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[bender]

I don't remember that so I don't believe I have to acknowledge it. I also don't consent to any fact checking.

 

[//DEVIL//]

And who's fault is that? Calling out distasteful practices from a competitor when you the brand you champion does the same shit is disingenuous and tiresome. Championing consolidation of the industry lacks any sense of history or critical thinking.

Oh I agree. its like picking between 2 balls of shit. my main system is actually a PC with 4090 in it. But I do have PS5 for its exclusive games and I have an un opened Xbox halo edition Series X ( no reason to open it lol )

All I said I was in favor of this merger because that means Sony will ( in my opinion anyway ) more cash towards buying something big in fear of MS buying the whole market.

Sadly there is nothing can be done about condiliation. its happening. Sony is been doing it and so is MS, Tencent, amazon and the rest.

 

[Kilau]

Starfield Was Nearly a Playstation Exclusive Until Sony F**ked Up - Now Salty PS5 Fans Launch Petition, Begging Microsoft for Second Chance

Starfield is all set to release this September for Xbox and PCs but some declassified documents revealed that the game was meant for PS5!

fandomwire.com

Microsoft acquired Bethesda after hearing Starfield would be exclusive to PlayStation

Microsoft says Sony paid third parties to keep games off Xbox

www.theverge.com

I don't know where did he get the info about COD exclusivity. you are free to ask him on his youtube. But i highly doubt he is making things up.

The Starfield thing still has one claim with no evidence and Phil saying "potentially".

 

[GHound]

If I have to guess ( again just a guess ), it really costs MS a lot to make a 3rd party game exclusive. something like Tomb raider for example, they had to spend around 200 million ( if I am not mistaken ) just for 1 year, while Sony wouldn't have to pay that much because of their userbase etc.

It was supposedly 100 million.
The money spent on ABK could fund six hundred and ninety Tomb Raider deals.

 

[Slicker than your average]

If I have to guess ( again just a guess ), it really costs MS a lot to make a 3rd party game exclusive. something like Tomb raider for example, they had to spend around 200 million ( if I am not mistaken ) just for 1 year, while Sony wouldn't have to pay that much because of their userbase etc.

It was a 100 million. Do you know how many 100 million fits into 69 billion? 690 times.

That's 690 exclusives Xbox could have secured.

What a dumb post to deflect that saying we can't afford to secure 3rd party exclusives but can afford 69 billion to buy the industry.

 

[GHG]

I don't remember that so I don't believe I have to acknowledge it. I also don't consent to any fact checking.

Phil Spencer's in the house.

Welcome Phil, how has vampire survivors been treating you these days?

 

[aliadiere25]

How can this dude just straight-up lie like this? Plus why not use the word "timed" when he says exclusive?

He's an idiot and biased. Activision would never have allowed COD to be exclusive to 1 platform.

What Microsoft is doing is far worse than what Sony has done. Even if Sony got a timed exclusive for Starfield, it would have just been just timed. Also, Sony does not own Final Fantasy, so it's not their doing that it's a timed exclusive on PlayStation; Square Enix could have said no and released it everywhere. Microsoft is straight-up buying big and established companies and making them exclusive. And then they're preaching about how they want everyone to play their games.

 

[Varteras]

It was a 100 million. Do you know how many 100 million fits into 69 billion? 690 times.

That's 690 exclusives Xbox could have secured.

What a dumb post to deflect that saying we can't afford to secure 3rd party exclusives but can afford 69 billion to buy the industry.

"Oh, but they had a budget"!

Yeah. $75 billion over a few years. Rough.

 

[bender]

All I said I was in favor of this merger because that means Sony will ( in my opinion anyway ) more cash towards buying something big in fear of MS buying the whole market.

Why would you be in favor of this?

 

[GHG]

All I said I was in favor of this merger because that means Sony will ( in my opinion anyway ) more cash towards buying something big in fear of MS buying the whole market.

Since when does anyone buying a developer/publisher guarantee us good games?

This sudden fetish for consolidation is bizarre. Point me towards one industry that has resulted in the consumer benefiting from mass consolidation.

 

[Kilau]

Phil Spencer's in the house.

Welcome Phil, how has vampire survivors been treating you these days?

