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[GhostOfTsu]

Consider that bridge burned

This Bobby clown needs to go. The next CEO will come crawling back to Jim to get Playstation deals after this mess.

 

[Fess]

CMA is proposing MS divests COD and its studios. They do that and sure you can get your Diablo on gamepass.

I don’t know that word - divest? Is it like cutting out the COD studios from ABK?

 

[Thirty7ven]

Who would own COD then? Unless MS won't acquire Acti (only Blizzard and King)

A new studio would be formed to own COD, basically the COD company.

 

[GHG]

Where was this concern about the "bias" of public opinion when the CMA were inviting people to write in to them with comments regarding the potential deal?

 

[Varteras]

Pretty sure it won't stay 70B$ and the price would be cut if COD is removed from the equation


Who would own COD then? Unless MS won't acquire Acti (only Blizzard and King)

Correct, but then they'd have to renegotiate the price, assuming Microsoft or Activision are even interested at that point. But I'm not entirely sure how divestment works as in do they sell the assets or are they simply taken off the table?

 

[3liteDragon]

I don’t know that word - divest? Is it like cutting out the COD studios from ABK?

Pretty much.

At this stage, the CMA has identified the following possible structural remedies:

(a) Requiring a partial divestiture of Activision Blizzard, Inc.

This may be:

(i) Divestiture of the business associated with Call of Duty;

(ii) Divestiture of the Activision segment of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (the Activision segment), which would include the business associated with Call of Duty;

(iii) Divestiture of the Activision segment and the Blizzard segment (the Blizzard segment) of Activision Blizzard, Inc., which would include the business associated with Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, among other titles

 

[Desless1]

They will have used a 3rd party agency.

First it was Sony who sent it, now it's supposed to be direct from the CMA. What next?

The CMA used a market research company yes. Would you expect them to do this themselves?

There is nothing next, it's stated on the information site they created for the merger.

 

[Heisenberg007]

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???

Yes, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

Microsoft expects Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through without concessions

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Microsoft head Satya Nadella said that he expects the Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through without concessions due to their market position.

www.neowin.net

 

[SneakersSO]

Really hard pressed to see a viable path forward for behavioral remedies. Agencies hate having to police these things in an ongoing way, they have taken any behavioral remedy for Cloud completely off the table as well, and Cloud impact is one of the biggest issues they have with this deal.

There is no world where MS bites on the supposed structural remedies CMA proposed here. Completely divesting CoD and its studios, or divesting all of Blizzard & Activision, and just keeping CoD. I imagine that both of these are essentially non-starters.

What folks in the Era thread aren't considering is how much these findings bolsters the FTC's case in this regard. They will begin citing the provisional findings almost immediately, and this gives them a viable anti-competitive angle they can argue in court.

I'm not gonna say the deal is 100% dead, but its hard to imagine a scenario that ensures this deal happens. Folks thinking that everyone excepted this deal to go through with concessions is absolutely fooling themselves - I know for a fact both MS and ATVI thought they wouldn't be challenged on this. Nadella and MS announced they expected this deal to go through with no concessions, so if you're sitting there thinking you expected this when the folks who made the deal didn't even, you're just lying to yourself.

 

[Varteras]

Yes, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

Microsoft expects Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through without concessions

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Microsoft head Satya Nadella said that he expects the Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through without concessions due to their market position.

www.neowin.net

 

[Desless1]

Yeah because I’m not a little bitch? I’d say ‘I don’t play CoD now fuck off’.

Well... You have been quite good at bitching here. So who knows.

 

[Banjo64]

Well... You have been quite good at bitching here. So who knows.

 

[GHG]

Well... You have been quite good at bitching here. So who knows.

Well well, it seems their alts are just like their lawyers.

 

[NickFire]

Correct, but then they'd have to renegotiate the price, assuming Microsoft or Activision are even interested at that point. But I'm not entirely sure how divestment works as in do they sell the assets or are they simply taken off the table?

I might get corrected by someone who has actual experience with forced divestment. But I'm pretty sure in this context MS would have to buy the asset as agreed between MS and Activision, and then sell off the part(s) being divested. Unless there is some get out of jail free card for MS allowing them to renegotiate (which would probably neuter the buyout fees, so I doubt Activision would have agreed in the OG contract to being forced into a renegotiation).

 

[Desless1]

Well well, it seems their alts are just like their lawyers.

Facts always hurts.

 

[yazenov]

MS shot themselves in the foot. Their excuse for the purchase was not for Call of duty or keeping exclusive games from Playstation, but it was to enter the mobile market primarily.

So now the CMA called their bluff and might enforce the breaking up of ABK and giving MS the mobile division only, while Call of Duty and other console games stay multiplatform.

 

[Come On Tars]

Just bought 3 years of gamepass for 195. So yeah I want this deal to go through haha.

 

[tmlDan]

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

wtf did i just read? Do they think MS is some force for positive change? they just laid off a ton of people despite almost matching revenue expectations. They're not even struggling and the first thing they do is lay off people.

Apple and Nintendo made better decisions.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Pretty sure it won't stay 70B$ and the price would be cut if COD is removed from the equation


Who would own COD then? Unless MS won't acquire Acti (only Blizzard and King)

I may be wrong, but I think they will have to buy ABK (for $69 billion) and then separate the A of ABK in a separate company that someone may or may not buy.

 

[demigod]

Looks like everyone with a brain called it yesterday when the clown CEOs went on national TV yesterday to embarrass themselves.

Death Valley? More like Death Watch for SenjutsuSage and CatLady

 

[GHG]

Facts always hurts.

