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[Mr.Phoenix]

Will there be any consequences for Nintendo and their customers?

No.

Will there be any consequences for Sony and their customers?
- Unless Nintendo is making a >10 TF home console i think no more timed exclusivity and extra content, no more super expensive AAAs, less marketing, day one Pc releases and probably no disc drive in the PS6.

No. literally, nothing will change. Sony has been doing what sony does not primarily because they are competing with MS, cause that would suggest MS is doing similar... they have been doing it because it makes them money. So as long as they want to continue making money, it would be business as usual.

There is already a PS5 without a disc drive, and soon, every PS5 will not have a disc drive but rather an optional disc add-on. doubt one has to do with the other.

The one thing that would change though, and that is probably already happening, is that sony would ensure they are never that reliant on a third party again. Basically, they would try and have their own COD-like game. Which is why I believe they got Bungie.

Re Mibu: That statement looks bleak for behavioral remedies, but I still don't think that outright means they're impossible. Again, my opinion is that the deal is in all likelihood dead. I doubt Microsoft is willing to divest, and I don't think the CMA will accept behavioral remedies (based on precedent).

This all stemmed from someone saying they don't really pay attention and was asking what could happen next. The person who replied didn't include the option that behavioral remedies could be accepted. Not giving complete information is what I had a gripe with. You can editorialize the information all you want so long as all the information is given.

That's fair, right? Like, if Microsoft pulls off a miracle and passes the deal without divestment, that person who asked for the information is going to be confused. Because they were told the only avenues forward were divestment. It's better to give a full account of what could happen even if you don't believe something will happen.

It probably is... the only behavioral remedy that would suffice is one MS will never agree to. Ornot what's the point of buying ABK?

 

[Cheezewizz]

Gaf and Era truly are opposite sides of the same coin.

Era has people doing what someone earlier called "writing revenge fan fiction".

And now this thread has become a "Xbox leaves gaming altogether" fan fiction thread.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Hell, we're not even thinking about whatever game Firewalk is making for PlayStation. Based on the background of a lot of its devs, they could quite easily be working on an FPS as well

I think it's safe to assume both Deviation and Firewalk are working on FPS.

The question comes down to their budgets, their quality, and the marketing that will go behind them. Based on linkedin Firewalk is growing significantly faster than Deviation, which goes along with my thinking that they hit a pretty big bump which caused Blundell to leave.

They're about the same size at the moment, but we'll see which grows faster in the next year or two.

But Sony would certainly being hedging with both of them to try to produce a CoD killer in case this deal went through or the relationship with ABK soured, or if Microsoft throws money at CoD after the deal falls through. Basically, by 2027 they need to produce their CoD killer, so they have time, they just need to invest in it. Makes sense to have two separate projects going on that, and honestly, they probably have more with the rumor that maybe Guerrilla was working on SOCOM.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Gaf and Era truly are opposite sides of the same coin.

Era has people doing what someone earlier called "writing revenge fan fiction".

And now this thread has become a "Xbox leaves gaming altogether" fan fiction thread.

Some people continue to ignore the fact that Microsoft considered leaving the market already. It was only the promise of GamePass revenue that stayed the hammer.

And it is clear that hasn't been a success yet, hence the nuclear option of buying ABK.

Short of this ABK deal not going through, Microsoft probably doesn't have any big established system seller type games for the next 2 years if not more. 2023 is going to be a bad year for Xbox sales and depending on how Starfield does, 2024 could be a barren year. The more xbox sales dry up and let's not pretend that they can't as it is happened in the past, the less likely Microsoft is to stay the course.

I'm not saying they're definitely going to leave the market, but this idea that they definitely won't is the actual fantasy.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

I think it's safe to assume both Deviation and Firewalk are working on FPS.

The question comes down to their budgets, their quality, and the marketing that will go behind them. Based on linkedin Firewalk is growing significantly faster than Deviation, which goes along with my thinking that they hit a pretty big bump which caused Blundell to leave.

They're about the same size at the moment, but we'll see which grows faster in the next year or two.

