Microsoft has bought Activision Blizzard

[DeepEyes7]

1 minute ago, JPtheNeurotic said:

Lol  this just reminded me platinum is an example after leaving capcom .

 

I honestly forgot he left tango . Was their a reason why ?

 

Nope, some people says that it was because of the MS buyout but all that is just assumptions...

[SoliDeoGloriaIHS]

As someone else said, PlayStation should just stay in their own lane and do what they do best which is making great games.  I would love to see them buy up some more studios/devs/publishers or buy a stake in them or at the very least form some sort of concrete partnership with more of them.  Yes.  I know they have that already, but with M$ doing what it's doing, I think Sony needs to do a little more of that.  I would love to see Sony either outright buy or purchase a larger stake in, say....SquareEnix.  Bandai Namco.  Capcom.  2K is up for sale now from what I understand.  Sony doesn't have to go on a shopping spree, but one or two more like the ones I've mentioned and really work on their relationships and partnerships with other publishers/developers and I think they'll be fine.  We'll see.  Time will tell.

 

Keep making great games, but they really have to back a way from live service.  One.  MAYBE two.  But what are they working on?  Five?  YeahNO!  Too many.  We'll see how this all shakes out.

[samunrizthym]

Less choice means no choice, because big compagnies when they are threatened by better innovating companies  buy it to avoid trouble and kill the challenger in the egg before he grows the same size

google and apple have done this several times and politics looks away

the MS case here is worse ,i m currently in a beef with sony 'ps+ scam)

but this could be a critical hit for the next ten years coming in gaming industry war

[shadaik]

While Activision is likely the least changed by such an acquisition seeing how both are creatively bancrupt soulless megacorps that rely on acquisitions and repeating ever-declining franchises from when they had some semblance of originality or even spirit, this is still a major loss for gaming. Competition is vital and takes a major hit with this. This will negatively affect the quality of a large number of important franchises.

Not to mention, the combined game development ineptitude of both companies will also hurt Xbox, so even the fanboys should be worried.

[LucasDragon570]

"Banjo, Kazooie and Conker receiving Crash & Spyro at MS warehouses." 

[Slava]

The deal is closed so I will finally stop hearing about it, right? 

...

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Slava

[TheRetroManiac]

For those that care, according to this site, here is the list of games XBOX now owns.

 

Source below

https://www.gameinformer.com/feature/2023/10/13/every-activision-blizzard-game-franchise-xbox-now-owns

 

Quote

 

Every Activision Blizzard Game Franchise Xbox Now Owns

 

Call of Duty
Crash Bandicoot (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Diablo
Gabriel Knight (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Geometry Wars (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Guitar Hero (after Activision acquired RedOctane in 2007)
Gun
Hearthstone
Heroes of the Storm
Heavy Gear
Heretic (after Activision acquired Raven Software in 1997)
Interstate '76
King's Quest (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Laura Bow Mystery Series (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
The Lost Vikings
Overwatch
Phantasmagoria (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Pitfall
Police Quest (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Prototype
Quest for Glory (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Singularity
Ski Resort Tycoon
Skylanders
Soldier of Fortune
Space Quest (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Spryo (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Starcraft
SWAT (a part of the Police Quest series Activision acquired after purchasing Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Tenchu (but only the games released before Activision sold the franchise rights to From Software in 2004)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and associated titles
True Crime
Ultimate Soccer Manager (after Activision acquired Vivendi Universal in 2008)
Warcraft
World of Warcraft
Zork (after Activision acquired developer Infocom in 1986)

 

 

Quote

 

Every King Game Xbox Now Owns

 

Bubble Saga
Bubble Witch Saga
Hoop de Loop Saga
Candy Crush Saga
Pyramid Solitaire Saga
Pet Rescue Saga
Papa Pear Saga
Farm Heroes Saga
Pepper Panic Saga
Bubble Witch 2 SagaDiamond Digger Saga
Candy Crush Soda Saga
AlphaBetty Saga
Scrubby Dubby Saga
Paradise Bayn
Rebel Riders
Blossom Blast Saga
Candy Crush Jelly Saga
Farm Heroes Super Saga
Shuffle Cats
Bubble Witch 3 Saga
Legend of Solgard
Diamond Diaries Saga
Candy Crush Friends Saga
Pet Rescue Puzzle Saga
Knighthood – Epic RPG Knights
Crash Bandicoot: On The Run!