Keep Vampire Survivors name out yo fuckin mouth!

 

[//DEVIL//]

It was a 100 million. Do you know how many 100 million fits into 69 billion? 690 times.

That's 690 exclusives Xbox could have secured.

What a dumb post to deflect that saying we can't afford to secure 3rd party exclusives but can afford 69 billion to buy the industry.

No need to be aggressive bud. my bad. I thought its 200 Million. but neverless. do you not think 100 Million to secure a game is too much when Sony bought insomniac for less than 300 million ?

 

[Thirty7ven]

Oh I agree. its like picking between 2 balls of shit. my main system is actually a PC with 4090 in it. But I do have PS5 for its exclusive games and I have an un opened Xbox halo edition Series X ( no reason to open it lol )

All I said I was in favor of this merger because that means Sony will ( in my opinion anyway ) more cash towards buying something big in fear of MS buying the whole market.

Sadly there is nothing can be done about condiliation. its happening. Sony is been doing it and so is MS, Tencent, amazon and the rest.

Ah yes, good ol' the future is coming to eat us so MS had to buy two publishers. Oh noes the china man, the delivery boy and all the rest are coming.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Speaking of bans. Anyone notice since all the new accounts got approved . Ban page is full of new accounts of Xbox fans warring? I'd say 95% of the neo members banned are Xbox warriors gloating over the merger.

I think people see things they want to see.

 

[93xfan]

Phil Spencer's in the house.

Welcome Phil, how has vampire survivors been treating you these days?

It sucks!

 

[GHG]

Ah yes, good ol' the future is coming to eat us so MS had to buy two publishers. Oh noes the china man, the delivery boy and all the rest are coming.

The delivery boy must be fucking these guys wives or something. That's the only way to explain it.

 

[bender]

Since when does anyone buying a developer/publisher guarantee us good games?

This sudden fetish for consolidation is bizarre. Point me towards one industry that has resulted in the consumer benefiting from mass consolidation.

It's like a bizarre-o Cold War where everyone is cheering on Sony and Microsoft collecting nuclear weapons. The only appropriate response to COD would be GTA. Do we really want Take-Two to get swallowed up?

 

[//DEVIL//]

Since when does anyone buying a developer/publisher guarantee us good games?

This sudden fetish for consolidation is bizarre. Point me towards one industry that has resulted in the consumer benefiting from mass consolidation.

I never said I am in favor of consolidation though. I said I am in favor of this merger. for personal reasons like :

- I like most Activison games but they are not worth 70$ for me, so at least I Can play them with a game pass for a month and then cancel my sub like I usually do when they have a high-profile game I want to play.
- It's good to give Sony competition. they have been dominating the home console market for 20+ Years. How long you think Xbox will keep this loss if they didn't buy Activision? didn't at one point MS was about to give up during Xbox One era?

As far as Consolidation goes,Its happening regardless if we like it or not. if not MS then probably Tencent or Amazon or apple if they want to go to the gaming market. and frankly, I would rather MS have them over Tencent.

 

[Chiggs]

Unsurprising.

We already saw lots of left and extreme left publications praise the GOP reps in the US during Lina Khan's congress hearing which was nothing short of hilarious.
Big corpo and capitalism are the center of all evil.. until the check clears and they have to do that proverbial blowjob the evil corps ordered them to.

Your claim is the author who wrote that article, or the publication itself, was bribed by Microsoft? Do you have anything to back that up, or is it just conjecture?

It's like a bizarre-o Cold War where everyone is cheering on Sony and Microsoft collecting nuclear weapons. The only appropriate response to COD would be GTA. Do we really want Take-Two to get swallowed up?

You've definitely got a point about the corporate cheerleading, but some people are just willfully ignoring the atrocious performances by these regulatory agencies, buying fully into the defeatist Eeyore bullshit. I don't know how anyone can feel good about it.

 

[bender]

I like most Activison games but they are not worth 70$ for me, so at least I Can play them with a game pass for a month.

No one tell him that Gamefly exists.

 

[Slicker than your average]

No need to be aggressive bud. my bad. I thought its 200 Million. but neverless. do you not think 100 Million to secure a game is too much when Sony bought insomniac for less than 300 million ?

