Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion [FTC sues to stop - CMA issues updated preliminary findings]

[DeepEyes7]

18 minutes ago, N1cktim said:

 

I don't quite understand this stance. Over the past 10-20 years, Sony acquired multiple studios, including Naughty Dog, Guerilla, Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Bungie, etc. and made them who they are today. A lot of them now produce blockbuster, highly rated exclusive games for PlayStation. They are not available on Xbox. Ultimately, Sony's goal is to make you interested in their games and make you join or keep being a part of the PlayStation ecosystem. That's perfectly fine.

 

Microsoft has been doing the same thing. Yes, given their position in the market, they are able to and make more expensive purchases, for whatever reasons. But in the end, their goal is exactly the same -- to make you join their environment. You're not interested in their output? No problem. There's PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, etc. Something caught your eye? Awesome. If you want to play a Microsoft game, buy an Xbox. Or play on PC, they give you that option. People complain that Xbox has no exclusives but when they do or try to make/get some, one would complain that they are not available on PlayStation.

 

I just don't get the hate towards Xbox. Or PlayStation. Or any platform really. They are just companies. They compete with each other. It's business. They produce content and we consume. The competition makes each of them strive for better results, which leads to more or better content. Everyone wins. Just because you love, say, PlayStation, you shouldn't necessarily want others to fail.

 

Oh no, there is a big difference, Sony buys studios that mainly have been working with Sony for years, Sony is not taking studios with big sagas that have been multiplatform for decades, MS dont want to buy small studios and make them bigger, they want to buy big studios with big IPs already multiplatform and then block the development in the PS consoles, they bought Bethesda and now Redfall and Starfield wont be released on PS even when Redfall was already on development for PS5, and other sagas like Doom, Fallout, TES, Wolfenstein that were sagas multiplatform wont have new releases on Sony consoles. Same will happen with ABK, no more CoD for Sony (The 10 years deal was only because of all the whining of Sony, even Nintendo got a 10 years deal that wouldnt exist if Sony didnt complain about this buyout), no more Diablo, OW and similar...

 

Now tell me, which big MULTIPLATFORM IPs for decades did Sony bought with any of their studios? Even with Bungie they said that Destiny will continue Multiplatform...

[sepheroithisgod]

39 minutes ago, N1cktim said:

 

I don't quite understand this stance. Over the past 10-20 years, Sony acquired multiple studios, including Naughty Dog, Guerilla, Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Bungie, etc. and made them who they are today. A lot of them now produce blockbuster, highly rated exclusive games for PlayStation. They are not available on Xbox. Ultimately, Sony's goal is to make you interested in their games and make you join or keep being a part of the PlayStation ecosystem. That's perfectly fine.

 

Microsoft has been doing the same thing. Yes, given their position in the market, they are able to and make more expensive purchases, for whatever reasons. But in the end, their goal is exactly the same -- to make you join their environment. You're not interested in their output? No problem. There's PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, etc. Something caught your eye? Awesome. If you want to play a Microsoft game, buy an Xbox. Or play on PC, they give you that option. People complain that Xbox has no exclusives but when they do or try to make/get some, one would complain that they are not available on PlayStation.

 

I just don't get the hate towards Xbox. Or PlayStation. Or any platform really. They are just companies. They compete with each other. It's business. They produce content and we consume. The competition makes each of them strive for better results, which leads to more or better content. Everyone wins. Just because you love, say, PlayStation, you shouldn't necessarily want others to fail.

The hate comes from multiple angles. I personally wish they did better because that forces Sony to step up their game.

 

In terms of the purchasing comparison, it's like apples and oranges here. Naughty Dog (Crash Bandicoot), Guerilla (Killzone), Sucker Punch (Sly Cooper), Media Molecule (LBP), and Insomniac (Spyro, Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man), all had an extremely close relationship with Sony, Each studio was responsible for some of the most iconic PS exclusives before their acquisition. It made complete sense for Sony to tie the knot and make these purchases.