 

 

[Xillynoc]

Starting to feel that buyouts in general should be illegal unless the business in question has already filed for bankruptcy or something.

[Titanomachy_75]

4 hours ago, Tsundokuist said:

I’ll take any bet that Xbox Gamepass is something you can subscribe to on PlayStation before PlayStation is the “3rd-place” console.

 

Personally, I think this acquisition has much bigger implications in the PC space than it does for consoles. The Japanese (and weebs like myself) won’t be buying Xboxs based on this alone, many others will keep buying PlayStations simply because they don’t make a considered/informed purchasing decision or brand loyalty comes into play.
 

Then you have “core” gamers leaving Playstation purely for the Activision-Blizzard/Bethesda 1-2 punch and on that front a gaming PC also makes one hell of a case.

PS is the world wide leader LOL Xbox has 3 years to grow gamepass has not had any growth in the pass 3 years! In that 3 years if no growth XBOX is done! Xbox is pretty much dead in 3 years! COD wont grow 30 million sub in 3 years Game only has 29 million in 5 years LOL which is horrible!! 

[ASMODAIOS344]

5 hours ago, Rozalia1 said:

 

Xbox fans, real or otherwise, have been claiming that such a thing is nonsense (ignore the evidence that leaked and what came out of Spencer's own chicken lips in court) and Microsoft doing buy outs is a sign that they're in it for the long haul and won't just give up. That isn't how it works however. Nokia for example was a famed phone brand that Microsoft bought for 7.6 billion dollars and then just 2 years later they're writing off and then a year after selling whatever is left for 350 million. If they buy out Activision and Game Pass continues to fail to the point they know it won't ever work, all while Activision's value plummets then Microsoft's management isn't going to say 'well we spent 69 billion, so we got to keep going', they'll look to write it off and sell it to recoup some of the money spent as they did with Nokia.

 

 

Hopefully a dark day for Microsoft/Xbox and not for gaming.

 

Microsoft bought Nokia mobile not Nokia itself ( the second biggest network provider worldwide as of now), the mobile division was always the smallest company of the Nokia group with Nokia networks and technology the biggest and then the Bell lamb. Slightly ironic that I write it with a Nokia phone.

 

I want to congratulate you for the excellent topics as you cover the Microsoft- Activision case.

[Black_Zombie1313]

I think Microsoft will use WOW subscriptions to boost the game pass subscriptions. They could easily get ride of the WOW subs and say move everyone to Xbox pc game pass and then gain millions of subs bc people will not stop playing WOW. 

I also think Microsoft will close the blizzard store and just have everything on steam and the Xbox/windows store. They already added Diablo 4 to steam, which comes out on the 17th

Edited October 13, 2023 by Black_Zombie1313

[ASMODAIOS344]

5 hours ago, flthy-anml said:

While it's sad that it basically opens the floodgates wider for Microsoft to wheel their bottomless trough of money around

 

That's what is worried me, not only Microsoft but now that a buyout of this amount was greenlighted all the big players of the industry ( and not only) to try something similar.

4 hours ago, Tsundokuist said:

Personally, I think this acquisition has much bigger implications in the PC space than it does for consoles.

 

Possibly more about mobile if i may add. Both Microsoft and Sony want to enter into mobile gaming ( which bring the biggest revenue), Sony Interactive has create a big mobile division and Microsoft now has ownership over Candy Crush and COD Mobile two of the biggest mobile games in players and money.

