The interview covered three distinct threads: Game Pass economics, specific franchise opportunities from the Activision Blizzard catalog, and the philosophy behind how Microsoft would approach those revivals.
Published December 1, 2023, the interview featured Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer speaking with Windows Central Executive Editor Jez Corden about the Game Pass investment model. Microsoft committed more than $1 billion per year to supporting third-party games on the service — a sum Spencer described as designed to sustain platform value for subscribers across very different tastes and playstyles. Spencer's goal was engagement: keeping players invested in the platform regardless of the type of game they preferred.
The approach made room for games that would not have been commercial certainties through traditional retail channels. Spencer highlighted Pentiment, a narrative adventure from Obsidian Entertainment, and Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm-action game from Tango Gameworks, as specific examples where unconventional scope and style found an audience through Game Pass that might otherwise have been unreachable. Both titles received critical recognition; their inclusion in Spencer's comments carried the implicit argument that the model rewarded creative risk-taking rather than just franchise repetition.
The section of the interview focused on Activision Blizzard covered what Spencer saw as the genuine opportunity from the acquisition: not just active franchises, but the depth of the back catalog. Specific dormant IP mentioned in the interview context included Banjo-Kazooie, StarCraft, Guitar Hero, and Skylanders. Spencer addressed Banjo-Kazooie fans directly: "I hear you," while making clear no individual announcements were coming immediately. He described conversations with Activision Blizzard teams to identify which dormant projects were worth reviving, emphasising that "there has to be passion in the team behind the projects."
He was deliberate about managing expectations — acknowledging that timelines on specific projects would vary and that nothing was imminent simply because it was being discussed. The consistent thread in his comments was matching a franchise with the people who genuinely cared about it, rather than assigning revival projects to whichever team had capacity.
📌 Context: The interview was published December 1, 2023 — approximately seven weeks after Microsoft completed the Activision Blizzard acquisition on October 13, 2023. Spencer's comments reflect the very early post-integration period, before significant restructuring decisions had been made public.
One of the clearest statements Spencer made in the interview concerned creative ownership. He described Microsoft's philosophy on dormant franchise revivals as contingent on finding the right team and opportunity — explicitly not taking projects away from original creators or excluding them from the development process. Spencer referenced lessons learned from Microsoft's history of acquisitions, arguing that the culture and vision of the original team were inseparable from the creative identity of the IP they built.
The practical implication, he suggested, was that not every franchise fans wanted revived could be addressed quickly — because the right conditions (team availability, creative fit, commercial viability) did not always align simultaneously. When Spencer teased a specific project or franchise, he framed that as a commitment: a signal that the conditions had been assessed and there was genuine substance behind it, not a marketing gesture with no production backing.
Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023, following a regulatory review process that spanned multiple jurisdictions. The Windows Central interview with Phil Spencer took place in the lead-up to or shortly after the deal's close and addressed what Microsoft planned to do with the combined portfolio.
Spencer described Activision Blizzard's back catalog of dormant IP as one of the most exciting long-term opportunities from the acquisition. He indicated that Microsoft was already in conversations with staffed teams to determine the best approach for specific projects, while cautioning that timelines would vary and no individual revival was being announced imminently.
Spencer specifically mentioned Pentiment (a narrative adventure from Obsidian Entertainment) and Hi-Fi Rush (a rhythm-action game from Tango Gameworks) as examples of unconventional titles that succeeded commercially and critically on Game Pass, demonstrating that the platform could sustain games beyond conventional AAA franchises.
Spencer stated that Microsoft would only revive a franchise when the right team was available and willing — ideally the original creators or developers with a direct connection to the IP. He described the principle as not taking a franchise away from its original team or forcing it onto developers who lacked that relationship with the material.
The full interview covered Game Pass expansion plans, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and the future of PC game streaming — subjects outside the Activision Blizzard-focused portion that this article summarised. The interview was conducted by Jez Corden, Executive Editor at Windows Central.
Microsoft's acquisition placed World of Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, and other Blizzard franchises within the Game Pass ecosystem. Spencer's comments suggested that Microsoft intended to support Blizzard teams' existing creative direction rather than impose restructuring, though integration decisions evolved over the following year as the two organisations merged operations.
Last reviewed 2026-06-11 against Patch 12.0.5 Lingering Shadows — Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.
