Microsoft, a multibillion-dollar corporation that is responsible for one of the largest console platforms in the world, may not be at The Game Awards because of the ongoing debacle over its acquisition by Activision Blizzard. Rumors are up in the air about Microsoft’s lack of an appearance at The Game Awards in December, mostly because of the ongoing issues surrounding the acquisition by Activision Blizzard.
According to vague rumors, Microsoft is not appearing at the Game Awards in December for regulatory reasons. Microsoft is likely holding off new announcements about the Xbox for The Game Awards 2022 for regulatory reasons. Microsoft could very well wind up skipping The Game Awards 2022, with an explanation given that referenced the regulatory reasons related to its ongoing Activision Blizzard acquisition.
Microsoft has shared several plans of its own in recent times, including attempting to get the British Competition and Markets Authority to approve its acquisition. In a document, Microsoft revealed its plans to extend the Xbox Store onto mobile devices, creating the new Xbox Mobile platform, which would feature games from Activision and Bethesda. Microsoft has already confirmed Activision Blizzard games are coming to Game Pass under the agreement, and this is big news for subscribers. The acquisition also strengthens the Microsofts Game Pass portfolio, with plans for bringing Activision Blizzard games into Game Pass, which has reached the new milestone of more than 25 million subscribers.
Xbox said that Sony did not want the Call of Duty series to be on Xbox Game Pass from day one, since Sony did not want to compete with the service. Microsoft’s potential deal for $68.7B to buy Activision Blizzard, developer of games like the popular Call of Duty series, has led to concerns over its effect on the console gaming market and subscription video games. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Microsoft plans to continue making some of Activision’s games for PlayStation consoles, but also retain some exclusive Xbox content, although it could take months for Microsoft to feel the need to disclose what those are.
In light of Microsoft’s impending acquisition, and as is customary while pending acquisitions, Activision Blizzard will not be holding a conference call, issuing an earnings call, or providing detailed quantified financial guidance concurrently with Activision Blizzard’s third quarter fiscal year 2022 earnings call. Originally captured through Reddit, the information came via The Xbox Two podcast, where featured journalist and managing editor at Windows Central, Jez Corden, heard there were going to be some mixed messages, as well as speculation about Microsoft’s lack of appearances at The Game Awards.