The Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard was announced way back in early 2022, but today a report suggests the tech giant may seek to monetize Call of Duty and F2P games with advertisements.
Microsoft has faced countless scrutiny and delays facing its decision to buy Activision Blizzard for a historic $68 billion, as the UK and Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly blocked the merger since the announcement back in 2022. Now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it seems the merger is beelining for a conclusion after Microsoft won its appeal against the CMA. Between the joining of forces between Xbox and Blizzard, a new report has surfaced claiming Microsoft wants to put advertisements in Call of Duty and F2P titles.
After the torrential leak yesterday that saw the plans for the future of Xbox revealed through 2030, X (formerly Twitter) user CharlieINTEL posted an image from the leak that detailed Activision Blizzard’s value to the company that built the Xbox. While the focus may be solely on the Xbox Store on PC and Xbox Game Pass sales (Microsoft plans all Activision Blizzard titles will hit Xbox Game Pass), the second image presented shares that Activision Blizzard may seek to expand advertising into Hearthstone, Call of Duty Mobile and Candy Crush. The leaked images can be seen below.
Although the post only mentions the mobile version of Activision’s Juggernaut series, it also mentions PC which doesn’t necessarily mean mobile. It’s worth mentioning that the second image also includes a major Blizzard franchise, StarCraft, which has received virtually no news of expansion since the remaster of the original launched in 2017. What’s most notable is that StarCraft and its sequel are F2P from the Battle.net website, so advertising could potentially hit the series as well.
While all of the Microsoft and Xbox leaks have revealed many of the company’s plans, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has officially responded to the leaks via X, stating “We will share the real plans when we are ready.” So fans should take the leaks with a grain of salt, as although Phil Spencer confirmed the validity of the leaks with the X post, they may not be concrete plans moving forward. Fans can catch up on the Xbox leaks here.