This shit again. Sony bought insomniac after Xbox started buying studios including zenimax .

Also youre comparing Sony buying a studio they do alot of business with Xbox paying a studio not to release a game on playstation? Your point works against you bud .

 

[adamsapple]

This shit again. Sony bought insomniac after Xbox started buying studios including zenimax .

Sony bought Insomniac in 2019, Microsoft bought Zenimax in 2021.

 

[GHG]

- It's good to give Sony competition. they have been dominating the home console market for 20+ Years. How long you think Xbox will keep this loss if they didn't buy Activision? didn't at one point MS was about to give up during Xbox One era?

- Admits to owning a new Xbox that is sitting in a box unused

- We need to keep Xbox around

Make it make sense.

And by the way, if you want this to go through because you think it will lead to further studio/publisher acquisitions in the future then by definition, you are pro-consolidation. Consolidation is literally what is happening as a result of this kind of industry activity.

 

[Mr Moose]

This shit again. Sony bought insomniac after Xbox started buying studios including zenimax .

Also youre comparing Sony buying a studio they do alot of business with Xbox paying a studio not to release a game on playstation? Your point works against you bud .

I think you might mean Bungie.

 

[Pop]

Wait what happened with Diablo? I'm only like lvl 23 ffs play it every 3-4 days or so

Big patch today. Season One starts on Thursday

 

[SportsFan581]

What a dumb post to deflect that saying we can't afford to secure 3rd party exclusives but can afford 69 billion to buy the industry.

Are you sure you've given this even a single second of thought? I'm thinking no.

Look at both of those example from a business perspective:

1). You spend $100m on an exclusivity agreement that your 30% of projected game sales (of the title in question) can't cover the cost of resulting in a loss of money.

2). You spend $70b buying a publisher with one of the highest rates of return in the industry while simultaneously strengthening your existing gaming operation.

I don't know, I think the second one is easier to sell to the board of a company where gaming isn't the primary focus.

 

[MarkMe2525]

It's like a bizarre-o Cold War where everyone is cheering on Sony and Microsoft collecting nuclear weapons. The only appropriate response to COD would be GTA. Do we really want Take-Two to get swallowed up?

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that options are that limited. The Playstation brand is extremely strong. They are going to keep doing what they do best as they diversify the delivery of their intellectual property. I also don't think Jim wants the optics of such a reactionary measure. More importantly, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about so maybe they just go on and buy EA.

 

[Slicker than your average]

Why would you be in favor of this?

He doesn't seem to realise that once MS own everything Sony can't actually compete.those big triple AAA games they make? Nope they won't be able to afford them. They don't have a big daddy to fund their next big ideas.

 

[bender]

You've definitely got a point about the corporate cheerleading, but some people are just willfully ignoring the atrocious performances by these regulatory agencies, buying fully into the defeatist Eeyore bullshit. I don't know how anyone can feel good about it.

The outcome of the regulators isn't surprising, sadly. You've got rooms full of people making decisions about technology that have zero understanding of the landscape of that technology. I don't feel good about it but I can't say I'm surprised either.

 

[feynoob]

No news about extension, judges delays his satisfaction and CMA can't post any info without satisfying the judge.

I don't like these odds.

 

[//DEVIL//]

- Admits to owning a new Xbox that is sitting in a box unused

- We need to keep Xbox around

Make it make sense.

And by the way, if you want this to go through because you think it will lead to further studio/publisher acquisitions in the future then by definition, you are pro-consolidation. Consolidation is literally what is happening as a result of this kind of industry activity.

Yeah um. I do not need to use Xbox When I have high-end PC. The only reason I bought it is because I really like the collector edition lol.

I do not need to justify my purchases to you lol.

If i did not however, I would surely be playing that along with the PS5. I do not see any problem with that heh.

This shit again. Sony bought insomniac after Xbox started buying studios including zenimax .

Also youre comparing Sony buying a studio they do alot of business with Xbox paying a studio not to release a game on playstation? Your point works against you bud .

I honestly do not know who bought who first, Nor do care, Sony has been buying studios ever since they released their PS1. including Naughty Dog and the rest. I think it is a normal behavior to expand your business this way. granted not the scale of buying 70B publisher. But if Sony had MS money. They would probably do worse lol.


