Episode description
Microsoft announced this week that it was acquiring Activision Blizzard, the maker of video games such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush, in a deal valued at nearly $70 billion.
Microsoft, the owner of Xbox, said the acquisition was a step toward gaining a foothold in the metaverse.
But what exactly is the metaverse? And why are some of the biggest companies in the world spending billions of dollars to get involved?
Guest: Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for The New York Times.
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Background reading:
- Does the metaverse even exist? Here’s what you need to know.
- Video games are not merely entertainment anymore. They have become weapons that today’s technology titans wield to try to shape our future.
- The deal for Activision Blizzard would be Microsoft’s biggest ever, and one that places a major bet that people will be spending more and more time in the digital world.
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