Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)
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JLB
Banned
10 year usage of "I am a pussy" on black color font over white background if the deal goes through.
You just say what I have to use if I lose.
Edit: LOL, of course you were not going to accept. Funny since you are 101% sure the deal is dead, nothing to lose.
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Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
"Brad Smith says he 'has to believe the future is cross-platform', which is what this deal is all about."
Absolute bullshit! Is that why they made Zenimax's games exclusive instead of letting them be cross-platform?
Absolute bullshit! Is that why they made Zenimax's games exclusive instead of letting them be cross-platform?
SneakersSO
Member
Yeah, basically, the hail mary MS has then is that the CMA agrees that the 10 year deal is sufficient to quell the concerns the CMA has. NVidia signing the CoD deal probably does help, but one of the big things the CMA stipulated was that MS' potential monopoly in Cloud didn't just box out current market participants, but new market participants as well - NVidia signing the CoD deal doesn't quell the new market participants issue for Cloud.
I'm at least happy Brad Smith spelled out that they have no intention on pursuing this deal if it means divestment. Hearing in plain english its either Behavioral Remedies being approved or they walk at least simplifies this whole process. It also blows up that supposed leaker from last week who claimed that MS was considering carving out Blizzard and CoD - that always seemed like fanboy wish fulfillment, and only works if you truly believe that the sole reason MS is purchasing ATVI is to expand their Mobile position.
D A R K
Member
Banjo64
cumsessed
Why’s it all 10 years? I wonder. Oh yeah, it’s so they can pull it after that time.
Pretty obvious that they couldn’t crack Steam with the MS store so they accepted they have to publish there. Anything else that’s a rival console or streaming platform needs a term though.
GHG
Gold Member
Well done only reading the first 5 words of my post. Maybe in the future your comprehension will improve.
SneakersSO
Member
Yet another quote that directly contradicts their business decisions, which is precisely why the regulators came down harder on them on this deal than when they were buying Zenimax. At least Brad Smith is willing to repeat his mistakes though.
Banjo64
cumsessed
Thought he’s playing Hi-Fi Rush?
Quite frankly if this is their position (they won't accept remedies that would compromise their control on COD), then CMA will likely go for a block.
Things have not changed compared to previous negotiations that were already rejected.
They're also mentioning nVidia in their PR but no mention about Google and EA?
ToadMan
Member
Did Nintendo just get stiffed?
MS will put everything on Nvidia’s service but only CoD on Nintendo…
Sony holding out for the big pay day here…
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
Well, this press briefing has confirmed two things for us:
- One, Microsoft is not looking to divest Activision and COD. They'd rather walk away.
- Two, the meeting with EC didn't go well at all for Microsoft. Sony is the happier party today.
bentanchorbolt
Banned
Battlefield killed itself.
Little Chicken
Gold Member
Ah right, yeah not sure how they landed on that number, perhaps they mean active users across current platforms + PC.
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
18:17 PM
That was a Brad Smith quote, as he wraps-up his press conference. That was it.
To recap, Microsoft has signed a deal with Nvidia and Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to GeForce Now and Nintendo Switch consoles. It will also bring all Xbox games (that are on PC) to GeForce Now. Sony, however, remains opposed to the deal and will not sign the agreement.
That's it! Stay tuned to GamesIndustry.biz for more over the coming weeks.
18:15 PM
The number one concern that people have expressed about this acquisition is that Call of Duty will be less available to people, what we have proved is the opposite will be true. And if this deal is approved, the game will be available to 150 million more players around the world.
18:14 PM
Brad Smith says he 'has to believe the future is cross-platform', which is what this deal is all about.
18:09 PM
Smith is talking about multi-platform gaming, and the fact Call of Duty needs to run well on all consoles, including Nintendo Switch.
18:06 PM
We don't think it's realistic that one part of this company can be carved out from the rest, says Brad Smith, responding to a question about whether they would consider selling the brand to get the deal over the line.
18:04 PM
Activision Blizzard has accused Sony of simply trying to "protect its two-decade dominance in video games", and believes the proposed merger will enhance competition and "create greater opportunities" for workers
18:02 PM
Smith says he's more optimistic about the deal going through because of the deals with Nvidia and Nintendo.
There's only one barrier to stopping this deal going through, Smith says. It's the regulators.
18:00 PM
Smith: Sony says Call of Duty is a must-have product, but that 'must have title' was only available on 120 million devices. And if this deal goes through, it'll be available on 150 million more devices.
17:59 PM
Sony can spend all its energy trying to block this deal, which will reduce competition and slow the evolution of the market. Or they can sit down with us, and hammer out a deal.
17:58 PM
"We haven't agreed a deal with Sony, but I hope we will."
Smith says he has an envelope in his pocket with the deal on paper.
"I hope today is a day that will advance our industry and regulation in a responsible way."
17:57 PM
Brad Smith says Microsoft has deep and long experience of delivering on remedies to get satisfy the EU, citing past acquisitions like LinkedIn.
We have come here to make this kind of solution work, he says.