[majob]

6 hours ago, Titanomachy_75 said:

In other news Xbox has 3 years to grow Gamepass or they are done! Gamepass has not made any growth in 3 years its hit the peak! HAs the leaks said 3 years to grow lol IN 3 years xbox will be done and it will be a app a cloud base like google stadia with pc gamepass! RIP its over these moves were meant to to for PC because XBOX they know its dead and 3 years its finish

It's fun to think about but the reality is that owning COD gives gamepass a major shot in the arm. Will it turn the tide? Maybe not but they just made a major milestone in rectifying that problem today

5 hours ago, flthy-anml said:

While it's sad that it basically opens the floodgates wider for Microsoft to wheel their bottomless trough of money around, I personally don't see it as all that much of a loss considering ABK's current record. It could've been a hell of a lot worse, but luckily for now it's just an embarrassing name buying an even more embarrassing name.

 

I'll miss Crash, though.

Not necessarily. Microsoft has just made the largest acquisition in gaming history and not without some push back but their linchpin argument was their position in the console space and now they're third in revenue so that excuse just died today. Any other major acquisition  attempts will recieve far more scrutiny. Will that make a difference is something only time will tell though.

Edited October 13, 2023 by majob

[Don_Chipotle]

There will be many changes over time in various games with the transition process, even when they said that CoD has a fully planned story and calendar of how and when the games will come, i wonder with this how is this is gonna change those ideas and proyects, and what will be the main focus of all brands , as said before, this is the first case of a sell this huge , this will be the standar to come of how much time and if its allowed or not to do these kind of movements within not just gaming, but in the whole global economy.

 

I consider Nintendo and Playstation need to keep true to their identities as brands and what made them what they are right now, Sony in gaming was the underdog/unheard one, and helped other publishers who had crazy/dared proyects for them to become a reality, Playstation needs to remember this in their future proyects and ideas for the blackboard, i hope this motivates everyone to work harder and we get the IPs and new games as consumers, so everyone in the end can decide with our cash and time which one is the best option 

[Breakingthegreen]

Activision Blizzard are known for milking the few profitable franchises they have to a ridiculous degree more than other companies, so probably a smart fit in Microsoft's eye. Seriously, Google "Activision Blizzard Milk".

Edited October 13, 2023 by Breakingthegreen

[Sunny]

As long as they don't buy Squareenix, Atlus or Capcom I couldn't really care less what they decide to do, it feels like a desperate attempt at getting out of the hot water than a legitimate effort to produce more quality games, I have a feeling the meeting went like this:

"Hey guys instead of wining the race by getting better let's buy the whole fucking thing because infinite money"

Edited October 15, 2023 by Burritoprime

[Guardian_owl]

4 hours ago, SoliDeoGloriaIHS said:

As someone else said, PlayStation should just stay in their own lane and do what they do best which is making great games.  I would love to see them buy up some more studios/devs/publishers or buy a stake in them or at the very least form some sort of concrete partnership with more of them.  Yes.  I know they have that already, but with M$ doing what it's doing, I think Sony needs to do a little more of that.  I would love to see Sony either outright buy or purchase a larger stake in, say....SquareEnix.  Bandai Namco.  Capcom.  2K is up for sale now from what I understand.  Sony doesn't have to go on a shopping spree, but one or two more like the ones I've mentioned and really work on their relationships and partnerships with other publishers/developers and I think they'll be fine.  We'll see.  Time will tell.

 

Keep making great games, but they really have to back a way from live service.  One.  MAYBE two.  But what are they working on?  Five?  YeahNO!  Too many.  We'll see how this all shakes out.

I think identifying early something that is being developed that they like, and then paying a little extra for timed exclusivity is probably a better use of their cash. Or like with Sony and Street Fighter 5 or Nintendo and platinum games, help fund a sequel to a crowd favorite in exchange for a cut and console exclusivity. An informal relationship also avoids all the red tape and regulator hoops of a formal merger with a multiplatform publisher. They can just be there to back up some of their Japanese comrades with purchases of minority stakes in their companies if they find themselves in financial trouble and vulnerable to a buyout, like with Square in 2001.