But Sony would certainly being hedging with both of them to try to produce a CoD killer in case this deal went through or the relationship with ABK soured, or if Microsoft throws money at CoD after the deal falls through. Basically, by 2027 they need to produce their CoD killer, so they have time, they just need to invest in it. Makes sense to have two separate projects going on that, and honestly, they probably have more with the rumor that maybe Guerrilla was working on SOCOM.

Thing is that a COD rival isn't really about some sort of massive investment. It's more nuanced than that. It's about catching lightning in a bottle so to speak. Talking about Fortnite and Overwatch kinda lightning in a bottle.

And to think at some point, long before Overwatch, Fortnite, and battle royals... sony had MAG.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Hell, we're not even thinking about whatever game Firewalk is making for PlayStation. Based on the background of a lot of its devs, they could quite easily be working on an FPS as well

I believe they are working on an FPS that would be rather close to Call of Duty in nature. It's also closer to release than Deviation's game and is internally scheduled to release in 2024.

We will see this game in the rumored PlayStation Showcase this summer.

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

Thing is that a COD rival isn't really about some sort of massive investment. It's more nuanced than that. It's about catching lightning in a bottle so to speak. Talking about Fortnite and Overwatch kinda lightning in a bottle.

And to think at some point, long before Overwatch, Fortnite, and battle royals... sony had MAG.

I was very excited for MAG until I heard about how it played. Didn't they try to connect it with like Eve Online too? Where ships in Eve could do orbital airstrikes or something like that? Man that's a blast to the past.

 

[chilichote]

I was very excited for MAG until I heard about how it played. Didn't they try to connect it with like Eve Online too? Where ships in Eve could do orbital airstrikes or something like that? Man that's a blast to the past.

You are confusing MAG with Dust 514. MAG was great, Dust was rather mediocre^^

 

[Heisenberg007]

Some people continue to ignore the fact that Microsoft considered leaving the market already. It was only the promise of GamePass revenue that stayed the hammer.

And it is clear that hasn't been a success yet, hence the nuclear option of buying ABK.

Short of this ABK deal not going through, Microsoft probably doesn't have any big established system seller type games for the next 2 years if not more. 2023 is going to be a bad year for Xbox sales and depending on how Starfield does, 2024 could be a barren year. The more xbox sales dry up and let's not pretend that they can't as it is happened in the past, the less likely Microsoft is to stay the course.

I'm not saying they're definitely going to leave the market, but this idea that they definitely won't is the actual fantasy.

Yeah, the modern-day Xbox is built on Game Pass and the promise to tap into one billion gamers. Consistently missing Game Pass targets for 2-3 years now could have changed that perception internally and the confidence in that strategy.

If you take away Game Pass -- even momentarily -- there isn't much left of Xbox. And without Game Pass, there is no Phil Spencer either in the picture, because Game Pass is Phil's brainchild.

Having said that, I think there is a couple more options in between that Microsoft would explore first before shutting down the division altogether (which I don't think will happen as soon as some think it'd). Going multiplatform like EA, or even having a first-party-only Game Pass tier on PlayStation and Nintendo, would be profitable options to explore.

Moreover, I don't think Xbox will have a seriously barren year again. They just have too many studios to have a year like 2022 again. There will be games, for sure, but whether those games will make any impact or move the needles -- that's a separate discussion. I don't think they will move the needle by much.

 

[Astray]

Couldnt they just sell the COD IP to one of them? If COD is whats its all about..... I feel like having the talent would be a better catch than the IP itself. They could task IW to make another FPS...just dont call it COD. put treyarch back to work on on tony hawks or an orignal IP. Of course that might effectively kill COD....... and amazon or whoever can do whetever with COD.

No buyer worth their salt would get the brand name without the studios that work on the franchise.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Thing is that a COD rival isn't really about some sort of massive investment. It's more nuanced than that. It's about catching lightning in a bottle so to speak. Talking about Fortnite and Overwatch kinda lightning in a bottle.

And to think at some point, long before Overwatch, Fortnite, and battle royals... sony had MAG.

I think it requires a lot of investment, because to catch lightning in a bottle the game has to be quality and well-advertised. The quality takes a lot of time and care.

