With a number of highly respected titles and a wealth of successful releases under their collective belts, Activision Blizzard seem like an easy choice for potential investors keen to put their money into the games sector, right?

However, it looks like investors are keen on the publishers and developers for a different reason.

In an article for The Motley Fool (a website dedicated to advising potential investors) John Ballard spoke about the title that people should really be interested in, Overwatch 2.

With a new title potentially on the horizon, Ballard speaks about the ways this may actually cause more harm than good, disrupting players who are already used to the core mechanics and routines of Overwatch.

He instead states that an expansion could instead “drastically stimulate in-game spending”.

In other words, a potential expansion could add a wealth of new loot box-style mechanics and other in game purchases that would make the company far more money than a simple expansion.

This demonstrates that the lucrative market for micro-transactions is a far more interesting prospect to potential investors than a simple sequel or title release.

It’s a worrying prospect to consider in a world of live-service games but it’s hard to tell how the franchise will evolve as time goes on.

Following the recent pressure from countries around the globe (including the UK Parliament earlier this month) Publishers have faced criticism and scorn for the in-game transactions and loot boxes, especially when presented to younger audiences.

With fans always eager to see new heroes added and new lore created for their favourite characters, only time will tell how the popular Publisher chooses to move forwards with the title.