In recent weeks, King employees have swapped their LinkedIn information, saying they are now working in Blizzard. This comes in conjunction with Microsoft and Activision's new team, which has been created within Blizzard.
This team takes employees from King and other various Blizzard employees and is now a focused team dedicated to working on Blizzard's "AA" games, such as World of Warcraft, Overwatch, StarCraft, and more.
The expansion doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard last year for a hefty $72 billion. This gave Microsoft leverage over some of its major franchises, such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. With the acquisition, Microsoft has already seen a huge 61% growth year-on-year in its gaming division, largely driven by Activision Blizzard's current games.
To continue boosting their growth, Microsoft and Activision have teamed up to create a new team within the Blizzard subsidiary. The aim is to continue curating and keeping their most beloved franchises alive, such as Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. StarCraft has been dead in the water for some time, and it is possible that this new team will revive the beloved franchise and give it a new lease of life instead.
Since many of the employees joining the team are from the King subsidiary, it's very possible that they are working on mobile ports of these games or on making Diablo Immortal a better game for those who continue to play it. Alternatively, it's possible that they will be working on new mobile games that are set to be released in Xbox's mobile game store, which is planned for iOS and Android.
Microsoft is keen to experiment with utilizing smaller teams that are more agile and have more potential when working on AA games. These teams will also be integrated into the larger teams, giving them access to bigger projects as and when they need it. There is plenty of potential for AA games at the moment, with games like Balatro, Palworld, Vampire Survivors, and Stardew Valley doing extremely well in current markets, regardless of age.
Despite their willingness to try and experiment with smaller teams, Microsoft is also responsible for closing down Tango Gameworks, the developers behind the well-loved title Hi-Fi Rush. The decision to make smaller studios and work on indie-style games may come as a shock considering the brash decision to close down Tango Gameworks, but we'll have to wait and see what's in store for the players with this new team.
