How would Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard impact esports? Experts weigh in

Envy Gaming CEO Adam Rymer woke up to the news of Microsoft acquiring game-publishing giant Activision Blizzard the same as the rest of the gaming world.
It was a surprise. And esports personalities responded in typical gaming fashion, with jokes, memes and legitimate concerns to joining Team Xbox. It’s a huge deal.
The $68.7 billion deal, announced by Microsoft on Tuesday morning, would be the largest acquisition by Microsoft to date, and the news came just days before Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty League has it kickoff event in Arlington. Activision Blizzard also had a tumultuous 2021, with lawsuits, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and a disgruntled workforce furious with unfair labor practices.
The questions are numerous: What does it mean for Microsoft to potentially own Activision Blizzard and games like Call of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft? And for esports: What about the franchise leagues like the CDL and Overwatch League?
Rymer spoke with Envy founder Mike Rufail, Envy president Geoff Moore and OpTic Gaming founder Hector Rodriguez individually Tuesday morning – they had to process it together.
“Thankfully we’ve been in business with both parties for a long time. It’s nice to know we have relationships on both sides of the table,” Rymer told The Dallas Morning News. “Nobody has reached out to us yet to sort of have a conversation about it. I’m sure they’ve got plenty of other things to be thinking about at the moment. But overall, in our heads, we see this as likely to be a good thing for everything we’re trying to do.”
Former Overwatch League VP Jon Spector had a serious reaction tweet, followed by joke.
I’m ready for my first meeting of the day now after some quick graphic design work. pic.twitter.com/ytnTJW2PQo — Jon Spector (@Spex_J) January 18, 2022
Call of Duty players, who have spent much of the past month chirping about Vanguard and Warzone having game-breaking bugs and issues, had their say as well.
Can we have a ranked playlist now @BillGates — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) January 18, 2022
Can’t imagine that this could hurt CoD and Warzone considering how poor things are now, so let’s hope this only helps 🤞 https://t.co/3hSMQqr3kG — HusKerrs (@HusKerrs) January 18, 2022
M͉̅ͮ͒ͤẹ̿͋̒̕s̠҉͍͊ͅs̠҉͍͊ͅā̤̓̍͘ĝ̽̓̀͑ẹ̿͋̒̕ D̶͔̭̪̻ẹ̿͋̒̕c͕͗ͤ̕̕r̴̨̦͕̝y҉̃̀̋̑p̞̈͑̚͞t̲̂̓ͩ̑ỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑…
Be careful… our dad works for Microsoft X_- https://t.co/j7ygMS51EI — Boston Breach (@BostonBreach) January 18, 2022
The upside of the deal is evident. The esports scene for Activision Blizzard titles could receive significant attention based on the level of commitment shown in 343 Industries and Microsoft’s commitment to the Halo Championship series, which saw esports pros flocking and Call of Duty players salivating at what could be done for their game.
Microsoft, which could complete the deal by June 2023, could give the CDL and OWL the same nurturing.
“I have to think it means there is going to be attention focused on the leagues,” Rymer said. “Whether that means there’s going to be some changes coming to them, I don’t know. But at least it feels to me like there’s going to be meaningful thought put into helping those leagues grow in a way that results in more players and more activity.”
My dream of a massive FPS event has inched one step closer.
Rent every hall at Anaheim Convention Center
Massive Open bracket and stages for:
Halo
Gears
Call of Duty
Overwatch
Grand Finals for each in the attached Arena on Sunday. — Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) January 18, 2022
The biggest concern was around the status of Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. He’s been called to step down by employees, but is set to stay as CEO at least until the deal is complete.
Some sentiments I’ve heard from Activision Blizzard employees today:
– Optimism about management changes and the positive culture at several Xbox-owned studios
– Fury toward Microsoft for giving Bobby Kotick a big payday and soft exit
– Determination to keep organizing — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 18, 2022
Rymer didn’t know all the answers, but he did feel the deal could be good for the sake of Activision Blizzard’s shattered culture.
“I think there’s obviously a cultural difference between Microsoft and Activision in a significant way, which we could spend all day talking about,” Rymer said. “The biggest thing that I see, is that Microsoft is probably a much bigger global player than almost any company in the world.”
Are esports in for a big upgrade? The start of 2022 suggests it’s certainly in for change.