 

In comparison, that's not what Microsoft does. They are just outright buying the competition. Bethesda made games for everyone (heck they even made partial exclusives for PS with Deathloop and Tokyo Ghost Wire). Now Starfield and Elderscrolls 6 are not on PlayStation. The Activision acquisition is another one that makes no sense outside of just buying the competition to weaken their rivals.

 

I don't think people want Xbox to fail, but that's all they keep doing. They've proven they can't manage their game studios properly and they need to sort that out before getting bigger.

Edited April 26, 2023 by sepheroithisgod

[cy1999aek_maik]

33 minutes ago, AJ_-_808 said:

 

Because your understanding of their respective acquisitions is incorrect.  The small studios Sony bought did not, or barely developed anything for Xbox prior to them being bought (with the exceptionof Bungie, which came after Bethesda's buyout).  Sony had good working relationships with them for years and helped support & grow them with the eventual buyout being the final step.  They were basically Sony studios in all but name.

 

Xbox's (latest) acquisitions are Bethesda and the current attempt of Activision.  Both companies are larger publishers consisting of multiple small studios and both publishers have been multi-platform for many years.

 

Sony buying small studios that didn't develop for Xbox anyway took nothing away from Xbox, because they never had it to begin with.

 

Xbox buying big multi-platform studios and making them exclusive took a number of IPs away from PlayStation.

 

 

This should be copy pasted whenever someone makes these bizarre comparisons. Sony develops small studios ,works with them closely then buys them for their talent. Xbox buys IPs that have already been developed and established their own fanbase with no investment from microsoft. Bungie is an exception, but even then, they have stated Destiny will remain multiplat and Bungie will help other Sony studios in their live service endeavours

Edited April 26, 2023 by cy1999aek_maik

[Tsundokuist]

1 hour ago, cy1999aek_maik said:

This should be copy pasted whenever someone makes these bizarre comparisons. Sony develops small studios ,works with them closely then buys them for their talent. Xbox buys IPs that have already been developed and established their own fanbase with no investment from microsoft. Bungie is an exception, but even then, they have stated Destiny will remain multiplat and Bungie will help other Sony studios in their live service endeavours

You can look at these things a dozen ways… Xbox’s acquisitions were arguably distressed assets at the time (companies with toxic press surrounding them, lawsuits from employees, federal investigations) and if not Microsoft, Tencent, Embracer or a Saudi Investment fund would have circled eventually. The “virtuosity” or “dirtiness” of these acquisitions mostly stems from an individuals’ pre-existing like/dislike/suspicion of the acquiring firm.

 

Ultimately, all of these fanboy arguments are the same as someone screaming in your face at a picnic because you opened a can of Coke Zero while they Stan for Pepsi Max. There’s a point you just have to ask yourself are you two people having a conversation to inform/enlighten each other or are you just two powerless idiots (not a personal dig at anyone here) living paycheck-to-paycheck and wasting your time blindly leaping to the the defence of billion/trillion dollar companies who each have expensive lawyers/lobbyists to do that and only care about your continued existence so you can keep up your monthly subscription payment.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Tsundokuist

[AJ_-_808]

42 minutes ago, Tsundokuist said:

You can look at these things a dozen ways… Xbox’s acquisitions were arguably distressed assets at the time (companies with toxic press surrounding them, lawsuits from employees, federal investigations) and if not Microsoft, Tencent, Embracer or a Saudi Investment fund would have circled eventually. The “virtuosity” or “dirtiness” of these acquisitions mostly stems from an individuals’ pre-existing like/dislike/suspicion of the acquiring firm.

 

That would be correct if Tencent or Embracer or Saudi-whoever had a console or platform to make said IPs exclusive to.

 

This is specifically for MS/Sony (Nintendodoes their own thing).  It's not fanboyism or dislike etc because nobody was ever pushing for Sony to buy big 3rd party publishers.  Nobody wants that either.

 

Neither Sony, MS, or Nintendo should be allowed to buy big publaren't and then take that away from other platforms.  Small studios are fine, big publishers arent.

