Xbox boss Phil Spencer is interested in bringing back some of Activision's dormant game franchises after the two companies become one.
The head of Microsoft Gaming opened up about the potential new opportunities made possible by the Microsoft Activision purchase in a new interview with the Washington Post. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick previously mentioned potential revivals for both Guitar Hero and Skylanders, thanks to the increased production capabilities of joining the Microsoft team, and Spencer pointed out some more prospects he's excited to have under the Microsoft umbrella.
"I was looking at the IP list, I mean, let's go!" Spencer said. "King's Quest, Guitar Hero. ... I should know this but I think they got HeXen." And yes Activision does, in fact, own the rights to Raven Software's 1996 dark fantasy first-person battler.
- With Indiana Jones and Forza Horizon 5 ports, Phil Spencer isn't "trying to move" Nintendo Switch and PS5 players "over to Xbox anymore"
- Xbox CEO Phil Spencer doesn't "want to see every game turn into some big live service," says Game Pass allows for more "games that have a beginning, middle and end"
"We're hoping that we'll be able to work with them when the deal closes to make sure we have resources to work on franchises that I love from my childhood and that the teams really want to get," Spencer said.
It isn't just about getting the rights to cool games, of course - Spencer made sure to note that he thinks the deal is really about "adding resources and increasing capability." If some of those resources grant the capability to make a new HeXen, well, that's just good corporate synergy.
All of these potential collaborations are predicated on the idea that the purchase will go through, but an industry analyst has pointed out the process is "likely to be long and not guaranteed."
