Support NeoGAF

[Sanepar]

Not these, but others. Sony is in a monopolistic position that is affecting the market. They should be under scrutiny, similar to what happened with Apple and iOS. No reason why they dont allow Xcloud or Gamepass on its platform.
This is like if MS patches W11 to prevent Sony games from running on it.

Wait, what? So MS should allow ps plus on xbox?

 

[Yoboman]

Wait, what? So MS should allow ps plus on xbox?

 

[Hendrick's]

I don't see how any of these companies have a leg to stand on in the non-exclusivity argument when all of them regularly acquire studios. Sony has just done it in smaller pieces over a longer time, coupled with timed exclusives, platform exclusive DLCs and on and on. They didn't get to 80% or whatever MS said it is on accident. The "vertical" argument is also dumb when you consider Apple, Google, Comcast and others have built verticals around platform/distribution/content over the years. Are they going to go back and break all that up?

Hypocrites, the lot of them.

 

[quest]

Wait, what? So MS should allow ps plus on xbox?

Of course they should there be zero reason to get a playstation if everything was on xbox. I sure as shit wouldn't of gotten a ps5 this week if i could get it all on xbox.

 

[delirium trigger]

I know nothing about the legality of it, but it shocks me that they can't buy what they want to pay for.

 

[Kurimao]

When he said "I walk around with the agreement we offered Sony in December" I spilt water on my laptop from laughing so hard. Brad seems too desperate.

Tough crowd and cringy.

 

[dotnotbot]

Did they really expect Microsoft to pay 70 billion and just give away the Call of Duty IP?
Activision with the Call of Duty IP isn't worth 70 billion. Microsoft are overpaying. Activision without the Call of Duty IP is worth a lot lot less.

Microsoft should just forget about Activision and go after another studio... Take-Two?

You mean publisher Take Two with GTA? They've got even bigger games than ABK, no one would allow that deal.

 

[RickMasters]

Did they really expect Microsoft to pay 70 billion and just give away the Call of Duty IP?
Activision with the Call of Duty IP isn't worth 70 billion. Microsoft are overpaying. Activision without the Call of Duty IP is worth a lot lot less.

Microsoft should just forget about Activision and go after another studio... Take-Two?

And go through all of this again over GTA?

 

[RickMasters]

I know nothing about the legality of it, but it shocks me that they can't buy what they want to pay for.

Pretty much my view of things. Ive said it before....If I buy something I expect what im paying for and I wont be told what to do with it....but monoplies and politics and all that, in this case....and a bit of moral grandstanding....sticking it to the trillion dollar company..'the man'...all that malarky. You can buy what you like and nobody will object as long as you are not the big bad trillion dollar company (or the incopmetent third place competitor, depending on who you ask on the GAF) thats the general take I get around here.


I think the average COD fan much like the average sports game fan (they are kind of the same bracket of casuals anyway...only COD has all the Esports pro wannabe aswell as casuals who would not so much as blink another shooter besides maybe fortnight) would not mind just paying a yearly sub that works out to the cost of the delux bundle CODs plus they get access everything else on gamepass..if they can be be bothered to play something else.

 

[RickMasters]

Wait, what? So MS should allow ps plus on xbox?

thats actually not a bad idea ...... Id buy playstation first party games on xbox. Id even pay for second sub to acccess them on xbox. it only needs to include sony first party and second party games.

 

[Topher]

thats actually not a bad idea ...... Id buy playstation first party games on xbox. Id even pay for second sub to acccess them on xbox. it only needs to include sony first party and second party games.

Ya'll are talking about Biblical end time shit happening.....

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

Microsoft is going hard to close this deal. The Nvidia and Nintendo deals somewhat address the CMA's main issues. Not saying that it will be sufficient, but Microsoft is definitely swinging for the fences. If I had to put numbers on it, from the 5% I was at before, I'd probably be between 10 and 15% that this passes with strict behavioral remedies.

 

[RickMasters]

Of course they should there be zero reason to get a playstation if everything was on xbox. I sure as shit wouldn't of gotten a ps5 this week if i could get it all on xbox.

Maybe it can go both ways. a version of GP that includes MS 1st party only games on Ps and a PSN+ sub for xbox that includes ports of spiderman , god of war, returnal gran turismo etc.. they could just port the PC versions to xbox


Not saying either would do this, but I would have no issue if they did. The days of esoteric console hardware are long except for nintendo for the time being. These consoles are already so similar, give or take a few small differences that amount to nothing substantial in the real world. eithers exclusives could run on the other with no compromise....


Shoot....sony could even sell me a PSVR2 for xbox if they really made the effort, to make it for xbox/PC.

 

[drganon]

Phil and company were completely full of shit? Color me surprised.

