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The “metaverse” just got real. At least for me. That’s because Microsoft just announced that it will spend nearly $70 billion to buy video game developer and publishing giant Activision-Blizzard. We’re less than three weeks into 2022, and we already have what will be the biggest gaming story of the year—hell, maybe the biggest tech story of 2022. To put the all-cash deal in perspective: if Microsoft had just bought Nintendo outright, it would have been a smaller purchase. Activision-Blizzard is a slightly bigger company, by market size, than the venerable industry pioneers.
Some people will inevitably see the move as just the latest escalation in the console wars—specifically, Microsoft’s (makers of Xbox) war with Sony (makers of Playstation). In fact, it’s bigger. It’s a challenge to Microsoft’s real competition: Facebook, Google, Apple, and the Chinese holding company…
