Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)

Do you believe the deal will be approved?


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Orbital2060

Member
Sony is finally going to have to hand over the documents they’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hide, online sentiment will shift fully against them when the stuff they clearly don’t want known comes out, and the CMA will allow the deal through with the concession that MS continue to publish COD on other platforms. This provisional finding is a big w for MS. Did anyone actually expect a unconditional approval???
This was expected imo. It wasnt going to happen without some posturing over ideals from some authorities. The question was always what will happen after that and how far the parties want to go.
 

reinking

Gold Member


Hahaha Jim Ryan doesn't return the fat lump of lard phone calls. So good.

"Jims voice mail, please leave a message after the beep"

"Jim, hey buddy, it's me, Bobby,... ...hey.. ..um.. ..I have been doing some thinking.. ....remember all of those good times we had talking playstation numbers? Yea, me too... ...I umm know...."

"click"

"Jims voice mail, please leave a message after the beep"

"..sorry, got cut-off... ..so.... what I was saying.. ..um.. ..I know I got a little distracted and carried away by that Phil guy.. ....I mean.. ..he can be charming you know?... ...Um.. ..anyway.. it really is a good thing.. .it made me realize what we had was real.. ...you know? Like... ..really real.....

"click"

"Jims voice mail, please leave a message after the beep"

"...damn voice mail keeps cutting me off... ...anyway... ..I know we had a rough patch... ..I take all of the blame here.. ..I mean.. .I got caught up in the glitz and glamour.. ...they had me seeing gree....."

"click"

"This voice mail is full"

"click"
 
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xHunter

Member
Jez claiming XBOX will leave gaming because they didn't get their way is the definition of buffoonery.


Never understood this warrior mentality. Like they have a cheap device, a good subscription service, their numbers are probably at the highest they have ever been at. They have more first party studios than their competitors and probably more games in the making too and somehow not being able to buy ABK is going to make them quit the console industry? Wtf, their problem is marketing, which is almost non existent in the EU, not the amount of first party studios
 

Mr Moose

Member
They did not raise prices in Japan or India. The change was due to the value of the Dollar vs. Yen/Rupee. It's actually cheaper in Japan because of it.
 

NickFire

Member
Kotic saying Sony is no longer taking Activision calls is the icing on today's cake.


I found Jim's response:

"Bobby, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at the hotels, I don't want you near my house."

:messenger_tears_of_joy:

(To be fair to Bobby though, he still gets to tell his shareholders he secured them a nice dividend without selling a thing)
 
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JayDucker

Member
A99SRab.jpg
 

ToadMan

Member
Whats most ironic is Microsoft were the last to up their prices to 70 dollars, and the last one to up their hardware prices.
They haven't even done that in my country yet.

The were last because they’re also in “last place” so they have the most market share to try and claw back.

And they still went ahead and upped prices.

What does that tell us? It tells is that game prices are about where they should be.
 
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HoofHearted

Member


Wow -

Business decisions being run by government agencies without a clue of the business they're investigating by polling the public about their "feelings"... where was this "survey" taken?

If it's like the exit polls during elections - the "survey" will be as accurate as throwing darts at a bullseye at 300 yards.

Interestingly enough - I never received the option to participate in this "survey".... and I all of the systems.
 

Varteras

Member
Can somebody summarize the situation?
CMA has said that in order for them to approve the deal Microsoft would need to release certain parts of ABK. They either need to give up Call of Duty and all studios associated with it, give up all of Activision, give up both Activision and Blizzard (leaving them King), or watch the deal get blocked. They have suggested they may allow a behavioral remedy, such as making Call of Duty on all platforms and at absolute parity for a very long time, but that is not likely as regulators find such remedies a pain in the ass to keep up with.
 

GHG

Gold Member
Sony is finally going to have to hand over the documents they’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hide, online sentiment will shift fully against them when the stuff they clearly don’t want known comes out, and the CMA will allow the deal through with the concession that MS continue to publish COD on other platforms. This provisional finding is a big w for MS. Did anyone actually expect a unconditional approval???

In some of your minds everything, no matter what happens, is always a "massive W for Microsoft". I don't understand the thought process and I'm not sure I want to but it is an interesting phenomenon to witness.
 