 

I don't think you can argue xbox's acquisitions are ok because they're "distressed".  What was distressed about Bethesda? As for Activision, that can be remedied with new management (which there's no guarantee under an MS buyout, so irrelevant.)

[TJ_Solo]

Quote

You can look at these things a dozen ways… Xbox’s acquisitions were arguably distressed assets at the time 

 

You can say that but it doesn't match up to their history of acquistions. This is just the propganda being assoicated with Activision Blizzard. People want to be pretend that all the turmoil at ATVI would be fixed if purchased by MSFT, ignoring MS's similar list of negative activities. I still am unsure on whether or not Kotick was going to leave the company after this deal. I've heard this as a rumor from influencers and journalists but never as real statement from MS or AB.

 

Of these aquisitions, I say maybe DF and InXile were in the worst shape but doing pretty well for themselves by using Kickstarter for games. Everyone else were either "successful" with MS as 2nd party or recently released successful games. The last interview with Ninja Theory before any acquistion talk was about them never wanted to sell and being happy bringing back indie-AA games.

 

Double Fine Productions
Obsidian Entertainment
inXile Entertainment
Playground Games
Compulsion Games
Undead Labs
Ninja Theory

 

Quote

There’s a point you just have to ask yourself are you two people having a conversation to inform/enlighten each other or are you just two idiots living paycheck-to-paycheck and screaming in each others faces to defend billion/trillion dollar companies who don’t need it and only care about your continued existence so you can keep up your monthly subscription payment.

 

I have no problem understanding herd mentality or brand loyalty. The two concepts are common things covered in marketing and psychology of human nature. What does draw my attention are the faux fencesitters. The ones pretending to be above it all and nuetral while pointing fingers at everyone else. 

The hubris and lack of self-awareness has to create a powerful intoxication. 

 

[UNLEADED_BRONZE]

Reportedly MSFT upset with 

Xbox

 

A new claim that SCEE/Sony for third parties refuse xbox 

Edited April 26, 2023 by UNLEADED_BRONZE

[MidnightDragon]

I read an article yesterday MS was planning on closing the deal once the UK and EU approved because they were arrogantly thinking they had it in the bag. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.

[Rozalia1]

On the matter of third parties. Reportedly there were 4 notable companies who joined Sony in putting forward wanting the deal blocked. Sony has been openly against the deal and obviously the boss of the group. Google while not 100% confirmed are pretty much a given how openly they have at key times attacked Microsoft and damaged their case so that is 2. That leaves 3 spots and who could they be? There is quite the extensive suspect list. Some at first you might think surely are not a suspect like say Valve, I mean they rejected Microsoft's 10 year deal and said they trusted Microsoft at their word. Surely they must if anything have backed Microsoft? Or did they not sign the deal to not actually give Microsoft any support and then secretly told the regulators that Microsoft had to be stopped? Lets not forget that Valve is heavily invested in making Linux stronger, something that goes against Microsoft's Windows.

 

Think about it a little and there are a lot of big players out there with the motive to sign up with Sony in stopping Microsoft. It is just in their interests to stay in the shadows unlike Sony and Google who are the ones in the open to take any heat from Microsoft.

 

3 minutes ago, MidnightDragon said:

I read an article yesterday MS was planning on closing the deal once the UK and EU approved because they were arrogantly thinking they had it in the bag. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.

 

That reminds me. @oIMyersIo, we can mark the ads they put on the London subway as yet another Xbox embarrassment with this result.

 

At least with the whole FTC thing you can mark it off as "well America is heavily corrupt so they can do stuff like that". What has been much more embarrassing in Microsoft's behaviour is how they've been treating the UK/EU as if they're in America. The full page ads in newspapers, the gloating ads in the subway, the talk of the CMA hurting the country and making poorer. These are tactics companies do in America but you simply should not be doing in the UK/EU. Know that meme about how Japan is all about honour and you can't get ahead by acting like an asshole like you can in America? Something like that. Acting in that way might have some effect in America, but elsewhere it just makes you look bad and if it'll do anything it'll be hurting your case.

