Microsoft and the Metaverse: How Activision Blizzard’s Purchase Will Affect Every Industry

The Metaverse is on fire once more. Microsoft is presenting itself as one of the original pioneers of this new virtual world, with many other major business leaders. Microsoft has strengthened its position as one of the leading gaming firms by acquiring Activision Blizzard. While neither company’s games use virtual reality (yet), several of their offerings have proved the possibilities of virtual engagement through huge, online multiplayer games. More than 100 million people in 150 countries play games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Players interact with one another, gather valuable goods in the gaming environment, and use real money to buy more supplies and weaponry. This may not be the Metaverse as everyone imagined it, but it does indicate the reach of the internet interactive universe and the willingness of many people to participate in a virtual environment.

The Impact of Microsoft and the Metaverse on Gaming and the Metaverse

Few would have predicted that Microsoft’s $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard would be the biggest in company history. When paired with other recent gaming purchases such as Id Software and Bethesda Game Studios, Microsoft has established itself as a prominent game developer. Beyond the games, Microsoft will have a steady cash stream from online gaming services like the XBox Game Pass, as well as the potential for millions of dollars in microtransactions within the games. Microsoft is clearly aiming to be a leader in both gaming and the Metaverse, since it sees enormous potential in the combination of these two rapidly rising industries.

Microsoft will also want to increase its influence in other gaming areas, such as distributing its phones, tablets, and laptops to the Xbox community worldwide. Activision (including some of its most well-known products, such as “Candy Crush”) will be especially crucial in the burgeoning mobile area, since it will enable the Metaverse commercialize its offers. “Gaming is the most dynamic and interesting area in entertainment across all platforms today,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated, “And will play a significant role in the development of metaverse platforms.”

What Impact Will Blizzard, Microsoft, and the Metaverse Have on Other Key Industries?

The Metaverse’s potential for expansion extends well beyond video games and multiplayer networks. Some of the most noticeable are:

1. Collaboration Tools 

The latest acquisition has far-reaching consequences for Microsoft’s entire environment, including Mesh for Microsoft Teams. Mesh aims to empower employees to take virtual conferencing to a new degree of interactivity by combining mixed reality services and technology. Mesh allows coworkers to interact in a way that integrates the physical and digital worlds, going beyond the usual video conference call. VR equipment like Microsoft’s HoloLens and the more popular digital twin technology might be used in this cooperation. These very immersive settings will enable teams to connect in a digital version of a more conventional workstation, allowing them to participate in some of the creative collaboration that many worry will be lost in the new world of remote employees. Microsoft is continuing to acquire patents and technology that will allow Mesh to progress from a simple representative avatar to a fully functional digital workspace.

2. Marketing and Advertising

Advertising for products has long been an element of television and film production. Viewers are exposed to both visible ads such as billboards and displays and less evident product placements that litter a production’s landscape. Users will see adverts across the virtual environment in the Metaverse, which will be remarkably similar. Brands will be able to position their items utilizing digital twins, which will employ real-time data analytics to assess customer demographics and behavior. They’ll be able to work with artists and employees, as well as fans and influencers, as well as their consumers. In the Metaverse, people will make and spend money in comparable ways to how they do in the actual world. Throughout the Metaverse, businesses will continue to grow and extend their customer base.

3. The Impact on Retail

For years, retail sales have thrived by relying on a phenomenon that has only lately been given a name: FOMO, or the fear of missing out. This may have been exhibited in past generations through the clothing worn by celebrities or the items advocated by athletics. This tendency is now being carried on via the use of influencers and social media. Gaming and the Metaverse will be able to take this to new heights by using some unique retail options to boost sales:

• On-platform retail sales of virtual products and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
• The potential for companies to sell their fashion clothing in the Metaverse for usage on digital avatars.
• Major corporations will launch marketing campaigns that are integrated into the Metaverse or gaming platform.
• Within this new virtual environment, brands may construct virtual showrooms and shopping venues.

Using Metaverse Skilling to Succeed

As the main software and technology companies continue to push the notion of the Metaverse, individuals who have the appropriate talents or are willing to receive the necessary training and certification to genuinely lead will have more options. As the Metaverse develops, opportunities in industries like digital marketing, software development, and cloud computing will become increasingly important.