Activision Blizzard Enters a Period of Limited Transparency | This Week in Business

Our weekly business recap column presents a collection of statistics and quotes from recent stories, offering a dash of opinion and insight into industry trends. Check back every Friday for new updates. Microsoft recently finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a move that has significant implications for the gaming industry. While concerns about the deal's impact on competition and Microsoft's history of dominance in the operating system market are well-founded, there is another aspect worth exploring: the effect on Activision Blizzard's investor relations website. Last year, I compiled a list of the top investor relations pages, and Activision Blizzard's site stood out for its transparency and wealth of financial information. The company's commitment to preserving its historical records is commendable, and the site has been a valuable resource for journalists and industry analysts. However, with Activision Blizzard now under Microsoft's umbrella, it is likely that the level of transparency will decrease. Microsoft has a history of being tight-lipped about its gaming business, and it is unlikely that the company will continue to provide the same level of detail about Activision Blizzard's operations. This lack of transparency is not unique to Microsoft; the gaming industry as a whole has become less forthcoming about its business dealings in recent years. The decline of publicly traded game studios has resulted in fewer opportunities for insight into the industry's inner workings. Even when companies do provide information, it is often vague or incomplete. For example, Microsoft's quarterly earnings reports rarely offer more than a brief mention of its gaming revenue, and the company has stopped providing hardware sales figures altogether. The loss of transparency is a significant concern, as it makes it more difficult for journalists and analysts to understand the industry's trends and challenges. The consolidation of the gaming industry has resulted in fewer companies providing detailed information about their operations, making it harder to gauge the health of the industry as a whole. As the industry continues to evolve, it is essential to find ways to maintain transparency and provide insight into the business dealings of major players like Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. Without this transparency, it will become increasingly challenging to understand the complexities of the gaming industry and make informed decisions about its future.