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    • Despite buying Activision Blizzard for billion last year, Microsoft is still eyeing even more video game acquisitions
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    Despite buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion last year, Microsoft is still eyeing even more video game acquisitions

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    Microsoft is still looking for acquisitions despite spending $69 billion for Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard last year.

    In an interview with Bloomberg, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer said he is willing to buy more companies, although he cautioned that nothing is “imminent” and that big deals are off the table for now.

    So if Microsoft opens its wallet again, what could it spend its billions on? Deals that add “geographic diversity,” including in Asia, could be worthwhile, Spencer said.

    Apparently Microsoft is considering buying another mobile company (Microsoft acquired Candy Crush maker King as part of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard).

    “We absolutely want to be active in the market, and if we can find teams, technology and capabilities that contribute to what we’re trying to do in gaming at Microsoft, we will absolutely hold our heads high,” Spencer said.

    Microsoft is still in the process of absorbing Activision Blizzard employees, Spencer added, and therefore very large deals are likely impossible at this point. But that leaves the door open for major acquisitions in the future.

    Spencer and co. future takeovers are likely to be easier after Donald Trump becomes US president in January. Microsoft faced an uphill battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the Activision Blizzard deal – a battle it ultimately won. Wall Street is reportedly frothing at all the possible mergers and acquisitions that can now go ahead with Trump as president.

    The focus seems to be on developing the mobile offering, prior to the launch of its own app store. But Microsoft’s rival App Store and Google Play have suffered a number of delays and staff are still trying to come up with a plan. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft still doesn’t have an effective way to get its own store on mobile phones, further delaying the launch.

    Microsoft’s gaming acquisition ambitions continue despite cutting an eye-watering 2,550 workforce this year alone, while Xbox’s mobile games development teams have recently been hit hard.

    Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].

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