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

Do you believe the deal will be approved?

  • Yes, will be approved without changes.

    Votes: 221 24.9%

  • Yes, will be approved but with structural changes to ABK.

    Votes: 102 11.5%

  • Yes, will be approved but only with behavioral concessions.

    Votes: 262 29.6%

  • No, will not be approved.

    Votes: 301 34.0%
  • Total voters
    886
  • Poll closed .
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I am not sure why some folks are running with "unknown" company considering it was mentioned by CMA itself. It is small for sure, but it was one of concerns.
Hendrick's said:
There is going to be a whole lot of crow eating and cope once this deal goes through. I'm already getting my gifs ready.
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Oh for sure. We already see that little by little - rhetoric from some folks is becoming more and more aggressive and nonsensical.
 
DenchDeckard said:
No you are right, on Forspoken, deathloop and ghostwire tokyo...I did not see your post. New IP is different and I do understand the reason for marketing activities on those smaller riskier games. I would say things like High on life as a comparison and not titles from over 12 to 15 years ago such as Mass Effect and dead rising though.
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I know you're out of this thread already but again Dead Rising 4 is 2016. That's not 12 to 15yrs ago. Don't arbitrarily double the number of years just so you can exclude things. Doesn't help when you have no problem with psygnosis from 30yrs ago and 2016 games like SFV on the other side either.
 
Topher said:
Very well may be the case, but changing your location on twitter so Microsoft can brag about a "victory for Ukraine" is shady bullshit. Beyond that, Microsoft trying to capitalize on a war for their own petty purposes is just absurd.

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The CEO has now changed his LinkedIn page to state Ukraine as his location. I didn't screenshot it earlier but don't worry, Google still remembers:

S0W3R1F.jpg


7OdNMuw.jpg


Absolutely insane.
 
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Helghan said:
Because that's not what's happening, but I can imagine that these crazy console warrior theories can get people to actually think that.
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So why are they mentioning Ukraine? Why say this:

"This agreement is a victory not just for gamers and for regulators who want to ensure broad access to Call of Duty. It's a victory for Ukraine and the many talented software developers who work there."

Why say victory if you're not trying to tie it to the war in Ukraine?
 
ChuckeRearmed said:
I am not sure why some folks are running with "unknown" company considering it was mentioned by CMA itself. It is small for sure, but it was one of concerns.
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Yes they were listed as follows:

9FJL1nd.jpg


But what the document doesn't state is that they should attempt to politicise things should they manage to strike a deal with any of the companies listed as examples by the CMA.
 
This comment is going to age like a milk if this deal fails.
I was so close, yet so far.
feynoob said:
  1. There several key points I want to highlight about this deal.
    1. Activision put themselves for sale. MS approached, but were rejected. They went to facebook, instead. Facebook rejected Activision deal. Activision went back to MS, and the sale happened.
    2. This wasnt a hostile takeover. This was a business that was up for sale, and anyone could have made the sale.
    3. Same thing happened to Bethesda. Bethesda were up for sale. MS bought them. There was no hostile take over.
    4. As such, both deals werent done by MS big money, in order to hurt the competition. They were companies who were on the market, and MS had the means to buy them.
  2. B:
    1. Activision deal isnt just about COD, like people here make it out to be. Its about 3 division of activision.
    2. 1A: Activison with COD, and other IPs
    3. 1B: Blizzard, which opens the windows store for PC player through WOW, and battlenet integregation with windows store.
    4. 1C: King with candy crush, and COD mobile. This opens the door for MS to open Mobile store, by utilizing King, and in hopes of porting their games to mobile through King.
  3. This deal wont hurt Sony, as COD needs playerbase. By excluding PS users, MS is essentially undercutting COD growth. There is also the fact, that MS has tons of FPS shooters, which would also hurt COD revenue on Xbox. Hence, why MS wont remove the game from PS.
  4. This deal wont give MS leverage through cloud gaming. Cloud gaming is early experiment. It needs time, and tools to replace the traditional consoles. There are major players in cloud gaming. Players such as,
    1. 4A: Amazon with luna.
    2. 4B: Sony with PS Now, or as we call it now PS+ premium. Which includes a high catelog of library, which are much bigger than MS own cloud gaming library.
    3. 4C: Geforce, which offers the ability to play owned games on their service.
    4. As such, Activision purchase wont hurt the competition in this avenue.

Would this deal pass?
Yes, it would, since there are no major problems with this acquision.
MS/Xbox is last in console race in term of userbase, sold hardware, and 2nd in term of revenue. While MS has enermous amount of money under their belt, this acquision wont put them in advantage mode, due to userbase not being enough. Currently, Xbox has half of PS userbase, and 75% of nintendo userbase.

