PlayStation Users Worry What Microsoft’s Deal With Activision Means for Them

Lindsey Rupp, Bloomberg News

Attendees use Sony Corp. PlayStation 4 (PS4) game consoles to play the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game at the Tokyo Game Show 2019 in Chiba, Japan, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. Over 650 companies and groups are exhibiting at the annual game show, which runs through Sept. 15. , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. plans to buy Activision Blizzard Inc. for $68.7 billion, purchasing the game publisher responsible for franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft that has been plagued by claims of sexual misconduct and discrimination.

In its largest purchase ever, Microsoft will pay $95 a share in cash to add Activision’s popular titles and expand its own offerings for the Xbox console while pushing it into the markets for mobile gaming and the metaverse. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s No. 3 gaming company.

At Activision, CEO Bobby Kotick, 58, will continue to serve in his role until the deal closes, a person familiar with the deal said. Then the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, who, as part of the deal was promoted to CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

So far, little is known for how this deal might impact how people can access Activision’s title’s long-term, particularly for people who use other consoles. Here’s how people in the gaming world are reacting.

Read More: Five Reasons Microsoft Is Making Activision Blizzard Its Biggest Deal Ever

Many were surprised by the announcement.

Some speculated what the combination could spur Sony and other game-publishers and console-makers to do and what the future was for libraries like Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.

Read More: Game On: Microsoft’s Activision Deal Ignites M&A Talk in Rivals

Others worried that the deal would limit their access to titles and franchises.

Many asked what the deal means for Call of Duty, an Activision game that’s currently available on Sony’s PlayStation.

Speculation over whether Microsoft would restrict access to popular titles to its own Xbox console was debated.