Xbox head Phil Spencer has discussed the franchises that will become part of Microsoft in the future, when the acquisition of Activision Blizzard is complete. This will include games in series like Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, HeXen, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
The recent announcement that Microsoft is attempting to acquire Activision Blizzard shocked the gaming world, as it would bring a number of big franchises under the Xbox brand, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft. Opinions on this acquisition have been mixed: some see it as a great opportunity to clean house in Activision Blizzard and fix a company that has been mired in controversy. On the other hand, there are people who see this sort of ownership as detrimental to the industry, with Microsoft suddenly gaining too much control over the fate of gaming in the future. The acquisition isn't expected to be completed until 2023, so it will be a while before the effects of this purchase are known.
The Activision Blizzard acquisition will put a lot of franchises under Microsoft's control, some of which are guaranteed to receive new entries in the future, like the Call of Duty series. There are smaller franchises whose fate is unclear. Xbox head Phil Spencer recently spoke to the Washington Post and discussed the acquisition. According to Nibellion on Twitter, Spencer name-checked several franchises that he's excited about, including King's Quest, Guitar Hero, and Hexen.
Spencer also mentioned wanting to talk with developers about working on a variety of franchises, including the ones that he loved as a child. He also discussed bringing back old franchises and ensuring that teams are working on the games that they are passionate about. This is likely in response to the team behind Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time being moved onto Call of Duty in the past, rather than being used as the studio making platform games.
There are tons of possibilities regarding Microsoft reviving old Activision Blizzard franchises on PC and Xbox systems, and the company has every incentive to do so. The Xbox brand was defeated in the PS4/Xbox One generation, due to a lack of compelling exclusives that would attract fans to the system. Microsoft has clearly learned its lesson and the Xbox Series X/S is coming into this new console generation loaded for bear with franchises. The PS5 might be the current market leader, but all it will take is for the Call of Duty series to gradually shift to Microsoft platforms for Sony to take a huge hit.
Source: Nibellion/Twitter, Washington Post