While this deal wont be a problem, there are future problems if this deal is passed, which would put MS in anti competitive range, should they acquire publishers like EA and take 2. If this happens, MS should face the scrunity for monopolistic tactic, as those publishers would give them alot of advantages.
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IFireflyl said:
You seem to be under the impression that everyone who is against this acquisition would change their minds if it was Sony that was doing the acquisition. People like Topher Topher and myself have made it very clear that this isn't a Microsoft vs. Sony argument that we're making. We are against consolidation of large publishers by mega corporations. Period. If Microsoft or Sony want to acquire a small start-up and make that studio grow under its leadership, that's fine by me. (Note: I am not speaking for Topher Topher on this point as this is just my own opinion.) The issue is the market leaders buying up traditionally multi-platform publishers in order to foreclose and make these titles, in full or in part, exclusive to their console. That's not okay, and nobody should feel good about that.
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Cats out of the bag for smaller pub acquisition because of the Bethesda acquisition by MS. I think it's fair and even healthy for PS to acquire a publisher that will address the games that PS users will miss out on due to MS spending spree.


Mibu no ookami said:
Kojima doesn't want to sell, FromSoftware is VERY risky, Larian, Remedy, and IO are kind of suspect buys to be honest.

CDPR and Capcom are the best smaller purchases money can buy.

T2 is the biggest bet but also the best bet. Zynga, Rockstar, and 2K Sports... If you never bought another company again, you'd be fine.

CDPR makes a ton of sense, though finding the right value for the company would be difficult, especially after an exodus of talent.

Capcom is the best studio in Japan right now. Street Fighter is as popular as its ever been and so is Resident Evil and Monster Hunter. I think Mega Man is ripe for a reboot, one that I think Insomnaic would knock out of the park. Capcom checks off A LOT of boxes and is probably the best buy from a cost-variety perspective. If you're Sony, partnering them up with Bluepoint and Insomniac makes a lot of sense. Makes sense for PSVR too.
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From has a 10 year track record of excellence and officially has the highest selling Japanese 3rd party title ever. From is the least risky buy for Sony.

CPDR value is inflated by being on a low volume stock exchange (Polish exchange) and therefore their stock value is not representative of their actual price (basically, if they wanted to sell 100% of their shares today, you're not going to find a buyer at that price). They do $200m revenue but are valued at $3B. Insane. They know it and that's why they're not trading on NASDAQ.
 
Ewwwww. Them using the situation in Ukraine as a win for gamers is absolutely vile.

Which daft cunt in MS thought this was a good idea. Even worse it being located in Romania but suddenly changed to Ukraine so it's massive win and makes MS the "good guys".

Hopefully someone calls out both companies for being so trashy. But I very much doubt it.
 
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FUBARx89 said:
Ewwwww. Them using the situation in Ukraine as a win for gamers is absolutely vile.

Which daft cunt in MS thought this was a good idea. Even worse it being located in Romania but suddenly changed to be a massive win.

Hopefully someone calls out both companies for being so trashy. But I very much doubt it.
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Let's all ignore the Tweet from a Ukrainian government official and just pretend MS is making all this up.
 
FUBARx89 said:
Ewwwww. Them using the situation in Ukraine as a win for gamers is absolutely vile.

Which daft cunt in MS thought this was a good idea. Even worse it being located in Romania but suddenly changed to be a massive win.
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Corporation don't give a crap about people. They are profits before morality.
This is extra points for them, and dumb people eat up this shit like they always do.
 
splattered said:
I don't know, none of us do... maybe they were already in the process of this logistical move when the deal went down with Microsoft. Coincidences do exist. Everyone jumping to conclusions here imo.
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Just in time for Brad Smith to call it a "victory for Ukraine"? That's one hell of a coincidence.

Ostrich Avestruz GIF by Amnistía Internacional España
 
feynoob said:
Corporation don't give a crap about people. They are profits before morality.
This is extra points for them, and dumb people eat up this shit like they always do.
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I know that, but it's vile they're using a war to score prop points to try get a struggling deal through.

I hope the CMA calls them out on it, I would imagine the CMA knew exactly where Boosteroid operated from and will see right through this cynical display.

Makes you think aswell, did they help out GSC Game World when the war broke out since they're working on a (timed?) exclusive for xbox.
 
FUBARx89 said:
I know that, but it's vile they're using a war to score prop points to try get a struggling deal through.

I hope the CMA calls them out on it, I would imagine the CMA knew exactly where Boosteroid operated from and will see right through this cynical display.
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CMA isn't going to call them for these actions. They only care what happens in their country.


FUBARx89 said:
Makes you think aswell, did they help out GSC Game World when the war broke out since they're working on a (timed?) exclusive for xbox.
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I haven't been following that situation.
Last thing I heard was that they relocated to another country.
 
Think I'm going to take this opportunity to make use of the ads on show at the moment:

ulGwur3.jpg


And when I get home to my wife I will declare the following:

"It's a victory for Ukraine and the many talented women who work there."

For that reason alone, she will understand, all will be forgiven.
 
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GHG said:
Think I'm going to take this opportunity to make use of the ads on show at the moment:

ulGwur3.jpg


And when I get home to my wife I will declare the following:

"It's a victory for Ukraine and the many talented women who work there."

For that reason alone, she will understand, all will be forgiven.
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JmhlaWdodD0zNTY
 
GHG said:
Think I'm going to take this opportunity to make use of the ads on show at the moment:

ulGwur3.jpg


And when I get home to my wife I will declare the following:

"It's a victory for Ukraine and the many talented women who work there."

