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 .
Status
Not open for further replies.
Dick Jones said:
I think that there is a PS5 version and it will jave parity with Xbox Series X. Another version will be Next Xbox only. Since COD can play on PS5 and has parity, have they lied to the CMA?
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They've promised parity for the next 10 years at least, unless there is no PS6 in the next 10 years, I don't see why they would skip the PS6 version.
 
HerpDerpstreit said:
I agree that GFWL was a trainwreck. Let's not pretend that always online DRM isn't used by every company out there though. Perhaps not with every title but it is utilized. Gran Turismo 7 comes to mind most recently from Sony.
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That was required by the FIA license for sponsored tournaments that carry massive prize money and possible drivers going pro rewards. They would have to have two different versions of a game which is not feasible otherwise, since single player tuning can be interconnected with the online Sports mode.

But yes, online DRM nonetheless. Just like Game Pass/PS+, the ultimate online DRM.
 
HerpDerpstreit said:
I agree that GFWL was a trainwreck. Let's not pretend that always online DRM isn't used by every company out there though. Perhaps not with every title but it is utilized. Gran Turismo 7 comes to mind most recently from Sony.
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It's used on a per-game basis, not at a system level. There's a huge difference and everyone knows it.

It baffles me that still after all this time people want to try and rewrite history and tell us that an always online console was going to be good for consumers and the industry overall.
 
Banjo64 said:
The regulators agree after reviewing thousands of internal documents submitted by the involved parties and by speaking to third parties over a period of 9 months (in the CMA's case). I don't think you can compare that to 'having an ounce of business sense'.



The market share in the UK is nearly 50/50 in respect of PS and Xbox and has straddled that line since the 360 gen. I'm sure being from the UK you yourself know that very well.

I fail to see how this deal needed to happen when Microsoft already own more studios than PS or Nintendo and own the franchises and studios behind Fallout, TES and Doom. I think what you're saying is that this deal is needed so Microsoft can win, not compete.
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Due diligence and process, didn't mean it's not obvious from the start, which it was.
I don't think this deal even puts Microsoft into second place, so yes it was needed to increase competition.
With the deals already signed more gamers will have access to Call Of Duty than ever before, that's great for everyone. I'll be very interested in a Switch 2 now it will have Call Of Duty.

SenjutsuSage SenjutsuSage hope you cash in!
 
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DeepEnigma said:
That was required by the FIA license for sponsored tournaments that carry massive prize money and possible drivers going pro rewards. They would have to have two different versions of a game which is not feasible otherwise, since single player tuning can be interconnected with the online Sports mode.

But yes, online DRM nonetheless. Just like Game Pass/PS+, the ultimate online DRM.
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They already alienated some of the fan/player base with GT Sport. IMO they already had two versions of the game. In fact they have done that since GT2 I believe, there was the arcade disc and the simulation disc. Keep the Sport moniker for the official FIA esports stuff, keep the numbered entries for the car lovers that don't get sweaty af over thousands of a second improvements in lap times.
 
Hey I found a beta screen shot of "PARITY" COD on PS6!


wgRsyMj.jpg




:messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
HerpDerpstreit said:
They already alienated some of the fan/player base with GT Sport. IMO they already had two versions of the game. In fact they have done that since GT2 I believe, there was the arcade disc and the simulation disc. Keep the Sport moniker for the official FIA esports stuff, keep the numbered entries for the car lovers that don't get sweaty af over thousands of a second improvements in lap times.
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Games take too long to build in current year now. Separate games would kill the pipeline, especially with focus to where to put your resources based on popularity, etc..
 
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adamsapple said:
They've promised parity for the next 10 years at least, unless there is no PS6 in the next 10 years, I don't see why they would skip the PS6 version.
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The Playstation version will have parity but MS will use a loophole here and claim the playstation version can play on the latest system (PS6) and it has parity with one of Xbox's versions.

They also claimed a native Nintendo Switch version. 😂 They haven't seen the source code but can somehow promise that.
 
Yeah well, I refuse to believe that it passed without some "sponsorship", I like Xbox, but same Nvidia, this sort of purchases should be banned. I mean FTC could cuck it, but than again, it is USA firm, doing shitton for government itself. So I doubt that this "too big to fail" wouldn't not be in effect again, like with Boeing.
 