 

[Yoboman]

thats actually not a bad idea ...... Id buy playstation first party games on xbox. Id even pay for second sub to acccess them on xbox. it only needs to include sony first party and second party games.

Sony offered this same as MS did for Gamepass

Neither accepted

 

[Germuso]

Give a fuck about cod, free raven.

 

[RickMasters]

Ya'll are talking about Biblical end time shit happening.....

Its not that serious. Just talking hypothetically. But If I could buy all games from xbox, sony and nintendo on one console, I would. I dont care enough about one console winning over the other. But id love to have access to all games without having to buy multiple consoles... that idea Seems a bit redudant these days...... We go along with it because of a very old console business model, that we have been conditioned to be used to ( hence all the 'brand loyalty' that gamers tend to exhibit) How long that lasts, well see...... seems like the biz is changing all the time so swho knows what it will look like in 10-15 years.

 

[RickMasters]

Sony offered this same as MS did for Gamepass

Neither accepted

yeah, I know. Id have been cool with it, too! as long as the ports have technical parity with their PS counterparts...of course the same would apply vice versa, so gamers on both sides dont feel cheated, regardless of who's hardware they choose.

 

[lh032]

no shit, the true purpose of this acquisition is removing COD from playstation, why would they give up>?

 

[Baki]

10 years is not enough for the CMA. CMA is suggesting that MS spins off COD into it's own company. The closest thing they could offer is a life-time license. If they're not willing to do that, that signals to the CMA that MS wants the option of making COD exclusive.

 

[RickMasters]

Give a fuck about cod, free raven.

This... also:

reuinite them with their old IPs , hexen and heretic (currently owned by bethesda).... build remasters, sequels on the latest id tech engine,single player first action-fantasy games with light RPG elements........ they could even do a reboot of quake wars in UE5... put all that experience from working on warzone to a more creative effect. make it to the scale of something like battlefield but set in the quake universe. Id play that a tonne!



Thats what I would do if all of this was up to me.

 

[envyzeal]

The mask slipped today. No mention of King, Amazon or Google. Just their usual Sony obsession.

Why don't you turn it around? If the deal fails then MS will need to compete with their own IPs and studios.

Why is it always Sony that needs to compete with their studios? They already have more than enough awards and their console is selling well.

It's MS that needs to catch up. Your lack of confidence is telling.

I play mainly on PlayStation, and to be honest I don’t care much about ATVI, their games I played most are Overwatch and World of Warcraft. But closing this deal means that MS will probably have to stop at that, cause regulators wouldn’t probably allow any other big purchase.
And if the deal doesn’t go through, they’ll have 65b to spend on who knows what.

 

[RickMasters]

no shit, the true purpose of this acquisition is removing COD from playstation, why would they give up>?

And pass up on that juicy PS revenue? I dont think they will remove it. put COD on everything and anything that can run it, much like OG doom or minecraft. This is about money. They dont need it as an exclusive, anyway with everything else they got. COD can go everywhere and serve its intended purpose for MS ( the money it earns, will become theirs) while still not being taken away from anybody .



I just dont see them taking away from platforms, assuming the deal goes through concessions or not. Its been ABKs big earner for years, and it will be MS big earner for years as long as they dont rock the boat, and keep things as far as COD as they are. If anything I expect future sequels of everything else to be exclusive.... (crash, spyro, tony hawks.... and WoW, starcraft, which were never on playstation to begin with so no harm there, MS can do all sorts of things with those IP, and still keep COD on PS, which is obviously what everybody wants. Even Nvidia are getting a cloud version, and the last time they put COD on their ABK removed it themselves... Nintendo are guranateed it for the next ten years...same goes for steam...and beyond that...whos to say COD will even be a game people care about in 10 years time? Other games could come along and steal its spot...halo may find its mojo again....the next big shooter may come along on PC..sony might even have a new bungie GAAS thats available on everything to compete with COD....who knows? but COD is not leaving playsation even when/if MS aquires ABK.

 

[Hendrick's]

no shit, the true purpose of this acquisition is removing COD from playstation, why would they give up>?

They were never going to remove it. Everyone with a brain knows this. They do want to put it on Game Pass, and that is what Sony truly fears.

 

[Three]

yeah, I know. Id have been cool with it, too! as long as the ports have technical parity with their PS counterparts...of course the same would apply vice versa, so gamers on both sides dont feel cheated, regardless of who's hardware they choose.

In my eyes this only leads to stagnation and kills innovation. Games aren't like movies where the device doesn't matter. In gaming often you might choose hardware because it does something more or new. An independent publisher is more likely to support things that are against parity of features, like VR support or better graphics/features on a more capable machine. Having technical parity and features isn't always the best thing if it means no support for hardware specific features/innovations. The best thing for that is independence and consumer choice.

 

[Smoke6]

Ah, Jimbo still wants the regulators to give it to him for free. I don't think Sony's strategy of using Government agencies to do its business negotiations is going to get the results it wants.