If you look at Firewalk and Deviation, they're both really tiny studios.

 

[Badlucktroll]

If Nintendo ends up making a high end console i don't think it will sell

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

You are confusing MAG with Dust 514. MAG was great, Dust was rather mediocre^^

Ahhh. My bad.

 

[Gaelyon]

"Factions 2" the multi stand alone in TLOU universe with brand new story+characters+location has the potential for being the first big popular Multi Gaas that sony look for (Bungie new game is the next one), especially with the TLOU show and the growing popularity of the franchise. Could it be a COD rival though, I'm not sure.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Yeah, the modern-day Xbox is built on Game Pass and the promise to tap into one billion gamers. Consistently missing Game Pass targets for 2-3 years now could have changed that perception internally and the confidence in that strategy.

If you take away Game Pass -- even momentarily -- there isn't much left of Xbox. And without Game Pass, there is no Phil Spencer either in the picture, because Game Pass is Phil's brainchild.

Having said that, I think there is a couple more options in between that Microsoft would explore first before shutting down the division altogether (which I don't think will happen as soon as some think it'd). Going multiplatform like EA, or even having a first-party-only Game Pass tier on PlayStation and Nintendo, would be profitable options to explore.

Moreover, I don't think Xbox will have a seriously barren year again. They just have too many studios to have a year like 2022 again. There will be games, for sure, but whether those games will make any impact or move the needles -- that's a separate discussion. I don't think they will move the needle by much.

It's not so much that GamePass needs Phil Spencer, it's that Phil Spencer championed GamePass. I've mentioned it before but CEOs rarely survive failed mergers. That's because they've tied up money for a long period of time that ultimately could have been utilized to get returns elsewhere. M&A is a huge gamble, even M&A that are successfully navigated through regulators still have a high chance of failing to generate revenue. Booty is in an even worse position and he's got to be on his way out regardless. But I don't see who will champion gamepass with Spencer gone.

I'm not saying Microsoft will pull out of the market the day after the deal is called off, but they will wind down Xbox and we'll see the effects of that, and we won't see another Xbox after the Series S and X if this deal falls through.

The trust that it would take for Microsoft to give Spencer more money at this point is gone... So a spending spree would surprise me. Why buy additional assets that you have to manage or divest from when you don't believe in your management?

We've discussed this idea of first party game pass and I don't see it happening. Again, there is no demand for it. I could see some games being released on PlayStation to generate some more revenue, but that's about it.

I think you'll see more games in 2024, but if Xbox sales themselves are diminished it won't matter much. Look at the Dreamcast, hell even the Gamecube had some bangers that just didn't sell because the hardware didnt sell. That's basically the Xbox One in a nut shell.

 

[Yoboman]

"Factions 2" the multi stand alone in TLOU universe with brand new story+characters+location has the potential for being the first big popular Multi Gaas that sony look for (Bungie new game is the next one), especially with the TLOU show and the growing popularity of the franchise. Could it be a COD rival though, I'm not sure.

TLOU even if a massive hit is never going to be a yearly franchise churning out 20 million sales per year

 

[Nothing1234]

One of the most interesting things about this acquisition is people taking headlines or snippets of documents without reading the whole thing themselves. Also it is important to remember that regulators have unredacted documents with facts and figures we are not privy to which allows them to have a more informed view.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Yeah, the modern-day Xbox is built on Game Pass and the promise to tap into one billion gamers. Consistently missing Game Pass targets for 2-3 years now could have changed that perception internally and the confidence in that strategy.

If you take away Game Pass -- even momentarily -- there isn't much left of Xbox. And without Game Pass, there is no Phil Spencer either in the picture, because Game Pass is Phil's brainchild.

Having said that, I think there is a couple more options in between that Microsoft would explore first before shutting down the division altogether (which I don't think will happen as soon as some think it'd). Going multiplatform like EA, or even having a first-party-only Game Pass tier on PlayStation and Nintendo, would be profitable options to explore.