17:55 PM
We are bringing Call of Duty to 150 million more people who don't get it today, says Microsoft's Brad Smith
17:53 PM
Brad Smith: "Regulators is not here to protect super dominant companies. Believe me, I know."
17:52 PM
Microsoft says it is 'more than ready' to answer regulator concerns.
Brad Smith says: "Think about the market in Europe. It is a market where Sony has an 80% share. Globally, it is about 70/30. In Japan, it is 96/4. These numbers have been remarkably steady for two decades. Even last year, when there were issues with Sony's supply chain, they came back strong."
Sony outsold Microsoft by 69/31 towards the end of last year.
17:50 PM
Microsoft is now listing all the companies and organisations that support the Activision Blizzard deal. Including Nvidia, Valve, and more.
17:48 PM
Brad Smith at Microsoft has announced a new deal with Nvidia, that will bring Call of Duty and all Xbox games (that are on PC) to its services. "Nvidia's GeForce Now service already has 25 million" players, Smith says.
Microsoft will be bringing its Xbox games, that play on PC, to Nvidia's Geforce service. If the deal is approved, it will bring Activision Blizzard's games to GeForce Now, too, including Call of Duty.
That was a Brad Smith quote, as he wraps-up his press conference. That was it.
To recap, Microsoft has signed a deal with Nvidia and Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to GeForce Now and Nintendo Switch consoles. It will also bring all Xbox games (that are on PC) to GeForce Now. Sony, however, remains opposed to the deal and will not sign the agreement.
That's it! Stay tuned to GamesIndustry.biz for more over the coming weeks.
18:15 PM
The number one concern that people have expressed about this acquisition is that Call of Duty will be less available to people, what we have proved is the opposite will be true. And if this deal is approved, the game will be available to 150 million more players around the world.
18:14 PM
Brad Smith says he 'has to believe the future is cross-platform', which is what this deal is all about.
18:09 PM
Smith is talking about multi-platform gaming, and the fact Call of Duty needs to run well on all consoles, including Nintendo Switch.
18:06 PM
We don't think it's realistic that one part of this company can be carved out from the rest, says Brad Smith, responding to a question about whether they would consider selling the brand to get the deal over the line.
18:04 PM
Activision Blizzard has accused Sony of simply trying to "protect its two-decade dominance in video games", and believes the proposed merger will enhance competition and "create greater opportunities" for workers
18:02 PM
Smith says he's more optimistic about the deal going through because of the deals with Nvidia and Nintendo.
There's only one barrier to stopping this deal going through, Smith says. It's the regulators.
18:00 PM
Smith: Sony says Call of Duty is a must-have product, but that 'must have title' was only available on 120 million devices. And if this deal goes through, it'll be available on 150 million more devices.
17:59 PM
Sony can spend all its energy trying to block this deal, which will reduce competition and slow the evolution of the market. Or they can sit down with us, and hammer out a deal.
17:58 PM
"We haven't agreed a deal with Sony, but I hope we will."
Smith says he has an envelope in his pocket with the deal on paper.
"I hope today is a day that will advance our industry and regulation in a responsible way."
17:57 PM
Brad Smith says Microsoft has deep and long experience of delivering on remedies to get satisfy the EU, citing past acquisitions like LinkedIn.
We have come here to make this kind of solution work, he says.
17:55 PM
We are bringing Call of Duty to 150 million more people who don't get it today, says Microsoft's Brad Smith
17:53 PM
Brad Smith: "Regulators is not here to protect super dominant companies. Believe me, I know."
17:52 PM
Microsoft says it is 'more than ready' to answer regulator concerns.
Brad Smith says: "Think about the market in Europe. It is a market where Sony has an 80% share. Globally, it is about 70/30. In Japan, it is 96/4. These numbers have been remarkably steady for two decades. Even last year, when there were issues with Sony's supply chain, they came back strong."
Sony outsold Microsoft by 69/31 towards the end of last year.
17:50 PM
Microsoft is now listing all the companies and organisations that support the Activision Blizzard deal. Including Nvidia, Valve, and more.
17:48 PM
Brad Smith at Microsoft has announced a new deal with Nvidia, that will bring Call of Duty and all Xbox games (that are on PC) to its services. "Nvidia's GeForce Now service already has 25 million" players, Smith says.
Microsoft will be bringing its Xbox games, that play on PC, to Nvidia's Geforce service. If the deal is approved, it will bring Activision Blizzard's games to GeForce Now, too, including Call of Duty.
DrFigs
Member
What does EA have to do with this?
Banjo64
cumsessed
They could easily release cloud only versions of everyone of their existing games on Switch just like Capcom did with RE.
Scheduled tweets
analog_future
Resident Crybaby
jm89
Member
They are really playing fire with the CMA. Chris dring tweet pretty much confirms this is what sony and ms talked about today and sony said nah.
mansoor1980
Gold Member
replace money with COD
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Little Chicken
Gold Member
Microsoft have effectively backed Sony and the CMA into a corner - how can anybody argue that the deal going through will lessen competition when CoD would be available to 150 million new users?