[MidnightDragon]

1 minute ago, Rozalia1 said:

At least with the whole FTC thing you can mark it off as "well America is heavily corrupt so they can do stuff like that". What has been much more embarrassing in Microsoft's behaviour is how they've been treating the UK/EU as if they're in America. The full page ads in newspapers, the gloating ads in the subway, the talk of the CMA hurting the country and making poorer. These are tactics companies do in America but you simply should not be doing in the UK/EU. Know that meme about how Japan is all about honour and you can't get ahead by acting like an asshole like you can in America? Something like that. Acting in that way might have some effect in America, but elsewhere it just makes you look bad and if it'll do anything it'll be hurting your case.

Think that's also part of the reason they've failed so miserably in Japan. Microsoft's tactics are considered bad business there. That's why you usually hear about companies doing partnerships rather than taking each other over outright. Yes, it's normal business tactics in the US. Does that make it right? Of course not. 

[Guardian_owl]

4 hours ago, N1cktim said:

 

I don't quite understand this stance. Over the past 10-20 years, Sony acquired multiple studios, including Naughty Dog, Guerilla, Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Bungie, etc. and made them who they are today. A lot of them now produce blockbuster, highly rated exclusive games for PlayStation. They are not available on Xbox. Ultimately, Sony's goal is to make you interested in their games and make you join or keep being a part of the PlayStation ecosystem. That's perfectly fine.

 

Microsoft has been doing the same thing. Yes, given their position in the market, they are able to and make more expensive purchases, for whatever reasons. But in the end, their goal is exactly the same -- to make you join their environment. You're not interested in their output? No problem. There's PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, etc. Something caught your eye? Awesome. If you want to play a Microsoft game, buy an Xbox. Or play on PC, they give you that option. People complain that Xbox has no exclusives but when they do or try to make/get some, one would complain that they are not available on PlayStation.

 

I just don't get the hate towards Xbox. Or PlayStation. Or any platform really. They are just companies. They compete with each other. It's business. They produce content and we consume. The competition makes each of them strive for better results, which leads to more or better content. Everyone wins. Just because you love, say, PlayStation, you shouldn't necessarily want others to fail.

Not quite the same thing, Sony makes the smart play and kicks the tires and takes the company for a test drive first. They will partner up with a company to develop and publish an exclusive title. If that goes well, then maybe they'll do a sequel or 2, or another new IP. If all that still goes well then they purchase the company after several years of an informal partnership. So they already know they work well together and the purchased company has a frame work of what to do next, a sequel to one of their IPs they've done together or something else new once again. Microsoft often seeks out those who already have a pattern of success, or one big good hit under their belt, and purchases them. They then have no idea what to do with their new super fancy automobile (because they bought it side unseen) and let it languish. So now Microsoft has stopped buying cars and is now buying car dealerships since the people who run them theoretically have a better idea of what cars people want than Microsoft.

[cy1999aek_maik]

2 hours ago, Tsundokuist said:

You can look at these things a dozen ways… Xbox’s acquisitions were arguably distressed assets at the time (companies with toxic press surrounding them, lawsuits from employees, federal investigations) and if not Microsoft, Tencent, Embracer or a Saudi Investment fund would have circled eventually. The “virtuosity” or “dirtiness” of these acquisitions mostly stems from an individuals’ pre-existing like/dislike/suspicion of the acquiring firm.

 

Ultimately, all of these fanboy arguments are the same as someone screaming in your face at a picnic because you opened a can of Coke Zero while they Stan for Pepsi Max. There’s a point you just have to ask yourself are you two people having a conversation to inform/enlighten each other or are you just two powerless idiots (not a personal dig at anyone here) living paycheck-to-paycheck and wasting your time blindly leaping to the the defence of billion/trillion dollar companies who each have expensive lawyers/lobbyists to do that and only care about your continued existence so you can keep up your monthly subscription payment.