Well why not try? Hell look what MS did just to get MLB the show in game pass! They went and cried instead of getting a studio to make their own baseball game or sports genres! Fuck it! Let’s throw our wallets at them mentality is really boring and flat out cocky!

 

[lh032]

They were never going to remove it. Everyone with a brain knows this. They do want to put it on Game Pass, and that is what Sony truly fears.

Gamepass on Playstation or remove COD, either way its going to affect Sony the most.

 

[lh032]

And pass up on that juicy PS revenue? I dont think they will remove it. put COD on everything and anything that can run it, much like OG doom or minecraft. This is about money. They dont need it as an exclusive, anyway with everything else they got. COD can go everywhere and serve its intended purpose for MS ( the money it earns, will become theirs) while still not being taken away from anybody .



I just dont see them taking away from platforms, assuming the deal goes through concessions or not. Its been ABKs big earner for years, and it will be MS big earner for years as long as they dont rock the boat, and keep things as far as COD as they are. If anything I expect future sequels of everything else to be exclusive.... (crash, spyro, tony hawks.... and WoW, starcraft, which were never on playstation to begin with so no harm there, MS can do all sorts of things with those IP, and still keep COD on PS, which is obviously what everybody wants. Even Nvidia are getting a cloud version, and the last time they put COD on their ABK removed it themselves... Nintendo are guranateed it for the next ten years...same goes for steam...and beyond that...whos to say COD will even be a game people care about in 10 years time? Other games could come along and steal its spot...halo may find its mojo again....the next big shooter may come along on PC..sony might even have a new bungie GAAS thats available on everything to compete with COD....who knows? but COD is not leaving playsation even when/if MS aquires ABK.

Microsft has plenty of money, they willing to lose hundred of millions profit just to expand their Xbox market share.

 

[Baki]

No shit. It's always been about COD.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

10 years is not enough for the CMA. CMA is suggesting that MS spins off COD into it's own company. The closest thing they could offer is a life-time license. If they're not willing to do that, that signals to the CMA that MS wants the option of making COD exclusive.

You simply can't do a lifetime contract

 

[Smoke6]

And pass up on that juicy PS revenue? I dont think they will remove it. put COD on everything and anything that can run it, much like OG doom or minecraft. This is about money. They dont need it as an exclusive, anyway with everything else they got. COD can go everywhere and serve its intended purpose for MS ( the money it earns, will become theirs) while still not being taken away from anybody .



I just dont see them taking away from platforms, assuming the deal goes through concessions or not. Its been ABKs big earner for years, and it will be MS big earner for years as long as they dont rock the boat, and keep things as far as COD as they are. If anything I expect future sequels of everything else to be exclusive.... (crash, spyro, tony hawks.... and WoW, starcraft, which were never on playstation to begin with so no harm there, MS can do all sorts of things with those IP, and still keep COD on PS, which is obviously what everybody wants. Even Nvidia are getting a cloud version, and the last time they put COD on their ABK removed it themselves... Nintendo are guranateed it for the next ten years...same goes for steam...and beyond that...whos to say COD will even be a game people care about in 10 years time? Other games could come along and steal its spot...halo may find its mojo again....the next big shooter may come along on PC..sony might even have a new bungie GAAS thats available on everything to compete with COD....who knows? but COD is not leaving playsation even when/if MS aquires ABK.

Then why go so hard to have them sign an agreement if that’s been the case this whole time? To show the CMA they mean it? If so then why out a time limit on it?

Do they really think COD will close the GAP?

No?

They need that revenue and to recoup $70b for one IP is insane even when you think about the overhead involved going forward just to put this game on game pass for $10 or less in some cases is just insane!

I believe at that point that price increase is gonna show its face and subs start dropping! To me it’s not worth it when they could have gotten the same exclusive deals they normally give out!

 

[Victor Omega]

Lol wut? I thought we were passed all this? Receipt signed, money transferred, blood oath ritual... Unified.

Microsoft has been running around the gaming industry making deals and promises with a deal they haven't been able to finalize.

This shit is crazy....

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

What exactly is preventing ABK from reaching those 150m people today?

Does he mean Nintendo? Who are they trying to convince us they’re trying to save here?

Nintendo and GeForce Now which has over 25 mil users. Microsoft signed deals with both today to bring COD to Nintendo and all Xbox games to GFN.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

Lol smh can't wait until this is all over

You gonna be waiting till June or longer, better put your seatbelt on shits about to get crazy.

 

[SplunkyMunkey]

Nintendo and GeForce Now which has over 25 mil users. Microsoft signed deals with both today to bring COD to Nintendo and all Xbox games to GFN.

They could still say no. Like others said Activision doesn't need Microsoft to do that they could of done that anyways

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

What's the likely hood this deal will happen?

