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Spencer says Activision Blizzard acquisition "well beyond" anything he's done

Spencer says Activision Blizzard acquisition "well beyond" anything he's done

The head of Xbox Phil Spencer has said that the company's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the biggest thing he has done in his career to date.

Speaking to Axios, the exec said that the deal was "well beyond" anything that he had done so far, adding that he feels a wealth of responsibility to ensure it goes well.

“That's something well beyond anything I've ever done," Spencer said.

"I don't know that I'm equipped to do it, and the responsibility for that definitely hits home.”

The Xbox boss went on to say that the comp[any was focusing on the teams at Activision Blizzard, hinting at internal reform at the embattled publisher. He also said that he doesn't think that Microsoft is a monopoly within games as of yet.

“One hundred per cent of our focus is on the teams,” Spencer said.

“We know there's work. We have our own work."

He continued: “I want to stand for things that make teams better and people feel safe. I think we've been public about those things, but I would push back that we're in some kind of hyperpower position that is unfettered. I don't believe that.”

In January, Microsoft announced it intended to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.