Whatever I say is from the perspective of someone who likes to play video games. I don't have skin in the game, if Sony goes bankrupt I have no financial investment in the company and I will probably continue playing games on my PC. I have a preference for PS, probably because that's what I started with, but the reason I am participating in this isn't out of fanboyism. I acknowledge that if Sony had the budget that Microsoft has for acquisitions, they would have done the same moves as Microsoft, not because they are a dirty company, but because it makes sense for their business. However as a person who likes games, currently, the way Sony invests in studios allows for the development of new IPs while Xbox is snatching market share. From the perspective of someone who likes to play games, one company is developing games while the other is making games exclusive. When discussing this with other people who like playing games I want to make them understand this perspective. 

 

When I called Microsoft 'dirty' it wasn't because of their acquisitions, it is becuase of other anti-competitive moves they've made, even outside of xbox

[Guardian_owl]

4 hours ago, DeepEyes7 said:

 

Oh no, there is a big difference, Sony buys studios that mainly have been working with Sony for years, Sony is not taking studios with big sagas that have been multiplatform for decades, MS dont want to buy small studios and make them bigger, they want to buy big studios with big IPs already multiplatform and then block the development in the PS consoles, they bought Bethesda and now Redfall and Starfield wont be released on PS even when Redfall was already on development for PS5, and other sagas like Doom, Fallout, TES, Wolfenstein that were sagas multiplatform wont have new releases on Sony consoles. Same will happen with ABK, no more CoD for Sony (The 10 years deal was only because of all the whining of Sony, even Nintendo got a 10 years deal that wouldnt exist if Sony didnt complain about this buyout), no more Diablo, OW and similar...

 

Now tell me, which big MULTIPLATFORM IPs for decades did Sony bought with any of their studios? Even with Bungie they said that Destiny will continue Multiplatform...

You can probably add to that list Hi Fi Rush, an odd Japanese game like that would certainly have come to Sony consoles as well given all the rest of Tango Gameworks console games came to Sony consoles before Microsoft bought Zenimax. Sony even paid to make their previous game, Ghostwire: Tokyo, a timed exclusive.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Guardian_owl

[ASMODAIOS344]

Very interesting development, unexpected but still interesting ?. I haven't read the entire report but i find it curious that big part is around Cloud gaming. Microsoft is true that has a big advantage in this field when it come to technology and infrastructure and many companies among them Sony itself also make use of Microsoft Azure platform. Sadly we can make only assumptions because we don't have the whole picture but things will become more interesting it seems.

[SelectiveGamer]

They obviously aren't going to give up. This is going to end up a multi-year issue with an end date of 'who the f knows'

 

But PlayStation are somewhere laughing so hard right now

[Zephrese]

I don't think that I've ever laughed this hard in my life, get fucked. lmao

[mcnichoj]

Going forward it doesn't really matter what happens as Sony severely burned their bridge with ABK.

If the deal never ends up happening, most stuff will stay multiplatform with best case scenario for Sony being every AB title is also on GamePass day one of release and are permanent additions but nothing is exclusive. This will still hurt Sony for anyone that plays games from that company as they may be swayed to pick up an Xbox with GP, serving as the entry drug to the Xbox ecosystem.

Worse case is most everything is multiplat and on GamePass day one but COD goes exclusive after the next release.

[Xillynoc]

With the surprisingly positive twist news today meaning that this debacle will be going on for some time longer, I just want to shout-out @Rozalia1 for so consistently breaking down and clearly explaining all the bullshit we've seen from Microsoft over the past year (and further back, as necessary). Wouldn't understand this half as well as I do if it weren't for you, and I'm sure I'm not alone!

[AJ_-_808]

2 hours ago, mcnichoj said:

Going forward it doesn't really matter what happens as Sony severely burned their bridge with ABK.

If the deal never ends up happening, most stuff will stay multiplatform with best case scenario for Sony being every AB title is also on GamePass day one of release and are permanent additions but nothing is exclusive. This will still hurt Sony for anyone that plays games from that company as they may be swayed to pick up an Xbox with GP, serving as the entry drug to the Xbox ecosystem.