SSfox

Member
CMA has said that in order for them to approve the deal Microsoft would need to release certain parts of ABK. They either need to give up Call of Duty and all studios associated with it, give up all of Activision, give up both Activision and Blizzard (leaving them King), or watch the deal get blocked. They have suggested they may allow a behavioral remedy, such as making Call of Duty on all platforms and at absolute parity for a very long time, but that is not likely as regulators find such remedies a pain in the ass to keep up with.
Regulator of XBOX's second strongest market said "Hell Nah" to the Activision acquisition.

Thank you very much

Hum quite interesting!!
 

NickFire

Member
CMA has said that in order for them to approve the deal Microsoft would need to release certain parts of ABK. They either need to give up Call of Duty and all studios associated with it, give up all of Activision, give up both Activision and Blizzard (leaving them King), or watch the deal get blocked. They have suggested they may allow a behavioral remedy, such as making Call of Duty on all platforms and at absolute parity for a very long time, but that is not likely as regulators find such remedies a pain in the ass to keep up with.
That screams "poison pill" to me, designed by CMA so MS takes more "heat" than CMA when the deal is terminated.

This is pure speculation on my part of course. But if CMA is worried about subscription competition, then they would want parity there too. And MS is not about to both sell COD on PS and let PS sell PS+ subs thanks to COD. No way IMO.
 

reinking

Gold Member
In some of your minds everything, no matter what happens, is always a "massive W for Microsoft". I don't understand the thought process and I'm not sure I want to but it is an interesting phenomenon to witness.
I've been one of the people that thought the deal would go through. I can't find the "W" for Microsoft here. At minimum the deal is neutered to a point that even if it goes through it will be an even bigger L for Xbox than paying 69 mill was to begin with.
 
CMA: We'll let the deal go through if you slice up Activision and make sure COD isn't in your hands

Resetera:

psrez.jpg

This isn't all that they said. They said they're open and willing to entertain behavioral remedies, and access remedies, even though this deal typically wouldn't meet such requirements. This deal is getting approved fellas.

CMA is being political to not appear to be giving Microsoft and free ride, but they will entertain behavior remedies that are clearly enforceable.
 

Fess

Member
CMA pretty much told MS COD is out of the table. Don’t see how they agree to behavioral remedies that don’t match the concept of divesting COD.

Divesting COD and a ten year deal for COD is nothing alike.
Is the new talk only about COD Xbox exclusivity? The deal itself and COD and Diablo etc on Gamepass on Xbox and PC could still happen?
 

Varteras

Member
That screams "poison pill" to me, designed by CMA so MS takes more "heat" than CMA when the deal is terminated.

This is pure speculation on my part of course. But if CMA is worried about subscription competition, then they would want parity there too. And MS is not about to both sell COD on PS and let PS sell PS+ subs thanks to COD. No way IMO.

I've been one of the people that thought the deal would go through. I can't find the "W" for Microsoft here. At minimum the deal is neutered to a point that even if it goes through it will be an even bigger L for Xbox than paying 69 mill was to begin with.

Yeah. There is nothing about this situation that is all that good for Microsoft. The absolute best they can hope for is that the CMA agrees to a behavioral remedy that basically sees the single biggest reason for owning Activision very much neutered for potentially decades to come. But regulators aren't fond of such remedies because of all the work and oversight it takes for a long period of time to ensure the remedy is being honored. Structural remedies are much easier, decisive, and impactful to apply. Which is most likely where the CMA will take this. In which case the $70 billion Microsoft is paying wouldn't be worth it and they'd honestly be complete fools to pay it.
 

SSfox

Member
Yeah. There is nothing about this situation that is all that good for Microsoft. The absolute best they can hope for is that the CMA agrees to a behavioral remedy that basically sees the single biggest reason for owning Activision very much neutered for potentially decades to come. But regulators aren't fond of such remedies because of all the work and oversight it takes for a long period of time to ensure the remedy is being honored. Structural remedies are much easier, decisive, and impactful to apply. Which is most likely where the CMA will take this. In which case the $70 billion Microsoft is paying wouldn't be worth it and they'd honestly be complete fools to pay it.
Pretty sure it won't stay 70B$ and the price would be cut if COD is removed from the equation

CMA is proposing MS divests COD and its studios. They do that and sure you can get your Diablo on gamepass.
Who would own COD then? Unless MS won't acquire Acti (only Blizzard and King)
 
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