Go for it if it's a sure thing.
And especially the first point is extremely concerning relatively to their chances with the CMA.
I thought I read somewhere that other companies attended including nVidia, Google, EA and Sony. Don't know if I misread.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
If this deal approved (a big IF), they are gonna kill Game Pass, isn't it? Nvidia and Game Pass both have ~25 million subscribers. That's really gonna kill Game Pass, especially in the PC space.
I think Microsoft is going full third-party, as I predicted they eventually would, and this is the first step towards that. It is just sooner than I expected.
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
EA would probably love a chance to capitalize on CoD being exclusive to one system. But it'll remain multiplat either way. I doubt they care.
TheGodfather07
Member
Doesn't look like they're willing to go beyond 10 years either, which wasn't good enough for the CMA.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
Read the CMA's documents. They have already essentially discarded this Nintendo deal, so it doesn't really matter. And ABK can bring their own games to Nintendo if they want to -- as they always did before Switch, which is now too underpowered to run current COD games.
This is a nothing burger and not the remedies the CMA asked for.
Pelta88
Member
Little Chicken
Gold Member
Microsoft can and have produced games for other platforms while maintaining a hardware presence, they won't be going full third party.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
NGL some hentai have made this an oddly appealing scenario to see play out
Their deal with GeForce Shield is basically equivalent to their relationship with Steam. Windows Store is a non-starter compared to Steam, so no wonder MS went to Valve to sell wares on their shop. xCloud & Game Pass are a non-starter for cloud gaming on PC compared to GeForce Now, so no wonder MS went to Nvidia for a deal to do cloud gaming through them.
Both are still very PC-centric, which MS doesn't consider a competitor. But it's interesting they haven't made a deal with Valve to put Game Pass & xCloud into Steam. I wonder why
.
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
Buying and stealing are mutually exclusive you know.
DrFigs
Member
I'm not super knowledgable on all this stuff, so correct me if I am wrong. Nvidia only provides streaming for games you already purchased elsewhere, correct? So I don't see how this would kill gamepass, since the appeal to gamepass is that you don't have to purchase full price games. COD would still be sold, as it usually is - so the Nvidia deal doesn't seem to change that. If it was the case that xcloud use was significant for gamepass subscribers, it might hurt them to have these games available on a different cloud platform, but I think it's pretty clear that very few people actually use xcloud.
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Warablo
Member
You think it should be longer? I don't think Microsoft is keen on the idea of becoming a third party publisher full-stop.
I expect the same from Bungie's new IP, PC/Sony exclusive.
Sanepar
Member
The deal is done. EU regulators will approve this bullshit.
Little Chicken
Gold Member
"Smith says, in his view, the UK regulator did not completely shut the door on behavioural remedies rather than structural ones. In other words - he believes there's still wiggle room to get Activision Blizzard King whole."
I wouldn't be so dismissive now that contracts have actually been signed and not just statements of intent.
mansoor1980
Gold Member
NO updates from LULU at all , guess she isnt excited anymore
Banjo64
cumsessed
I think the CMA are going to want an iron clad, all encompassing arrangement that lasts a minimum of 20 years.
Snake29
Banned
Well this will still happen sorry. For the majority of the console market. Only CoD is important over all the other franchises ABK has. The rest is more PC focused in general and won't effect much.
So yes this ABK deal won't do that much in general. MS won't have any unique games but still the same old same old. Reason why Sony is investing heavenly in new fresh studios is to create and have new kinds of IP's. MS is more focused on filling GP and it doesn't matter if the majority is just quantity over quality. Atm, the PS5 is leaving the Xbox behind in sales, they are creating a lot of brand awareness atm and the PSVR2 is a beasts and they are constantly announcing new games for it.
This deal won't be a turnaround for Microsoft. If they are still that bad in managing their own studios, then this won't suddenly change everything. Next CoD will still sell more on PS instead of Xbox.
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FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Sony doesn’t want gamers happy.
Gobjuduck
Banned
Either they hate consolidation at this scale, which is fair. But it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen.
Sony diehards want Xbox to die. Seriously they want Xbox to cease as a brand, and this deal going through would prevent that for a few decades.
Ezekiel_
Banned
As far as I know, GeForce Now only allows games that you already own to be streamed with Nvidia cloud service.
It's not a new storefront.
It is not 'bringing games to new players'.
Those players already own the game.
It also comes with a 10 year time limit. Once that's up, and MS probably hoping the future is cloud based only, then Nvidia will have nothing.
It is therefore meaningless in all this. Smoke and mirrors for appearance. Like their other 10 year deals thrown about.
ToadMan
Member
I guess for MS right now they can afford to say “no way” to divestment right now and see how far the regulators will bend first.
I mean, the regulators are there to protect consumers - but equally they’re not there to simply say “no” to everything.
So while MS is saying “No divestment” right now that can all change. It feels like we’re still just getting PR crap at the moment.
Probably have to wait for the next phase CMA report to actually get something concrete.
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