Seems very likely with concessions but it does seem MS does not want divestiture of call of duty perhaps none at all. Makes sense why buy Activision without COD? Most Activision studios are COD studios.

 

[PendekarRajawali]

What Sony thought MS wants:

What MS actually wants:

 

[geary]

Do a lifetime contract and then change the name of CoD, meaning a differend brand an licence not under the scope of the contract…smart business

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

Lol wut? I thought we were passed all this? Receipt signed, money transferred, blood oath ritual... Unified.

Microsoft has been running around the gaming industry making deals and promises with a deal they haven't been able to finalize.

This shit is crazy....

The expected clear date was June 2023. There's still a lot to go.

 

[GHG]

Do a lifetime contract and then change the name of CoD, meaning a differend brand an licence not under the scope of the contract…smart business

Intentional (and spiteful) IP destruction is the dumbest thing you could possibly do, especially after spending the amount of money they would have done to acquire it.

So no.

 

[Baki]

You simply can't do a lifetime contract

Which is why CMA prefers a structural remedy (divestment).

 

[dotnotbot]

Where is a contract with Amazon Luna? Maybe they also said no but that would interfere with Microsoft trying to paint Sony as the only one being stubborn and against the deal so they're not mentioning it.

 

[Topher]

Do a lifetime contract and then change the name of CoD, meaning a differend brand an licence not under the scope of the contract…smart business

GHG is correct. But even from aside from destroying your own IP, you've just shown the world your corporation has no integrity. That is not "smart business"

 

[geary]

I forgot the /s at the end…Thought it was obvious.
Of course destroying a 20+ year IP is not smart business

 

[SneakersSO]

Oh, btw thicc_girls_are_teh_best , based on all the platform sales splits MS divulged today, the total sales of Xbox Series (S & X) is now firmly in the 14m range. With Sony at over 30m, this means Sony is already past 2:1 ratio and growing. Just thought i'd share that.

 

[demigod]

Oh, btw thicc_girls_are_teh_best , based on all the platform sales splits MS divulged today, the total sales of Xbox Series (S & X) is now firmly in the 14m range. With Sony at over 30m, this means Sony is already past 2:1 ratio and growing. Just thought i'd share that.

14m? That can’t be right. Didn’t all the ANALysts say they were at least 12m last year? Didn’t ms come out and say launch aligned it’s the fastest selling xbox? So did they lie before or lying now?

 

[ZehDon]

Well why not try? Hell look what MS did just to get MLB the show in game pass! They went and cried instead of getting a studio to make their own baseball game or sports genres! Fuck it! Let’s throw our wallets at them mentality is really boring and flat out cocky!

Well, without the exclusive MLB license, they couldn't create their own MLB baseball game. This is why MLB The Show is on Xbox: either they released it on Xbox to maximise sales, or, they lost the exclusive license.

And Sony is welcome to try and use the Government agencies to do its business negotiations for it. However, if it goes wrong, they're at the mercy of Microsoft - and the regulators won't help them. Sony needs to prove their claims, or any agency decision based on Sony's lobbying will be thrown out pretty quickly on appeal. And in that scenario, Microsoft holds all the cards. Based on the recent subpoenas, it seems Sony legitimately thought they wouldn't have to provide evidence for their claims - which goes some way to explain the insane claims Sony made to the regulators ("without Call of Duty, the Sony Corporation will be foreclosed by Microsoft"). Now that it's come time to put up or shut up, Sony is begging for more time. They'd better have some incredible paperwork, or Papa Jimbo's gameplan may well backfire. Jimbo and co is either three steps ahead, or twelve steps behind.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

We always knew COD was the real reason for the AB purchase.

This.

Finally they revealed the truth we all already knew but "don't worry, we have no plans to make COD exclusive, we want to bring our games to all platforms and we only spend billions just for pleasure of gamers"

Come on, just stop lying Phil-is-your-buddy-4-ever, it's not that hard.

 

[Kerotan]

They basically wanted to buy call of duty because they know they can't catch PlayStation without it..

The fact Sony were offered 10 year's of cod will bode well for Sony. They'll probably end up getting it permanently.

 

[Yoboman]

This... also:

reuinite them with their old IPs , hexen and heretic (currently owned by bethesda).... build remasters, sequels on the latest id tech engine,single player first action-fantasy games with light RPG elements........ they could even do a reboot of quake wars in UE5... put all that experience from working on warzone to a more creative effect. make it to the scale of something like battlefield but set in the quake universe. Id play that a tonne!



Thats what I would do if all of this was up to me.

No devs are getting moved off COD. Those dormant IPs will remain dormant.

In fact COD will probably need even more support as it keeps growing and now adding Switch support and streaming

Don't be shocked when iD Software and MachineGames are new COD support studios in five years if the deal goes through