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.
tryDEATH said:
The conspiracy meltdown here is wild and seems to be the coping mechanism. The EC passed the deal, the FTC failed with a horrible argument, and now the CMA conceded as they were the only ones left with their pants down witha BS objection to the acquisition.

It wasn't money or corruption that got this deal to pass, but a lack off actual real market issues this merger would cause leaving the agency cases extremely weak and which wouldn't under scrutiny be enough to block this acquisition. MS offered guarantees/contracts and remedies to address any issues the agency's had leaving the courts to side with MS. The agencies in fact did their part in protecting the market by "forcing" MS into these deals, which MS knew they had to make if they wanted this to go through.
Click to expand...
The FTC and CMA were the two big ones who were against it. MS and activision announced the deal in Jan 2022. They've had a year and half to get their act together And by the looks of had zero. To be fair it looks like CMA will get some kind of concession out of MS (maybe that cloud divestiture thing everyone keeps talking about). But FTC got zero.

They either had a leg to stand in but just failed at getting the details to prove it, or just had nothing to ever go on right from the start.

Either way. Both got obliterated.
 
Topher said:
I really don't know, but I get the sense the rest of this is just a formality.
Click to expand...
It seem the appeal to the current block is still in CAT though and cannot be removed without CAT due to UK laws. Basically, judge granted a pause to give MS and CMA time to resolve this hard block issue somehow.
 
Last edited:
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
It seem the appeal to the current block is still in CAT though and cannot be removed without CAT due to UK laws. Basically, judge granted a pause to gime MS and CAT time to resolve this hard block issue somehow.
Click to expand...

CMA and MS are both very confident they will come to terms so yeah, this is essentially over.
 
tryDEATH said:
The conspiracy meltdown here is wild and seems to be the coping mechanism. The EC passed the deal, the FTC failed with a horrible argument, and now the CMA conceded as they were the only ones left with their pants down witha BS objection to the acquisition.

It wasn't money or corruption that got this deal to pass, but a lack off actual real market issues this merger would cause leaving the agency cases extremely weak and which wouldn't under scrutiny be enough to block this acquisition. MS offered guarantees/contracts and remedies to address any issues the agency's had leaving the courts to side with MS. The agencies in fact did their part in protecting the market by "forcing" MS into these deals, which MS knew they had to make if they wanted this to go through.
Click to expand...

This is a bad take. The EC passed the deal with the same objections that the CMA had. The EC just accepted Microsoft's remedies. Saying the CMA has a B.S. objection is patently false, since the EC, the FTC, and the Australian regulatory body (I forget their acronym) all had the same objections/concerns.
 
This shit is down to the wire. I was hoping we'd be done with this today. But it seems like they still have to meet conditions. However, Microsoft and Activision getting an "Assurance" really kinda puts the nail in the coffin on this discussion.
 
Banjo64 said:
Jokes on you guys. I'm a woman.
Click to expand...
Is this you?
lick licking GIF by Party Down South
 
havoc00 said:
So it just depends on how long it takes for CMA/Microsoft to discuss and finalize the proposed remedy, which appears to be a divestiture of xCloud in the UK? The CMA said at the start of the trial that they have not received Microsoft's final remedy just yet, maybe Microsoft is still working out who xCloud will be divested to.

Is this what it seems like now?
Click to expand...
Yes, but Microsoft either close soon or they extend the deadline, it seems whatever scenario the deal is all but done.
 
StreetsofBeige said:
The FTC and CMA were the two big ones who were against it. MS and activision announced the deal in Jan 2022. They've had a year and half to get their act together And by the looks of had zero. To be fair it looks like CMA will get some kind of concession out of MS (maybe that cloud divestiture thing everyone keeps talking about). But FTC got zero.

They either had a leg to stand in but just failed at getting the details to prove it, or just had nothing to ever go on right from the start.

Either way. Both got obliterated.
Click to expand...
Honestly played out exactly like Brad Smith said in April following the initial CMA block. It really is that simple.

1) Took a few months, but FTC fell apart twice. As predicted. There was never anything there.
2) Took a few months, but UK government and CMA did see that it would have been bad for UK business aspirations to stand alone in the world on such a flimsy and poorly argued case. So they extracted an additional concession and reversed it, because the CMA had no clue what they were doing the first time.
3) Everyone else in the world approved it.