Moreover, I don't think Xbox will have a seriously barren year again. They just have too many studios to have a year like 2022 again. There will be games, for sure, but whether those games will make any impact or move the needles -- that's a separate discussion. I don't think they will move the needle by much.

I am also not in the camp that believes that Xbox dies with this deal. I also think they have other avenues to explore first. like becoming multiplatform, or as they would call it, platform agnostic.

One thing for certain is this, gamepass cannot survive without this deal. For gamepass to grow and be what it needs to be to survive, there has to be consolidation. And then this ABK thing happened. This ABK acquisition was to be the first of many similar steps. It's the not giving people a choice but to be on their service approach.

I think it requires a lot of investment, because to catch lightning in a bottle the game has to be quality and well-advertised. The quality takes a lot of time and care.

If you look at Firewalk and Deviation, they're both really tiny studios.

Fortnite? Overwatch? Forgetting how those games started? Even COD wasn't always this big.

 

[ToadMan]

Interesting that Sony have so far given no evidence, as according to the subpoena, to how they would actually be affected. That's a lot of hot air to shove up someone's arse to convince CoD is the be all and end all of gaming IPs.

The document below answers this point. TLDR you're incorrect.

An excerpt from the Sony's response to Microsoft's subpoena to the FTC:

WOW!

Using the legal system to harass and threaten competitors?

Just another day on the job at MS.

And people think getting rid of Kotick and getting MS management is one of the positives for this deal.

 

[Astray]

And people think getting rid of Kotick and getting MS management is one of the positives for this deal.

I don't even think he leaves if the deal closes! If you look at the recent FOX Business article, it states that "he's staying EVEN if the deal falls through", which implicitly tells you that he expects to stay on if the deal closes.

Fuck, if the deal actually closes, I can even see him beheading Spencer and taking his spot! That man is one of the biggest people in the gaming industry for a reason, and it ain't because he's a nice guy.

This talk of Kotick leaving is just MS propaganda imo. There's zero chance they let him leave when he's brought more gaming revenue than anyone there!

 

[mansoor1980]

does microsoft want kotick out?

 

[Ozriel]

Some people continue to ignore the fact that Microsoft considered leaving the market already. It was only the promise of GamePass revenue that stayed the hammer.

I don't believe there's any source for this. All we know at this point is that Spencer sold continued investments the gaming division to Nadella.

Short of this ABK deal not going through, Microsoft probably doesn't have any big established system seller type games for the next 2 years if not more. 2023 is going to be a bad year for Xbox sales and depending on how Starfield does, 2024 could be a barren year. The more xbox sales dry up and let's not pretend that they can't as it is happened in the past, the less likely Microsoft is to stay the course.

Why exactly is 2023 going to be a bad year for Xbox sales? Also not sure how Starfield's sales performance could make 2024 a 'barren year'.

Yeah, the modern-day Xbox is built on Game Pass and the promise to tap into one billion gamers. Consistently missing Game Pass targets for 2-3 years now could have changed that perception internally and the confidence in that strategy.

If you take away Game Pass -- even momentarily -- there isn't much left of Xbox. And without Game Pass, there is no Phil Spencer either in the picture, because Game Pass is Phil's brainchild.

IIRC, the 'missing targets' bit relates to stretch targets that would have triggered executive bonuses. We still don't know what the baseline targets were. I could be wrong, but this is what I remember.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Well at least irs all been entertaining. The comments you get from both sides has been gold.

Do any of us actually have any idea of which way its going to go?

Pretty much not the results that they want. That's where this is going.

 

[Ozriel]

Using the legal system to harass and threaten competitors?

Just another day on the job at MS.

And people think getting rid of Kotick and getting MS management is one of the positives for this deal.

"MS is being excessively aggressive with Sony, so they'll also be terrible to their employees"

You cannot be serious with this take

 

[Nothing1234]

Starfield absolutely is a system seller, come on.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Gaf and Era truly are opposite sides of the same coin.

Era has people doing what someone earlier called "writing revenge fan fiction".

And now this thread has become a "Xbox leaves gaming altogether" fan fiction thread.