Don't worry, I can see that.

 

[Badlucktroll]

 

[Fess]

Pretty much.

Ah, then it’s dead, no way they’re only buying Blizzard and King. King is a nice get for mobile gaming I guess but Blizzard is bleeding badly. Assuming they would need a new purchase price and voting from stock owner etc etc.

 

[The Pleasure]

I feel bad for Unkie Phil. Have some royalty free birthday song

 

[Thirty7ven]

Yes, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

Microsoft expects Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through without concessions

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Microsoft head Satya Nadella said that he expects the Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through without concessions due to their market position.

www.neowin.net

Boy I would love to be a fly on the wall.

 

[Interfectum]

REEEEE is now on the side of Bobby Kotick. Let that sink in.

 

[Heisenberg007]

MS shot themselves in the foot. Their excuse for the purchase was not for Call of duty or keeping exclusive games from Playstation, but it was to enter the mobile market primarily.

So now the CMA called their bluff and might enforce the breaking up of ABK and giving MS the mobile division only, while Call of Duty and other console games stay multiplatform.

CMA: "So you can only buy King. You wanted ABK for King anyway, right? You said it."

Microsoft:

 

[Thirty7ven]

REEEEE is now on the side of Bobby Kotick. Let that sink in.

People out there throwing ideas of MS going for GTA6 timed exclusivity. Fanboys and nothing else. But the union… the worker rights….

 

[Dick Jones]

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Yes, keep Bobby in place to help usher in Unionisation. Holy fuck did they put out their back with that stretch?

 

[jm89]

CMA: "So you can only buy King. You wanted ABK for King anyway, right? You said it."

Microsoft:

Yup. CMA played this right. You know folks would have been jumping up and down if CMA went for a straight block, and using the argument it's all about mobile. CMA shut that shit down.

 

[Interfectum]

People out there throwing ideas of MS going for GTA6 timed exclusivity. Fanboys and nothing else. But the union… the worker rights….

"What if MS bought exclusive DLC for the sequel to Hogwar" <BANNED>

 

[Thirty7ven]

All rivers cried flow to the sea of tears.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

I just want the deal to go through now only to make this thread more spicy.

 

[Riky]

So they haven't even considered the deal that brings COD to Nintendo yet? This has a long way to go.

 

[NickFire]

If they were clear about Bethesda intentions before approval, this deal might have been approved with minimum behavioral remedies.

If they didn't announce a release date for Starfield that they could not meet, their intentions to make that exclusive might not even be known yet (and wouldn't be used against them).

If they didn't gas light everyone about mobile, then no-one would be able to say you can still achieve your primary goal without COD.

 

[GHG]

 

[Jimmyisback]

Treating twitter as the battleground for this regulatory process hasn't worked thus far so what do they do? Double down and do it with greater frequency and aggression.

What could go wrong?

I don't see what she's doing wrong here. She helping people understand what the process is or unfamiliar what's going on. You are upset that MS is fighting for this deal.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Oh god, this spectrum.

 

[NickFire]

So they haven't even considered the deal that brings COD to Nintendo yet? This has a long way to go.

Dude, you spent a long time telling us all about how VRR makes one system better if I remember correctly. And now you gonna pretend Switch or Cloud is suitable for the COD games people buy in droves every fall?

Come on man.

 

[Badlucktroll]

I think that Microsoft should just pull out at this point. But i am expecting a litigation nightmare. They will try to win it in court.

 

[demigod]

So they haven't even considered the deal that brings COD to Nintendo yet? This has a long way to go.

What’s stopping Activision bringing CoD to Nintendo now?

 

[mansoor1980]

CMA getting cancelled on social media

 

[Riky]

Dude, you spent a long time telling us all about how VRR makes one system better if I remember correctly. And now you gonna pretend Switch or Cloud is suitable for the COD games people buy in droves every fall?

Come on man.

Even Sony agreed VRR was better in the end, let it go, I was right all along.
We don't know what hardware Nintendo have coming by the time this all finishes and the point is they haven't even considered the 10 year offer to Sony yet, that means the remedy could already be available.

 

[NickFire]

I think that Microsoft should just pull out at this point. But i am expecting a litigation nightmare. They will try to win it in court.

Almost certainly not. MS already talked about working to get this on track between now and April. Come April the termination fee goes up another 1/2 billion. Plug is almost certain to be pulled before the escalation date unless they feel the deal can get approved without protracted litigation. They might still fight and win, but I really doubt it will be through courts unless both EU and CMA approve (leaving only 1 court fight).

 

[Interfectum]

CMA getting cancelled on social media

CMA about to be top seller on Steam.

 

[GHG]

I don't see what she's doing wrong here. She helping people understand what the process is or unfamiliar what's going on. You are upset that MS is fighting for this deal.

How can one be so naive?

But I absolutely adore how so many of you have nothing left in the tank other than vapid attempts at making this personal.

 

[DForce]

So they haven't even considered the deal that brings COD to Nintendo yet? This has a long way to go.

It literally says they considered what MS offered Nintendo, Sony, and Steam during their investigation.

 

[Thirty7ven]

What’s up with this fucking fanbase man?

 

[DeepEnigma]

What’s stopping Activision bringing CoD to Nintendo now?

The Nintendo Switch can't handle Call of Duty

The Switch isn’t ready for this jelly

www.techradar.com

But, they could port the mobile version I would think. I just don't think they see a market there for some reason.

CMA getting cancelled on social media

Are they transphobic yet?

 

[Riky]

It literally says they considered what MS offered Nintendo, Sony, and Steam during their investigation.

Read it again.