Riky said:
Due diligence and process, didn't mean it's not obvious from the start, which it was.
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You thought it was obvious from the start that Microsoft would need to offer 10 year Call of Duty contracts to every 2 bit cloud gaming provider, Nvidia, Nintendo and Sony to off-set regulator concerns!? Impressive.

Riky said:
With the deals already signed more gamers will have access to Call Of Duty than ever before, that's great for everyone. I'll be very interested in a Switch 2 now it will have Call Of Duty.
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… for 10 years. And then they can lock you in to their walled garden on a whim.
 
Dick Jones said:
The Playstation version will have parity but MS will use a loophole here and claim the playstation version can play on the latest system (PS6) and it has parity with one of Xbox's versions.

They also claimed a native Nintendo Switch version. 😂 They haven't seen the source code but can somehow promise that.
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I think you're just being negative for the sake of it, but let's see. Technical parity directly implies there won't be a BC-only scenario.
 
adamsapple said:
I think you're just being negative for the sake of it, but let's see. Technical parity directly implies there won't be a BC-only scenario.
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I'm being realistic. The misinformation around the Bethesda purchase is why I'm a bit negative. The only games I'll miss are Crash and Spyro. I have a few CODs but can't remember the last time I played them.

Congratulations on the win for you. The same games still available to Xbox as they would have had the deal fallen through. I hope you stock up on the $1 upgrade path
 
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tpieman2029 said:
I really don't think you're gonna see xbox go after a publisher for a long long time. The optics and pr from all this have been damaging to their brand. They're gonna focus on Activision blizzard getting integrated and reformed.

That being said I expect to see certain affinity bought almost immediately after this deal closes lol.
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If this fully goes through, why wouldn't they? They'd be stupid not to.
 
DrFigs said:
i wonder why steam isn't more concerned? shouldn't they be worried bout the xbox store also taking their marketshare?
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If you saw the state of the windows store and windows in general along with the work Valve have been doing on the Linux side of things you'd understand why.
 
Gave Newel will be worried when sales on steam start to plummet. Which they will in due time. They are in the worst position for a subscription future.

And their steamdeck adventure, if it ever does big numbers will also draw consequences because publishers didn't agree to one license multiple devices.
 
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Dick Jones said:
The Playstation version will have parity but MS will use a loophole here and claim the playstation version can play on the latest system (PS6) and it has parity with one of Xbox's versions.

They also claimed a native Nintendo Switch version. 😂 They haven't seen the source code but can somehow promise that.
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Activision is the one that said they had the ability to do it.

The Activision development team have a long history of optimizing game performance for available hardware capabilities. The Parties are confident that in addition to Warzone, CoD buy-to-play titles (e.g., CoD: Modern Warfare 2) can be optimized to run on the Nintendo Switch in a timely manner using standard techniques which have been used to bring games such as Apex Legends, DOOM Eternal, Fortnite and Crysis 3 to the Switch. Activision estimates that this could be done with a period of around (unspecified) months.
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Waiting for S SneakersSO analysis of today's announcements....

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how or IF Sony responds to this with more acquisitions. I had a feeling that if the deal got blocked, they'd continue their normal targetted acquisitions of smaller studios like normal. But now that the deal is likely to go through, I'm not so sure. Anything, outside of maybe EA, is pretty much on the table. I don't like that it's going to go down this path, but it likely will.
 
phil_t98 said:
Are you for real? Sony has their own version of gamepass and had it befor gamepass was a thing.

The movie industry is surviving and even thriving with sun services so no reason why games can't to
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The difference is that PS fans don't start crying when a game doesn't come to PS+.
 
splattered said:
Convenient for who? I wouldn't want to be the CMA saying "oops" like this... if they had scoped this properly in the beginning we probably already would have had the green light by now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the CMA investigated over this, but an error is an error. A mistake. Shit happens.
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It does but if you're going to take a swing at a company like Microsoft you would think you would have your best on it. Especially given the rumors around how inflexible they were going to be. The complete 180 smells fishy.
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
Waiting for S SneakersSO analysis of today's announcements....