That's pretty much it.
 
IFireflyl said:
This is a bad take. The EC passed the deal with the same objections that the CMA had. The EC just accepted Microsoft's remedies. Saying the CMA has a B.S. objection is patently false, since the EC, the FTC, and the Australian regulatory body (I forget their acronym) all had the same objections/concerns.
Click to expand...
Its one thing to have a concern/objection with it and not require anything from MS to address it and a whole other thing to block the whole thing only because of it.
 
tryDEATH said:
Its one thing to have a concern/objection with it and not require anything from MS to address it and a whole other thing to block the whole thing only because of it.
Click to expand...

But the EC did require something from MS to address it. They accepted behavioral remedies. What you said was that the objections/concerns were B.S., and I'm telling you that your opinion on that is ridiculous when four regulatory bodies had the same objections/concerns.
 
nightmare-slain said:
Can't they announce it and work out the rest of it afterwards? Or is that illegal?

Is this going to drag on for weeks yet?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing here, but I think what will happen is the CMA will allow the transaction to close under the understanding they have now. If something happens between now and the end of the upcoming proceedings that forces the CMA to change their mind then they can order divestment and we will be back to square one. But HIGHLY unlikely that will be the case. Microsoft is going to do everything in their power to make it happen.

Now......the next question I have is what did Microsoft give up to make this happen.
 
tryDEATH said:
Its one thing to have a concern/objection with it and not require anything from MS to address it and a whole other thing to block the whole thing only because of it.
Click to expand...
maybe you can correct me. my understanding was that MS had the opportunity to suggest remedies during the trial (or hearings or whatever), which the CMA rejected. they knew the whole time that the CMA would not agree to their remedies, and rather than make new ones, they just kind of did nothing. then rather than appealing the CMA decision, they had backdoor negotiations with the CMA for new remedies that we don't know about yet?
 
Last edited:
IFireflyl said:
But the EC did require something from MS to address it. They accepted behavioral remedies. What you said was that the objections/concerns were B.S., and I'm telling you that your opinion on that is ridiculous when four regulatory bodies had the same objections/concerns.
Click to expand...


Just sayin, bro.....
Talk Talking To Myself GIF by Facepunch Studios
 
So most of us think the deal will close before the deadline and then some time in August the CMA will ok the deal? Obviously Microsoft have compromised so I think the CMA have saved face in all this.
 
IFireflyl said:
But the EC did require something from MS to address it. They accepted behavioral remedies. What you said was that the objections/concerns were B.S., and I'm telling you that your opinion on that is ridiculous when four regulatory bodies had the same objections/concerns.
Click to expand...
It was a B.S reason to block the merger and hang the whole merger on that particular point. If every other agency considers the issue secondary and you make it a primary it clearly makes it B.S as it exaggerates that issue to a level no one else considered.

And it might be an even be bigger B.S. if they don't force MS to address that issue now and grant them the merger as we don't know what deal the CMA and MS have made.
 
mayham2199 said:
Looks like they are still preparing for a possible case with the CMA just incase.
Click to expand...

Yeh they want October dates penciled in just in case things "go south" with the CMA in the meantime.

Basically they now have 2 months to come to an agreement, if not the CAT appeal resumes. Personally I don't think it comes to that, this gets done and dusted within weeks.
 
at the end of the day, nothing will really change. MS gets activision as everyone predicted, PS gets COD for a decade more and none of the games currently on PS aw changing. It's not like they are going to yank Diablo 4 from the PS store.

My biggest anxiety now is when the hell are all the old 360 COD era games going to be on GP so I can snipe a gamer with a laser accurate ACR with stopping power like the good old days!
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Locked
‘Microsoft’ said they were streamlining 9000 people across XGS/ABK/ZM
Rumor 
19
454
Topher replied
Microsoft wins FTC appeal challenging $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal
News Business  2 3
125
3K
Unknown? replied
MS/ABK is advertising games that don't exist for data collection
46
3K
POKEYCLYDE replied
My apologies to Ubisoft, Sony, Activision, EA, MS etc. for making a big deal out of $70 games
2 3 4
156
8K
MDSLKTR replied
Battlefield 6 Beta |OT| Open Beta/Closed Weapons.
|OT|  60 61 62 63 64
3K
5K
S0ULZB0URNE replied
Top Bottom