NXpress Nintendo Podcast 267: What Does the Activision Blizzard Acquisition Mean for Nintendo?

This week on the NXpress Nintendo Podcast, Cameron Daxon, Marc Kaliroff, and Campbell Gill react to what is already one of 2022’s biggest pieces of gaming news: Microsoft is set to purchase Activision Blizzard for an eyewatering sum of $68.7 billion (yes, billion with a B). While this is obviously a major development in the ongoing console wars between PlayStation and Xbox, just how will the Activision Blizzard acquisition affect Nintendo players? It’s a seismic shift in the industry with plenty of implications for fans of the Big N: does this mean that Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, which have recently become frequent sights on Switch, will leave the Nintendo ecosystem after all? What will this acquisition do to the Switch’s burgeoning big-name third-party support? And with so many major names now under one roof at Microsoft, do we even need traditional E3 press conferences anymore? The hosts cover all these questions and more in a discussion as wide-ranging as Microsoft’s shopping list.

Next up, it’s time to jam out with an indie spotlight on the delightful arcade revival that is Windjammers 2! This follow-up to Data East’s cult-classic 1994 arcade hit is a worthy successor that takes the original game’s winning formula and dials it up to 11 with new mechanics, characters, and abilities–all wrapped up in DotEmu’s signature stunning art direction. It might suffer from a steep learning curve, but it’s not hard for the adrenaline to set in and make this a blisteringly fast and competitive multiplayer blast!

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Playlist:
LFXIV – NXpress Intro
00:42 – Main Event: Activision Blizzard acquisition discussion
“N. Sanity Beach” – Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
31:50 – Indie Spotlight: Windjammers 2
“Boulder Dash” – Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy