Activision Blizzard must be pretty confident that the UK Competition and Markets Authority will approve of the publisher being acquired by Microsoft. While the CMA has yet to announce that decision, a new report says that Activision held an internal town hall for its employees earlier this week, with its CEO Bobby Kotick.
Windows Central reports that during the town hall, Kotick was interviewed by UK actor and recently retired US late night talk show host James Corden. Part of the discussion revolved around how the publisher could work with Microsoft if and when the deal closes. Kotick indicated that Microsoft Research could be a factor in improving future games:
A big part of what I've seen in Microsoft is research. And they do development in areas that are extraordinary. And so being able to tap into their AI and machine learning capability, the data analytics, new ways of thinking about graphics — I just see unlimited potential for what we do.
While the Activision part of Activision Blizzard is almost totally devoted to the Call of Duty franchise nowadays, Kotick seemed to hint that if the Microsoft deal goes through, we could see a revival of some of the publisher's other franchises. He even hinted the Guitar Hero series could be set for a reboot under Microsoft's ownership.
Kotick even discusses some possible future tech that could be incorporated into games. One of the things he mentioned was Neuralink, the brain-computer link company founded by Elon Musk. Kotick stated:
I think you'll see things like Neuralink — you'll actually be able to interact with things on the screen, where there isn't a controller.
Of course, all of this might not happen if the CMA makes a surprise move and denies giving approval for Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard. The regulatory body is rumored to make that final decision later this week, and if it is approved, Microsoft is rumored to close the deal to buy Activision Blizzard this Friday, October 13.
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