Satya Nadella wanted to put Xbox to the axe at the same time he axed Windows Phone division shortly after he took over as CEO. Nadella doesn't tolerate and celebrate failure the way Ballmer did. It's not clear how much more rope Nadella will give to Xbox but he can't be happy with the ongoing performance of Xbox Series S/X versus PS5 and Switch.

 

[Banjo64]

Gaf and Era truly are opposite sides of the same coin.

Era has people doing what someone earlier called "writing revenge fan fiction".

And now this thread has become a "Xbox leaves gaming altogether" fan fiction thread.

Don't agree with the bolded statement, though I suppose normal and abnormal are opposite sides of the same coin.

Xbox leaving gaming is absolutely fan fiction and scare mongering in my opinion. From what I've read, this sentiment is mainly coming from Xbox fans who want this deal to go through. They've spent £10b on acquisitions already and had a 55m instal base last gen. Losing ABK wouldn't do anything (apart from awaken Microsoft's victim complex apparently).

 

[Ozriel]

Satya Nadella wanted to put Xbox to the axe at the same time he axed Windows Phone division shortly after he took over as CEO. Nadella doesn't tolerate and celebrate failure the way Ballmer did. It's not clear how much more rope Nadella will give to Xbox but he can't be happy with the ongoing performance of Xbox Series S/X versus PS5 and Switch.

A successful business is one that turns a profit, or one with a strong potential of turning a profit. Xbox can be outsold by Sony and still be a successful, viable business.

We just had Nadella give interviews talking up Bing's chances and investing heavily in a new Search battle vs Google. Bing has only 9% of the global search market! Edge has less than 7% of the US browser market share and they're still trucking on with it.

I do think that much of the commentary here is based on wishful thinking vs reality. Gaming at MS is now one of their major pillars, and is intrinsically linked to Azure via xCloud. Anyone holding their breath for a shuttering of the division will probably asphyxiate.

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

Don't agree with the bolded statement, though I suppose normal and abnormal are opposite sides of the same coin.

Both acquisition threads are toxic in their own way.

 

[Ozriel]

Xbox leaving gaming is absolutely fan fiction and scare mongering in my opinion. From what I've read, this sentiment is mainly coming from Xbox fans who want this deal to go through.

This page says otherwise.

Losing ABK wouldn't do anything (apart from awaken Microsoft's victim complex apparently).

The loss of a deal for King will likely be what stings the most. They'll move on, and probably aim to acquire another mobile developer.
COD would have been a significant addition to GP, but contracts would have ensured that wouldn't happen until 2025/26 at the earliest. They'd have to focus on improving their pipeline for GP content.

 

[Banjo64]

Both acquisition threads are toxic in their own way.

Well I don't frequent purple place so I can't comment - I've not seen much, if any, toxicity hear though, just disagreements with people trying to explain their viewpoint and the occasional banter thrown in.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

TLOU even if a massive hit is never going to be a yearly franchise churning out 20 million sales per year

I don't think you need it to be.

Between single player campaigns and multiplayer expansions, you could have fairly consistent releases and if your revenue is driven by mtx and such on the multiplayer it could very well pay for the single-player to continue for some time. To the point where like Activision, you have multiple studios working on it at once to ensure releases come out regularly.

Story could go on 10 years or more if they want it to. Metal Gear (Solid) came out in 1998 and MGS5 came out in 2015. The only thing that ended things was the relationship between Konami and Kojima, but that's nearly 20 years of releases. Who is to say TLOU can't do another ten years with Parts 3 and 4.

 

[Pelta88]

Never mind lol

 

[RafterXL]

I do think that much of the commentary here is based on wishful thinking vs reality. Gaming at MS is now one of their major pillars, and is intrinsically linked to Azure via xCloud. Anyone holding their breath for a shuttering of the division will probably asphyxiate.

Yeah, there's some ridiculous takes in this thread. Deal or no deal, Xbox isn't going anywhere, as much as people on this site would like them too.

Here's the kicker, the deal is going through. Can't wait to hear all the backtracking and conspiracy theories when it's all said and done.