Worse case is most everything is multiplat and on GamePass day one but COD goes exclusive after the next release.

 

Or Activision's board gets rid of Bobby and repairs its relationship with Sony?

 

Why do you assume Kotick is going to be able to stay if this fails?

[RadiantFlamberge]

Jolly good show, CMA. And Microsoft... take that! ? While it may not be the deal killer, at least it's a setback. Hopefully the board is ticked off enough to kick out Bobby.

 

Learning of the Xenon (Xbox 360 CPU) screwjob pushes my opinion of Xbox lower still, and also IBM. IBM took 3 of the general purpose cores used in Cell, and put them into Xenon. Screw MS for going along with this. Sony should've tried to get an exclusivity on this core for gaming console applications, even if they would've had to pay IBM a greater amount.

[Guardian_owl]

Ya, I would think they like money too much to let the relationship sour long term. Some shareholders tried to run for the exits with a quick pay day with this acquisition, but now that that notion seems to be basically dead and the stock price is down. they'll have to make money by selling product, the horror. And we all know which of the two high end consoles currently does a much better job at that task. They can hold a grudge, keep new titles off Sony consoles, and starve themselves to death out of spite, it's a free country. Though I doubt Microsoft is going to want to shower them with money to put all their games on Gamepass since none of that money now will be going back into its own pocket. I would imagine the license fee to put the next installment of CoD day 1 on gamepass (or to keep it off Sony consoles) would have to be astronomical.

[mcnichoj]

2 hours ago, AJ_-_808 said:

 

Or Activision's board gets rid of Bobby and repairs its relationship with Sony?

 

Why do you assume Kotick is going to be able to stay if this fails?

For the fact Bobby is still there despite everything that has already happened under him and because of him? The fact the board would have got a big pay day if this went through? If MS has the money to buy ABK in entirety, they have that same money now freed up to make COD exclusive? Sony bought FF16, no reason MS can't buy COD16 or whatever number we're on.

[AJ_-_808]

6 minutes ago, mcnichoj said:

For the fact Bobby is still there despite everything that has already happened under him and because of him? The fact the board would have got a big pay day if this went through? If MS has the money to buy ABK in entirety, they have that same money now freed up to make COD exclusive? Sony bought FF16, no reason MS can't buy COD16 or whatever number we're on.

 

I was under the impression that Bobby was on his way out for all his bs, but it got sidelined due to the acquisition news?

 

You have a point, if MS wants to throw that money into exclusivity out of spite.  Not sure it makes sense money-wise, but MS is MS I guess. There's also grumbling Xbox may fold if this fails.

 

I read somewhere that Sony co-developed and co-published ff16, hence the exclusive.  Plus I'm assuming they have a closer working relationship with square than Xbox has with acti.

 

Acti would have to be on board to do it out of spite also, instead of trying to dump kotick and right the ship.  I'm sure they would take some sort of hit giving up the ps portion of the market.

 

 

 

[Dark_Overlord]

5 hours ago, mcnichoj said:

Going forward it doesn't really matter what happens as Sony severely burned their bridge with ABK.

If the deal never ends up happening, most stuff will stay multiplatform with best case scenario for Sony being every AB title is also on GamePass day one of release and are permanent additions but nothing is exclusive. This will still hurt Sony for anyone that plays games from that company as they may be swayed to pick up an Xbox with GP, serving as the entry drug to the Xbox ecosystem.

Worse case is most everything is multiplat and on GamePass day one but COD goes exclusive after the next release.

 

You have to remember the share holders, they don't give a shit about the 'console wars', they just want the most money off their investment.  If making COD an exclusive and putting other games on Game Pass Day 1 causes them to lose out on a lot of money, then they'll just kick Kotick out.

[MidnightDragon]

I'm still shocked the CMA said no. Pretty much everyone thought that it was going to be a yes after they updated their findings and were seemingly more favorable to Microsoft. Hell, I bet even Sony was surprised that the CMA ruled against Microsoft.