That's only if the asset maintains its value. With Lbox's shitty management the value of that asset is likely to crater. Microsoft paid $7b for Bethesda, what do you think they'd get on the open market for them now? I bet not even half that.
But that will only be know if they try to sell the asset. You don’t need to recover money used to buy assets.
The costs to make that asset operates behind your company is posted as costs… that interfere in the financials of Xbox.
The asset value you paid to adquire it not.
What matters for Xbox financially is if AB will have profit (any) after they started to operate behind them.
If there are profit then good they will aim to increase that profit.
If there not then it was a bad business and they need asap to find solutions to turn it into profit.
But let’s be clear here nobody expect AB to not profit… anybody that brought them no matter the price will be having good with it.
You need to fuck up the operation of AB a lot it it not be a good business and I don’t see that happening… they don’t valued $70b because it was a bad business… it is the opposite they were good and solid (basically no risk).
For example Square Enix is a more risk acquisition because they post some quarters profit, others loses… they are not a solid company like AB but hey they market value is way lower and shows that.
Do you think Apple and MS really values $1 trillion? Not… this market value is because they are as solid as a company as possible… they make money (a lot) even in the worst scenarios… in a hypothetical scenario anybody that can buy one of them will basically print a lot of money and that is why they are so valued in the market… 0 risk.