A new Central windows The report claims that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have quietly opened a new studio. Its purpose? To develop and distribute spin-offs of popular Activision Blizzard franchises.
The outlet noted several King employees updating their LinkedIn profiles, reflecting the move to a new team. Additionally, their sources claim that the studio is tasked with making smaller, double-A games, like Nintendo does with Mario and Zelda.
As of this writing, it’s unclear what systems these supposed titles will be released for, given King’s status as a mobile studio. Likewise, it’s unknown what ABK franchise this supposed new team would debut on.
Can a “double-A” approach guarantee victory for Xbox?
Why launch a smaller studio inside a larger one? Because creating games is costly!
AAA titles have become notoriously more expensive to make, and not all of them sell enough to break even. Smaller, double-A titles offer Microsoft a break and allow it to release flagship games at a faster pace than its flagship titles.
In the case of Activision Blizzard, this move is even more noteworthy since Microsoft previously expressed interest in reviving the publisher's long-dormant franchises. Building larger series like Overwatch and Devil it would also be a godsend.
Together with Nintendo, this move resembles Riot's strategy with League of LegendsThird-party studios such as Airship Syndicate and Digital Sun have released numerous Spin-off titles under the Riot Forge banner before it was stop last January.
If this new study is true, it could lead to a more robust and consistent release catalog for Microsoft. But one question will remain: why couldn't it? Tango Works be part of this alleged double-A push?
The full Windows Central report can be read Here.