’s still unclear, though, whether they will all be added at the same time or not.



Posted: Oct 22, 2023 12:59 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/xbox-mobile-phil-spencer-comments/