 

[Moridianae]

Xbox isn't going anywhere, but I'm glad to see the powers kind of standing up. Microsoft has a lot of studios(not even publishers) they've bought themselves.

The difference is they kind of disappeared into obscurity. They haven't grown their talent in-house to match the first party offerings that Sony does or even Nintendo.

Always felt like sour grapes to me that they got big mad(as myself and many other friends feared years ago) and decided to just start to buy everybody out and here we are. I'm glad they're kinda saying "No go, chief".

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Xbox brings in enough revenue to justify it's existence. They aint going anywhere

(Don't @me on profit Sony bros)

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I don't believe there's any source for this. All we know at this point is that Spencer sold continued investments the gaming division to Nadella.




Why exactly is 2023 going to be a bad year for Xbox sales? Also not sure how Starfield's sales performance could make 2024 a 'barren year'.





IIRC, the 'missing targets' bit relates to stretch targets that would have triggered executive bonuses. We still don't know what the baseline targets were. I could be wrong, but this is what I remember.

You're lost because you're not tracking.

Spencer: Microsoft almost abandoned Xbox brand after the Xbox One launch

Splintered management, poor sales led to a question: “Do we go forward with Xbox?”…

arstechnica.com

If Starfield is unable to sustain or improve Xbox sales in 2023, the demand for Xbox is going to be ice cold in 2024 regardless of what software comes out that year.

Do you have an example of a console that struggled to sell for its first 3 years but somehow found its groove in year 4?

Even the PS3 that underwhelmed in sales versus expectations still sold significantly better than Xbox Series X/S is selling and will sell this year.

In 2024 if 2023 is a struggle, demand will be choked off for the system and no one is going to want it.

When someone evaluates what system to buy they look at what their friends own and what their friends are playing. You can't get significantly outpaced for 3 years and then turn it around. If Sony does 30 million in 2023 and Xbox does 10 million or less, that's not a ratio you can recover from. That's a consumer base of 60 million to 30 million.

If we enter 2024 at a ratio of 60 to 30 million, 2024 will be a bad year... Even if Sony drops to 20 million in 2024, climbing to 80 million, another 10 million or less for Xbox leaves them at 40 million. The reality is the ratio will likely grow further the longer the cycle goes. If Xbox Series S/X sell less than Xbox One, I don't see another Xbox. The goal has to be a minimum of 50 million units.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

just disagreements with people

Toxic as fuck bro

 

[ToadMan]

Also this. Not sure if it's new or was posted earlier, but I think it would be new information to most:

Edit:

• Document request number 13 = Microsoft requested SIE's leadership internal performance review lol

My reading of this is that it is "proposed" (as it says in the title there).

I think this is the outcome Sony would like from the court, and they've gone as far as to draft a document to be signed into the records that quashes and limits some documents if the court is in agreement.

But at this stage the court has still to determine that.

 

[Ozriel]

You're lost because you're not tracking.

http://[URL][URL]https://arstechnic...andoned-xbox-brand-after-the-xbox-one-launch/

[/URL][/URL]

There's absolutely nothing in that quote that supports your claim that it's Gamepass that turned Nadella's mind around on Xbox.

 

[Astray]

You're lost because you're not tracking.

Spencer: Microsoft almost abandoned Xbox brand after the Xbox One launch

Splintered management, poor sales led to a question: “Do we go forward with Xbox?”…

arstechnica.com

If Starfield is unable to sustain or improve Xbox sales in 2023, the demand for Xbox is going to be ice cold in 2024 regardless of what software comes out that year.

Do you have an example of a console that struggled to sell for its first 3 years but somehow found its groove in year 4?

Even the PS3 that underwhelmed in sales versus expectations still sold significantly better than Xbox Series X/S is selling and will sell this year.

In 2024 if 2023 is a struggle, demand will be choked off for the system and no one is going to want it.

When someone evaluates what system to buy they look at what their friends own and what their friends are playing. You can't get significantly outpaced for 3 years and then turn it around. If Sony does 30 million in 2023 and Xbox does 10 million or less, that's not a ratio you can recover from. That's a consumer base of 60 million to 30 million.