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how or IF Sony responds to this with more acquisitions. I had a feeling that if the deal got blocked, they'd continue their normal targetted acquisitions of smaller studios like normal. But now that the deal is likely to go through, I'm not so sure. Anything, outside of maybe EA, is pretty much on the table. I don't like that it's going to go down this path, but it likely will.
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I can't see a complete stop to this acquisition bullshit. It's fucking petty to be cheerleading multiplatform publishers going exclusive. I have a PS5 and I don't want the likes of Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft (yes even them) being acquired by Sony, never mind anyone else. We will all end up will less AAA games and somehow waste more money on lesser titles and have to subscribe to play certain titles. Tencent have a green light now and fuck it when they enter the console market and or streaming side.
 
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Dick Jones said:
I can't see a complete stop to this acquisition bullshit. It's fucking petty to be cheerleading multiplatform publishers going exclusive. I have a PS5 and I don't want the likes of Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft (yes even then) being acquired by Sony, never mind anyone else. We will all end up will less AAA games and somehow waste more money on lesser titles and have to subscribe to play certain titles. Tercent have a green light now and fuck it when they enter the console market and or streaming side.
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I agree, I think it's a waste of money and just leads to less games and more consolidation.

These big publishers are already successful and don't need to be acquired. They are better off independent, and that capital is better spent building more studios for actual industry growth.

But the reality is Sony will feel compelled to respond further, likely acquiring either Capcom or Square (or possibly both), and maybe even Take 2.
 
Good is winning, and sony extending this purchase just made everyone aware of their anti-consumer practices of pulling cross-platform AAA games from other consoles, and their hypocrisy. And the media covers up its practice, while Ms who hasn't made a big exclusivity contract since Tomb Raider where it was crucified, for the same ones who applaud the attitudes of the Japanese company today, not openly because they don't want this to be an argument for acquisitions of the company of Redmond.

Which keeps Cod on PS but removes other games from the platform, giving Sony and ou fans its own medicine.
 
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gothmog said:
It does but if you're going to take a swing at a company like Microsoft you would think you would have your best on it. Especially given the rumors around how inflexible they were going to be. The complete 180 smells fishy.
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It really does lol

Incredible that markets where competitions is strong regulators have no problem with this.

Would die laughing if Sony tried to acquire T2 and regulators stopped them.
 
SteelCurtain 59 said:
You can be mad at the acquisition without assuming it's going to completely destroy gaming forever, seems like a massive exaggeration
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Remember when EA Access was supposed to completely change how games were sold? Every publisher would soon have their own subscription service. New releases would be timed exclusive to the sub service. Patches and free content for subscribers. Retail prices jacked up to drive people to the subs. The industry would crash as every publisher started their own service and locked games to it.

Fast forward nine years later and it was a fart in the wind.
 
Welp, it is, what it is. Not really looking forward to a gaming future where Microsoft is in charge. Look at all the Xbox guys coming out of the shadows now. :D

foamdino said:
Strange u-turn from CMA, but I voted that it would pass based purely on an innate pessimistic feeling that the industry is going to consolidate more. (will MS stop here or are they still shopping? Take Two next?)
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^^ This is where I was with this as well.

SlimySnake said:
If Sony doesnt go and buy Take2 and use GTA as a bargaining chip then I just dont see Sony continue to be the force they are today.

The CoD pie affects everything from their PS+ subs to their digital store sales to ALL the F2P and other shooter audience cod has helped them cultivate. Will fortnite be as big on PS with half of the CoD audience gone? Doubt it.

Sony will have to severely downscale their operations to match what Nintendo is doing. Cheaper hardware. Way fewer AAA first party games. Way cheaper games. They wont have any money for third party exclusives like FF which is a good thing for those of us who hate moneyhats but you just know MS will sweep in to get those moneyhats so I dont see Sony getting many more FF games, at least on day one.

Nintendo is still very successful with their handheld only approach, but tbh, they are as irrelevant to me as ouya. I want big AAA exclusives, not the small quirky stuff they put out nowadays with their only AAA games like Zeldas, Metroids and Marios taking 6+ years to make. If thats the Sony we have to settle for in the future then thats a depressing thought.