[majob]

14 minutes ago, Burritoprime said:

As long as they don't buy Squareenix or Capcom I couldn't really care less what they decide to do, it feels like a desperate attempt at getting out of the hot water than a legitimate effort to produce more quality games, I have a feeling the meeting went like this:

"Hey guys instead of wining the race by getting better let's buy the whole fucking thing because infinite money"

Not caring until it affects you is how things progress to a point where they affect you. Never rest on your laurels because you think something doesn't affect you because that simply enables the behavior

Edited October 13, 2023 by majob

[Jelly Soup]

2 hours ago, TheRetroManiac said:

For those that care, according to this site, here is the list of games XBOX now owns.

 

Source below

https://www.gameinformer.com/feature/2023/10/13/every-activision-blizzard-game-franchise-xbox-now-owns

 

 

 

 

Of course Warcraft is on the list and people keep requesting a console port for whatever dumb reason, but it does bring up something interesting.. BlizzCon is next month and we normally gets leaks. There's been one going around, with the usual accounts known for 80% leaks correct being silenced on sight, about Blizzard debuting a console game of some flavor in the Warcraft universe. Perhaps this was part of the plan, waylay any concerns with 'look, new shiny thing'.

 

Purely from the perspective of a Blizzard fan, losing Bobby Kotick is a solid win.

Edited October 13, 2023 by Jelly Soup

[JediKnight_327]

Before there was a difference in morality between Sony and MS that made it worth hoping the deal wouldnt go through and that the 'underdog' would come out on top. Now though, I couldnt care less about the 'underdog' which is focused on live service games, puts out remakes/remasters instead of new IPs, supports under-age gambling, voluntarily censors content which would otherwise be deemed perfectly legal, has a £60 annual online paywall, and sells consoles with dated hardware without a price drop 3 years into a generation. They're both just as shitty as each other and they deserve each other.

[Pumpkin Head Cthulhu]

They are trying to create a monopoly and that is not good for gaming as a whole.

[TheRetroManiac]

56 minutes ago, Jelly Soup said:

 

Of course Warcraft is on the list and people keep requesting a console port for whatever dumb reason, but it does bring up something interesting.. BlizzCon is next month and we normally gets leaks. There's been one going around, with the usual accounts known for 80% leaks correct being silenced on sight, about Blizzard debuting a console game of some flavor in the Warcraft universe. Perhaps this was part of the plan, waylay any concerns with 'look, new shiny thing'.

 

Purely from the perspective of a Blizzard fan, losing Bobby Kotick is a solid win.

 

Think somebody else already said it, but that WOW game makes a lot of money and that will no doubt help fund Game Pass to a point along with Candy Crush that makes a fair amount too, so either way Xbox are laughing to a point. The way I see it, not everybody here will be affected by this, but it's fucking shit that games we like have been taken away from multiplatform to now First Party for Xbox just does not sit right with me. Now that this has passed, I'd wager Microsoft will think they are untouchable and nobody is safe as long as they want to sell.

 

While my list is not huge from the sale going through, you just know Microsoft will revive the Spyro and Crash series for sure, but I will miss the following from the list.

Quote

Call of Duty (This is just a habit even tho the games are getting worse lol.)
Crash Bandicoot (Love the franchise pissed, it's over)
Spryo (Same as crash)
Tenchu (the old ones if they remake or remaster, no chance of PS Classic now gutted)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and associated titles (Tony Hawks is great, and it's another loss for me)

Edited October 13, 2023 by TheRetroManiac

[ABluntBurntToast]

Wow, I missed this news before going to work and have been in meetings all day... I've previously been more neutral with Xbox/MS as a brand, but this has turned me entirely against them with this corporate consolation bullshit. Not going to lie, this news makes me feel bad, man.

[Cryogenicide_X]

I see this as a good thing in the sense of competition. Because of this Sony now has to be on their A game and can't afford to become complacent, Sony will have to be better and do better. We could end up with an even better Sony as well as PlayStation out of this. 

[majob]

23 minutes ago, Cryogenicide_X said:

I see this as a good thing in the sense of competition. Because of this Sony now has to be on their A game and can't afford to become complacent, Sony will have to be better and do better. We could end up with an even better Sony as well as PlayStation out of this. 

Consolidation is not competition and I wish people would stop describing it as such.