If we enter 2024 at a ratio of 60 to 30 million, 2024 will be a bad year... Even if Sony drops to 20 million in 2024, climbing to 80 million, another 10 million or less for Xbox leaves them at 40 million. The reality is the ratio will likely grow further the longer the cycle goes. If Xbox Series S/X sell less than Xbox One, I don't see another Xbox. The goal has to be a minimum of 50 million units.

I agree with you that this gen is kinda "make or break" for MS's console ambitions (if the series consoles don't improve on install base of Xbone, I genuinely don't see MS keeping on with making the machines, I know thicc_girls_are_teh_best has his Steam machines-like theory, but I genuinely don't buy that MS would want to go from competing with Sony to competing with.. Corsair or whatever), but what in your opinion would be the "signal" that they are leaning one way or the other?

Reminder that MS leaving the console business doesn't mean that they'd be out of gaming, they have already hoarded more than enough IP and talent to become a major software player like Activision or T2.

 

[ToadMan]

Judge says Sony failed to show good cause for the extension sought. Denied, and must still produce documents they've thus far been unwilling to produce in any form (even partially) = pretty much agreed with sony on all points.

That is from 2nd February.

You're replying to a court filing from yesterday…

 

[ChazGW7]

A successful business is one that turns a profit, or one with a strong potential of turning a profit. Xbox can be outsold by Sony and still be a successful, viable business.

We just had Nadella give interviews talking up Bing's chances and investing heavily in a new Search battle vs Google. Bing has only 9% of the global search market! Edge has less than 7% of the US browser market share and they're still trucking on with it.

I do think that much of the commentary here is based on wishful thinking vs reality. Gaming at MS is now one of their major pillars, and is intrinsically linked to Azure via xCloud. Anyone holding their breath for a shuttering of the division will probably asphyxiate.

Agreed. I've had a good laugh reading through the last few pages of this thread this morning. Anyone thinking xbox will close if this deal doesn't go through is on some next level copium.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Will there be any consequences for Nintendo and their customers?
I don't think so

What do you guys think?

If deal fails:
MS: Wahhhhh wahhh
SONY: Muahhh ahh ahhh
NINTENDO: "Look, a butterfly landed on that flower! It's so pretty!"

 

[Topher]

Gaming at MS is now one of their major pillars, and is intrinsically linked to Azure via xCloud. Anyone holding their breath for a shuttering of the division will probably asphyxiate.

Except Microsoft said in response to the CMA that xCloud doesn't use Azure.

"The second area of the CMA's concerns is around Microsoft using Activision Blizzard to become dominant in the game streaming area, by using that content alongside Microsoft's owned cloud service provider, Azure, plus its PC operating system.

This is one of the more complicated areas to analyse, as it is talking about a part of the games business that is still in its early stages of development.

Microsoft believes the CMA's concerns here are flawed as currently Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service does not use Azure, and does not stream games from PC hardware."

UK regulator details concerns over Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox responds

UK regulator CMA issues concerns over Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

www.gamesindustry.biz

 

[bitbydeath]

The loss of a deal for King will likely be what stings the most. They'll move on, and probably aim to acquire another mobile developer.

King isn't being blocked, only COD and Activision, if MS really wants King they'll accept the deal from the CMA.

 

[splattered]

Man people are losing their friggin minds over this and acting like children... I'm almost afraid to think how bad things are gonna be as we get closer to official decisions.

 

[Heisenberg007]

The goal has to be a minimum of 50 million units.

Even that might be an issue. Xbox One sold ~52 million units (IIRC) without much investment.

Now after spending more than $10 billion in the division and spending billions more to sustain a loss-leader strategy, Microsoft would be expecting much better results than Xbox One. At least ~70 million consoles, in addition to increased software sales, Game Pass subs and profitability.

If both Xbox One and XBS sell ~50 million units, Xbox One would be considered more successful (comparatively) because it didn't require this much investment or spending.

 

[Topher]

Man people are losing their friggin minds over this and acting like children

Shut up you booger eater

 

[ReBurn]

Shut up you booger eater

Boogers are all natural. Pretty much the perfect snack.