Microsoft and the Metaverse

<p>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.</p><p>Microsoft, the owner of Xbox, said the acquisition was a step toward gaining a foothold in the metaverse.</p><p>But what exactly is the metaverse? And why are some of the biggest companies in the world spending billions of dollars to get involved?</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/kevin-roose?smid=pc-thedaily">Kevin Roose</a>, a technology columnist for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Does the metaverse even exist?<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/technology/personaltech/metaverse-gaming-definition.html"> Here’s what you need to know</a>.</li><li>Video games are not merely entertainment anymore. They have become weapons that today’s technology titans wield to<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/technology/microsoft-activision-metaverse.html"> try to shape our future</a>.</li><li>The deal for Activision Blizzard would be Microsoft’s biggest ever, and one that places a major bet that people will be<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/business/microsoft-activision-blizzard.html"> spending more and more time in the digital world</a>.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>