微软将发布 AAA IP 的 AA 级游戏

Microsoft 和 Activision 创建了暴雪内部的一个新团队，专注于基于现有特许经营权开发更小型的 AA 级游戏。继续阅读以了解有关 Microsoft 在团队内的目标和潜在项目的更多信息。

Microsoft 和 Activision 专注于“AA”游戏King 员工为小型暴雪游戏提供动力

Microsoft and Activision have reportedly created a new team within Blizzard that is primarily staffed by King veterans, according to Jez Corden of Windows Central. This move comes after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, giving the company access to a vast library of popular game properties like Diablo and World of Warcraft.

According to Corden, this new team’s objective is to work on AA games based on existing franchises within Blizzard universes. AA games are smaller in scope and budget than AAA releases, and with King being renowned for mobile successes like Candy Crush and Farm Heroes, the speculation is that the new team will focus on developing these games for mobile.

King does have experience with developing mobile games based on existing franchises. They previously developed Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, an endless runner akin to Temple Run, in 2021, and announced plans for a Call of Duty mobile game in 2017. While the former has since been discontinued, the latter’s progress remains unclear, especially considering Call of Duty: Mobile is developed by a separate team.

Microsoft Aims to Strengthen Their Mobile Market Share

At Gamescom 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, in an interview with Eurogamer, emphasized the pivotal role of mobile gaming in Xbox’s growth strategy. He cited mobile capabilities as the primary catalyst behind Microsoft’s $68.7 billion bid for Activision Blizzard.

Spencer elucidated, "The rationale behind our acquisition discussion with Activision Blizzard King revolves around their mobile capability because it’s simply something we lack… We manifestly already have Call of Duty on our platform; we already have Diablo on our platform. Therefore, it’s not about novel games that Xbox players don’t have access to today. It’s about a capability on mobile, and certain broader aspirations that we have on the most extensive gaming platform, which is mobile phones."

为了进一步增强其游戏影响力，微软正在积极开发移动商店以与苹果和谷歌竞争。虽然具体细节仍处于保密状态，但斯宾塞在 CCXP 2023 上表示，它将尽快发布，而不是“几年后”。

随着 AAA 游戏开发成本的不断上升，微软正在探索新方法。据杰兹·科登 (Jez Corden) 称，该公司计划在其较大的结构内尝试较小的团队，以应对这一日益增长的变化。

虽然具体细节仍处于保密状态，但这个新团队的组建让粉丝们猜测他们可以做什么正在努力。可能性包括《魔兽世界》等热门系列的缩小版，类似于《英雄联盟》的移动版《狂野漂流》。他们还可以开发类似于 Apex Legends Mobile 或 Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7 的移动《守望先锋》体验。