The most interesting thing to see would be exactly how soon this happens. Sony will be in denial for the first few years. they might even go buy Square Enix or some other smaller FPS studios. But everyone other than CMA knows that Sony is now on borrowed time. Without CoD, their revenue drops by 30% minimum and that will affect their bottomline. Investors will know this. I wonder if pressure is put on Sony to sell to Apple or Amazon.

GTA acquisition is the only thing that can help them retain their dominance but as of right now, even if Sony isnt going to die anytime soon and might even reinvent themselves like Nintendo did, they simply wont be the juggernaut they are today.
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I hope Sony isn't as reliable on COD as you seem to think and I hope things aren't as dire as you seem to be saying but I wouldn't mind if Apple were to step in and buy Sony. :D
Although, COD was big for MS during the X360 and once they lost the marketing deal we know what happened so maybe you got a point lol.

EDIT
I don't think what you are saying is going to happen. Sony will definitely be hit with some losses in revenue, obviously but in the long run it should be fine.
 
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"Aren't any of you worried that it will stifle creation of new IP? Take away resources from some of the studios and maybe they're shut down in the medium term? isn't there a danger that MS will have even more devs working on COD than AB did?"
COD is a well oiled machine with a tonne of devs already working on it.....I dont see a scenario where MS tells the likes of playground, or ninja theory to start making FPS and sticking the words 'call of duty' on it. IF ABK have never needed to put blizzard to work on COD, whjy would MS when they could just as easily hire more staff or outsource the works as they have done with some of their own IP (halo:Infinte and MCC comes to mind) they dont need to put their 1st parties to work on COD, when its already staffed to the T and hits its trelase target every year with little trouble.



"Now that this is almost over, how do Xbox fans feel about ABK joining Xbox with behavioral remedies?"

Well...we all new COD wasnt going to be exclusive...so no change there....we know when the aquisition is complete all ABK games will be on gamepass....I alweays liked that idea and I havent changed my view on that....Did I mention that we are not the ones who are paying for ABK? only so much we need to care about this, beyond ABK games on GP. Im sure there are plenty of ABK IP that will be Xbox exclusive on the console side of things (warcraft, starcraft, and any spin offs set in those universes...future tony hawks, spyro and crash ...even though im not into cutesy platformers, im sure the kids will love it.


All in no negative feelings about the deal...it is what it is...and we all knew COD was never going to be exclusive, especvially after all the crying from sony aout it. . NO salty feelings about it at all though. I have friends that play COD on all platforms and cross play aint ging anywhere so Im ok with things. It doesnt chgange how I play COD except for the fact that I wont have to buy COD every year. Its a game I only buy to play with my freinds so Im quite happy for MS to remove that cost form me, as a GPU subscriber.
Three said:
Why would you play xbox games via cloud on an xbox at the moment? The whole point is that you would play them on other devices when you can't locally.
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if you own an Xbox one it's the way you are gonna play certain games hat are not natively available on Xbox one …. Deathloop, flight simulator etc….


Though I still prefer to play games natively from my series X, it had Atleast extended the life of my old X1X as a secondary console in another room in my house….. in this case, the lounge next to my recording studio. Keeps the guests/ clients entertained mostly as a fifa and cod box but I use the same profile on both consoles so they can play anything really.
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
Waiting for S SneakersSO analysis of today's announcements....

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how or IF Sony responds to this with more acquisitions. I had a feeling that if the deal got blocked, they'd continue their normal targetted acquisitions of smaller studios like normal. But now that the deal is likely to go through, I'm not so sure. Anything, outside of maybe EA, is pretty much on the table. I don't like that it's going to go down this path, but it likely will.
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That really depends. IMO the only reason Sony made any acquisitions was because their stock took a hit after the bethesda purchase. No matter the CEO .. they only care about the yearly earnings. Making that stock go up makes their bonuses go up and keeps them employed. Any future plans are made in accordance to getting the fiscal year earnings up. Most crazy big purchases are just to show Investors that the company is serious and should invest now ...not any long term gain.

Sony will porbably counter this if their stock goes down significantly, but will it be a acquisition? who knows. A price cut could do the same.
The biggest fallacy we have in the gaming community is to think the people running these companies care for anything past their yearly bonus. Most wont be there in 10 years.. they could care less.
 
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