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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The Pleasure said:
Are you an alt, astroturf or a voost? I can't tell with your post history.
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I post when and where i care, and you care enough to quote me but without bring anything useful to the conversation, try harder
Elios83 said:
Lol at all these "neo" members or dormant accounts that suddenly become super active in specific threads defending MS.
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Sure what's the problem with these neo members? better be an old member and keep lolling at anything I disagree!
 
activision-blizzard-acquisition-could-be-approved-by-ftc-with-concessions-report.webp


​


The UK CMA has issued an update on its provisional findings in its assessment of Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Although the update is provisional, the UK CMA has said that "the CMA inquiry group has updated its provisional findings and reached the provisional conclusion that, overall, the transaction will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK. To many, this will be deemed a major step closer towards closing the proposed acquisition.

The UK CMA will report its final report on April 26, 2023.

Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel of experts conducting this investigation, said:

Provisional findings are a key aspect of the merger process and are explicitly designed to give the businesses involved, and any interested third parties, the chance to respond with new evidence before we make a final decision.

Having considered the additional evidence provided, we have now provisionally concluded that the merger will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services because the cost to Microsoft of withholding Call of Duty from PlayStation would outweigh any gains from taking such action.

Our provisional view that this deal raises concerns in the cloud gaming market is not affected by today's announcement. Our investigation remains on course for completion by the end of April.

You can read the full report here.
 
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ChuckeRearmed said:
They literally continued to support Minecraft and released games related to that IP on Playstation.
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Games already released and future games are separate. MS told the EC when buying Bethesda there was no incentive to not release future games on Playstation [that was a lie]. The EC did say it was not a determining factor to allow the sale but it will be interesting when COD leaves Playstation in 2027 and we'll all roll our eyes and say we knew this would happen. This pathetic acquisition war will have continued and done serious harm by then. Good luck to MS and congrats on the purchase.
 
graywolf323 said:
yep this is honestly the worst possible outcome for gaming IMO, the fact MS somehow got this through with only behavior remedies? will the people cheering this eat crow when the slippery slope ends up being true?

Friday Movie GIF


probably not because they only care about GamePass and not having to buy games
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Yeah, those in favor of this acquisition are blinded by the short-sighted benefits. When Sony retaliates and buy IPs, and Amazon joins the party and buys IPs to lock behind Amazon Luna, it'll be horrible.

And what if Tencent comes in, buys Embracer and Kadokawa, introduces a gaming console, and locks all of those IPs and studios to that console ...

There are many awful scenarios that can play out after this.
 
StueyDuck said:
Pretty sure it's more like MS is gonna get more aggressive with buying all the publishers.

They got away with buying the biggest publisher of all time. Precedent is set and MS can do anything the want now.

My advice to all gamers is enjoy the next few years while gaming is still gaming till it becomes She-hulks and Thor love n thunders. This is the route it's going and what happens when one entity owns everything.
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After getting Zenimax and Activision, no regulator will allow MS to buy another big publisher.
 
We remain of the view that console providers, including Microsoft, place
significant value in having exclusive content to differentiate their platform and
attract more users. Most first-party Xbox and PlayStation games are exclusive
to their respective platform, and almost every studio that Microsoft has bought
now makes games exclusive to Xbox. Moreover, where Microsoft has seen
value in making multiplatform third-party studio games exclusive to Xbox, it
has done so (eg, the upcoming release in the Redfall franchise following the
Bethesda acquisition).
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We consider, however, that the financial and strategic calculation of creating
new exclusive games for Xbox may be different from that of making CoD
exclusive to Xbox: making an existing multiplatform gaming franchise
exclusive leads to quantifiable losses (ie, lost revenues from customers on
other platforms), which have to be weighed against uncertain gains (ie,
increased revenues from new Xbox customers). Moreover, in this case, at
least part of CoD's value comes from the size of its community of gamers, and
that would be eroded by removing it from PlayStation. By contrast, making
new gaming IP available on other platforms has some costs associated with it
(eg, optimizing for a different OS and possible diversion of users to a rival
console) and leads to uncertain gains. We consider that these differences
could reasonably lead Microsoft to make a different strategic decision in
relation to new releases of CoD than it has done in relation to entirely new
games generated after previous acquisitions, especially in light of the
significant quantifiable losses suggested by the revised LTV model.
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Elder Scrolls?
 
