Xbox CEO Phil Spencer's shocking revelation about Activision Blizzard takeover

In an interview with IGN, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer revealed that prior to MSFT's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard ATVI from Microsoft Corp., he "knew nothing" about this type of transaction.

Spencer revealed that the process had been "a learning experience" since it was announced in January 2022 and that he was confident the deal would go through.

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"The fact that I have more insight, more knowledge of what it means to work with the various regulatory bodies, I'm more confident now than a year ago , just based on the information I have and the discussions we've had," Spencer told IGN.

"When we announced a year ago, we were talking about an 18-month lead time. We're at 12 months. I think we're still focused on getting the deal done. the deal," he said. added.

Furthermore, the CEO spoke about the relationship with regulators and assured that the multiple conversations he had had had a positive impact on the gaming industry.

"I think more regulators being educated about what gaming is, how the business works, who the players are, and what our aspirations are as Team Xbox is just a good thing for the industry itself,” he said.

It should be noted that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard was the largest such transaction in the gaming industry and raised concerns about its impact on the competition. That's why the US Federal Trade Commission has announced its intention to legally challenge the deal, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority has also expressed doubts about the acquisition.

During the interview, the Xbox CEO was self-critical about last year's console releases.

"Our commitment to our fans is that we must have a steady release of great games for people to play on our platform, and we haven't done enough of that in 2022, there's no doubt. And basically, it's on me. I'm the head of the company."

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"The commitment we have to our customers to continue to deliver great games is something that I take seriously, that teams take seriously, and 2022 was too light for them. games. So we're excited to be able to ride through 2023," Spencer continued.

Asked by IGN about recent Xbox layoffs (amid news of a mass layoff of 10,000 people at Microsoft), Spencer said, "Right now there's business we need to work on. , and part of that is making sure we have the right resources in the right places to do the best job. Sometimes that means we need to make allowances, in this case, reductions, and I don't take this lightly, because the impact on individuals is real."

Spencer shared a positive outlook for 2023 while confirming the company's goal of "delighting gamers".

"Every year is critical. I don't find this year more or less critical. I feel good about our momentum. Obviously we're going through some painful adjustments right now, but I think it's is necessary, but I...