For that reason alone, she will understand, all will be forgiven.
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bugs bunny massage GIF


Happy Ending !!!!
 
DarkMage619 said:
Not every game is guaranteed to every platform. Xbox gamers miss out on multi-platform games regularly. It happens in business. The fact that MS puts some of their first party titles on non-Xbox platforms should be something regulators look at too. They have hardly been the platform about exclusives and the numbers prove that. This is especially true when every game they make hits PC day and date. Looks like you choose to not see some things too.
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Yes Minecraft is the precedent here, a massive online game that MS kept multiplatform and expanded just like they will with Call Of Duty. They did this without any interference.
Also as for Bethesda Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online have been the same, supported fully on competitors platforms.
Call Of Duty is an online experience and these are the games it should be compared to by the regulator.
 
GHG said:
Think I'm going to take this opportunity to make use of the ads on show at the moment:

ulGwur3.jpg


And when I get home to my wife I will declare the following:

"It's a victory for Ukraine and the many talented women who work there."

For that reason alone, she will understand, all will be forgiven.
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Do they offer relief massage?
Just Asking GIF by ABC Network
 
GHG said:
I absolutely love how the gaming media have reported on that Boosteroid deal without even doing the slightest bit of investigative journalism.

We don't have journalists working in the games industry, all we have are a bunch of obedient lapdogs.
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You should check out the mainstream media sometimes... It's really ugly out there for all journalism these days.
 
It's pretty disgusting Microsoft using the Ukraine/Russia War to posture for this deal going through, but the CMA did name boosteroid as a smaller cloud gaming rival... and Microsoft is directly addressing that by giving them a deal. Supposedly more deals are coming.

Pumping up those RCB's to avoid prohibition or divesture. Who knows if it'll pay off. Only around a month til we know for sure.
 
Riky said:
Yes Minecraft is the precedent here, a massive online game that MS kept multiplatform and expanded just like they will with Call Of Duty. They did this without any interference.
Also as for Bethesda Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online have been the same, supported fully on competitors platforms.
Call Of Duty is an online experience and these are the games it should be compared to by the regulator.
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It's still a "trust us bro". 2024 will be 10 years since Mojang acquisition. None of us knows what was the acquisition terms.
 
Riky said:
Yes Minecraft is the precedent here, a massive online game that MS kept multiplatform and expanded just like they will with Call Of Duty. They did this without any interference.
Also as for Bethesda Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online have been the same, supported fully on competitors platforms.
Call Of Duty is an online experience and these are the games it should be compared to by the regulator.
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Is Redfall not an online game?
 
GHG said:
The CEO has now changed his LinkedIn page to state Ukraine as his location. I didn't screenshot it earlier but don't worry, Google still remembers:

Absolutely insane.
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Call me a conspiracy theorist if need be.

But given how quickly issues discovered by members here, and on era, are addressed by both Sony and Microsoft... I wouldn't be surprised if they follow these threads, post by post.
 
Three said:
So we're going with a quest, Forespoken, Ghostwire and theoretical showcases but fail to mention that there was just an xbox specific Paradox Interactive showcase with announced third party exclusives? Why do you only see it on one
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GHG said:
I'm just waiting for the Mexican drug cartels to get involved at this stage.

steve-ballmer-microsoft.gif
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Well, to the cartel's credit they did turn in those members that killed those poor people a few weeks ago with a note, and the weapons used. They should totally get a COD deal. LOl I kid!
Heisenberg007 said:
Is Redfall not an online game?
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Yes, but it is a new IP therefore is xbox ecosystem exclusive.
 
POKEYCLYDE said:
but the CMA did name boosteroid as a smaller cloud gaming rival... and Microsoft is directly addressing that by giving them a deal. Supposedly more deals are coming.
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Context is important here.
  • The CMA named 4 main companies in the UK cloud gaming market: Nvidia, xCloud, Amazon Luna, and PS Plus.
  • It then mentioned Stadia separately, which has been closed.
  • Then the CMA named "several other providers" for which it does not "consider the strengths or position in the market in detail," because those aren't big enough. Those providers are listed as:
    • Tencent -- its cloud "initiatives have been small and focused on the PRC."
    • Shadow -- "we understand it to be a very small competitor."
    • Meta -- Meta "has a small presence in gaming."
    • Nintendo -- Offers a "very limited cloud gaming service."
    • Antstream Arcade -- "Given it focuses on much older, niche content, we do not consider it as a competitor in the market for cloud gaming services offering the latest high-performance games."
    • Others.
      • The CMA mentions Boosteroid here, in this 'Others' category of small providers that it does not even consider competitors. "These providers are likely to be much smaller and are therefore not considered in detail."
And here is how the market share looks like among the 4 main competitors:

Xpp7HUr.jpg


If Amazon Luna, one of the 4 main competitors, has between 0-5% market share, one can imagine the market share of Boosteroid that could only make the 'Others' category of lesser-known Cloud gaming providers.
 
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