2023-11-07 06:40:49
Gaming News “He Just Wanted to See Some Games” Blizzard Reveals How Phil Spencer’s Recent Post-Buyout Visit Was
Published on 07/11/2023 at 07:40
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Phil Spencer visited Blizzard studios, and we have a report from two executives from the company from Warcraft and Diablo.
The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft marked a moment that will probably prove decisive in the history of the video game industry. Two Blizzard executives tell Digital Trends regarding Phil Spencer’s visit to the studios of Activision Blizzard, thus offering a glimpse of what the American giant expects from this partnership.
“He just wanted to see some games and meet the people behind it”
Unlike the usual PowerPoint presentations, Phil Spencer and the Xbox management team opted for a different approach. John Hight, the general manager of the Warcraft franchise, and Rod Fergusson, the general manager of Diablo, reported the details of this studio visit to the media Digital Trends. According to them, Spencer and Xbox executives expressed genuine interest in the teams behind the games, whom they insisted on meeting. They were able to chat with studio employees over lunch, getting to know both the developers and their current projects. This marked a refreshing change, emphasizing the importance of human relationships and fostering a collaborative environment.
They actually came a few weeks ago, Phil and a lot of his management team. The good thing was we had all these PowerPoints and stuff ready, but all they wanted to do was meet the teams. They had lunch outside on our terrace, at the café. We had hundreds of employees and Phil made himself available to talk to people. He just wanted to see some games and meet the people behind it, so we showed him a demo of one of the areas in The War Within for a while, and then we had game designer Tom Chilton, who did a demo of Warcraft Rumble. It was fun because we started doing the introductions and I said, “Obviously, you’re having fun in the game, you can let loose and just play this.” » They gave us a lot of support. I think they’re excited regarding the fact that, especially with Warcraft, we’re working on a diversity of games and platforms.
John Hight, general manager of the Warcraft franchise
Spencer’s goal? “Putting names to faces”
Support from Microsoft and their interest in a diversity of Blizzard games reinforced the enthusiasm of the development teams for this new partnership. To Fergusson, Spencer’s presence was familiar. In fact, they had previously worked together on the Gears of War franchise during Fergusson’s experience at Microsoft. He described the visit as a opportunity to make presentations between the different management teams. These meetings established new personal connections and posed the foundations of mutual understanding and respect.
He and his management team came…for a day visit to meet the people, so that was nice. They were doing this kind of tour, where they went to King, then to Activision, then to Blizzard. But the focus wasn’t really on “here’s our strategy” or “here’s everything regarding the business.” It was more like “Who are you?” Who are these people ? “They went out of their way to meet the management teams, introduce everyone and get a general idea of who the people are, put names to faces, it was really cool.
Rod Fergusson, general manager of the Diablo franchise
“As if we were bringing together the members of a music group”
Spencer’s appearance at BlizzCon 2023 also highlighted Microsoft’s commitment to Blizzard. Fergusson even compared this to reunite an old band separated for too long. Spencer’s support for Blizzard, the behind-the-scenes discussions, everything that happened at BlizzCon only made reinforce the feeling of having made the right choice with this partnershipboth at Blizzard and Xbox.
At the opening ceremony, it was cool to have Phil because I was on stage with him at E3 2019. Having him backstage, making fun of him while he’s doing his makeup, and everything that was very familiar. Realize, I spent fifteen years at Microsoft, so it’s good to be back in this gang. There is a kind of feeling, as if we were bringing together the members of a music group. What’s exciting is that Microsoft is going to empower and make Blizzard stronger. As Phil mentioned in his speech, he’s going to make sure we’re able to do the things we want to do, and give us the means to accomplish them.
Rod Fergusson, general manager of the Diablo franchise
Looking ahead, we know what awaits Blizzard games in the near future. L’extension de World of Warcraft, The War Withinet the Vessel of Hatred of Devil expansion IV are expected for the year 2024. Now with the support and assistance of Microsoft, Blizzard will be able to explore new avenues and offer new experiences to his players. At least, we all hope so!
World of Warcraft will be deepened with the Worldsoul saga through three expansions: The War Within in 2024, then Midnight and The Last Titan. The Diablo IV expansion, Vessel of Hatred, is expected to arrive in late 2024.
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