Is Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard good or bad for the industry?

This has been a hot topic this month as Microsoft made its move on Activision Blizzard, buying the company with the intention of integrating its portfolio into the Microsoft family of studios. Later this year, you will likely find many of the games popping up in Game Pass as well as future titles possibly becoming Xbox and/or PC exclusives.

It provides a massive shake-up within the industry, putting a lot of major franchises into Microsoft’s control as it monopolizes a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos between console manufacturers. The company plans to play fair for current contracts with companies like Sony, but this doesn’t mean that future games will share the same protection.

Because of this, some have claimed that this is starting to create an unfair market. Many of the top studios being bought out by companies like Microsoft, with Microsoft holding some of the biggest cards. Many future titles that may no longer appear on competing consoles in an attempt to have the most exclusives.

This may make deciding on which console to buy much more difficult in the future as a gamer finds themselves split between so many titles that are available on one side but not the other. No longer limited to the general mascots of each console, but now a massively growing list of exclusives.

Others claim that this will fuel additional spending within the market as more gamers buy into multiple consoles in order to appease their desire to play their favorite titles of each. While at the same time, this causes an issue because this would only make things that more expensive (to be a avid gamer).

So what are your thoughts on this? Do you think that these companies should be limited in order to create a more fair and consumer-friendly market? Do you think terms like “monopoly” should be brought into question? Or do you feel that Microsoft’s scorecard of acquisitions doesn’t pose a threat to the competition? That this will only fuel new competitive programs and features, or even additional studios and titles? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts on the matter.