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Kilau said:
Does the 10 year agreement specify yearly CoD or just 10 years of Warzone? :messenger_grinning_smiling:
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I'd say they will have PS5 versions (playable on PS6) when they have the NeXtbox versions. And I can see a few years waits on the yearly releases while the free to play runs out the clock.
 
The market is now pricing in the deal being very likely to go through. Looks done.

The FTC might be swimming naked now.
 
Punished Miku said:
The only way it would make any sense is if GP subs hit Netflix levels around 200 million. Otherwise they just don't gain anything from it.

What they want is MS gaming division to be fully self-sufficient during this long decade of growth / cloud transition. They're fine letting PS gamers buy COD. There are lots of other games to play and they don't want to do a single thing to disrupt players who enjoy buying that every year. It's just not going to happen.

And after all this public scrutiny, it's just virtually impossible. Meet you back here in 2033 for the "I told you so."
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Again.. there is no 10 year anything right now ... sony didnt signed the deal and we dont know if remedies will be applied in the final decision ... so we may discover this much faster than 10 years ... and you dont have to tell me I told you so.. Im already said it ill eat the crow medium rare
 
graywolf323 said:
I mean I have mine through 2024 right now and I'll stock up next time there's a sale on cards (though there wasn't one this past Black Friday IIRC?)
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There was. I get six months on Prime Day and then another six on Black Friday. NewEgg also regularly has the Black Friday price on their daily coupon and if they do that I'll grab one and save it until I can stack again.
 
Draugoth said:
Having considered the additional evidence provided, we have now provisionally concluded that the merger will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services because the cost to Microsoft of withholding Call of Duty from PlayStation would outweigh any gains from taking such action.
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Amazing they think that the Xbox division is run like a normal for profit corporation. I guess we'll find out in 10 years. By then Xbox will prob have embraced an all cloud future.
 
ManaByte said:
There was. I get six months on Prime Day and then another six on Black Friday. NewEgg also regularly has the Black Friday price on their daily coupon and if they do that I'll grab one and save it until I can stack again.
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I must have missed that, the last time I stocked up was when Target had 3 months GPU for half price
 
Expected really. The CMA's original objections were bizarre. Great to see that the CMA exercising reason and actually investigating all sides of the merger.
 
Bernardougf said:
Again.. there is no 10 year anything right now ... sony didnt signed the deal and we dont know if remedies will be applied in the final decision ... so we may discover this much faster than 10 years ... and you dont have to tell me I told you so.. Im already said it ill eat the crow medium rare
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If you read the document the "headline" statement is on the basis of Microsoft following through with the offers and contracts that have led to this.

Good luck to them if they suddenly decide to take everything off the table.

balls of snow said:
Acquisition wars will begin in full now.
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Yep, unfortunately.
 
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ManaByte said:
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1003-CUSA00132_00-MASEFULL00000000
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great, so we'll definitely see Microsoft release Elder Scrolls VI on PS5 right? I mean c'mon dude you know what we we're referencing and it isn't the MMOs

GHG said:
If you read the document the "headline" statement is on the basis of Microsoft following through with the offers and contracts that have led to this.

Good luck to them if they suddenly decide to take everything off the table.
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they'll just wait until after it's closed just like they did with Zenimax when before the acquisition completed it was all vague statements about not taking games away from others & "case by case" basis then as soon as it was through bam everything's exclusive

then we'll go through all again with the next publisher Microsoft announces their buying but after CMA rolled over like this I don't think anyone will have any faith that an acquisition spree isn't coming

edit: seems Andodalf Andodalf has taken up Ezekiel's mantle from the other side, I mean I get why Airbus Jr & Ezekiel were banned because they were trolls but how have some of the others survived?
 
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