Anyway. Nothing can be done about it really. it's not like we going back and forth with this will change someone's mind or change the outcome of this. This is happening unless Activision pull a stunt and back out of the deal if MS didn't sign an extension with them heh. we should know in few hours ( I think )

 

[Slicker than your average]

Are you sure you've given this even a single second of thought? I'm thinking no.

Look at both of those example from a business perspective:

1). You spend $100m on an exclusivity agreement that your 30% of projected game sales (of the title in question) can't cover the cost of resulting in a loss of money.

2). You spend $70b buying a publisher with one of the highest rates of return in the industry while simultaneously strengthening your existing gaming operation.

I don't know, I think the second one is easier to sell to the board of a company where gaming isn't the primary focus.

Actually yeah I did think it through.

It's a very simple question. You can't afford to compete for exclusives but can spend 69 billion sounds so dumb. You know if they secured more and more exclusives they would have a bigger library and more exposure which means more customers...

You talk about rates of return and loss. So for you this unacceptable to lose money on buying the exclusives and hoping for profit . But it's ok to spend 70 billion that will take what 15 years to recoup at current Xbox levels of profit and revenue.

Oh wait apparently spending an insane amount doesn't count because they're buying assets but 100 million does.

 

[bitbydeath]

Anyone know when the contract ends exactly? Should get a countdown going.

 

[bender]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that options are that limited. The Playstation brand is extremely strong. They are going to keep doing what they do best as they diversify the delivery of their intellectual property. I also don't think Jim wants the optics of such a reactionary measure. More importantly, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about so maybe they just go on and buy EA.

I'm not saying the options are limited, rather outside of F2P markets, the only thing that prints money like COD is GTA. I don't really want smaller companies swallowed up either. You don't need to look much further than Activision to see why consolidation is great for an artistic medium when all you care about is maximizing profit in industrial like fashion. And this isn't about Sony, I don't care about what their future holds.

 

[Chiggs]

No news about extension, judges delays his satisfaction and CMA can't post any info without satisfying the judge.

I don't like these odds.

Objectively, here's the other side:

Extension discussions are currently underway, both parties are rumored to want to see it through, Supreme Court rejects dumbass bid to block deal, and who the hell else is going to buy Activision?

Edit for accuracy. Thanks, Topher

 

[havoc00]

No news about extension, judges delays his satisfaction and CMA can't post any info without satisfying the judge.

I don't like these odds.

More fireworks soon?

 

[Slicker than your average]

Sony bought Insomniac in 2019, Microsoft bought Zenimax in 2021.

Ok my mistake . Still they didn't buy insomniac in a vacuum. It was only after Xbox had bought ten studios at that point and they knew they were going to buy more.

 

[Pop]

Anyone know when the contract ends exactly? Should get a countdown going.

Midnight(5 hrs and 50 mins)

If nothing happens

 

[FrankWza]

Zenimax was looking for exclusive deals.
Making COD exclusive? I thought MS was afraid of ABK walking away if they did not agree to a deal for the percentage cut.

These guys try to hard to make MS look innocent LOL

Locked games out of gamepass (cannibalizer of sales)

Go back and say that to his face. But here, put this on first...

Microsoft might need to make a donation. They'll buy a hundred thousand pounds of marmite for underprivileged children.

 

[Chiggs]

Midnight(5 hrs and 50 mins)

If nothing happens

Is it Pacific Time, though? It's only 4:15 PM out there.

 

[Topher]

Objectively, here's the other side:

Supreme Court rejects FTC bid,

That wasn't FTC's bid. That was the group of gamers.

 

[adamsapple]

Go back and say that to his face. But here, put this on first...

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

wait a minute, people actually believe Activision is going to drop the deal?

 

[Chiggs]

That wasn't FTC's bid. That was the group of gamers.

Ah, my bad. I'm so used to harping on the FTC. Will edit.

 

[bender]

Ok my mistake . Still they didn't buy insomniac in a vacuum. It was only after Xbox had bought ten studios at that point and they knew they were going to buy more.

Probably more to do with the success of Spider-Man which Microsoft supposedly took a pass on which is even funnier when you factor in Microsoft having somewhat recently worked with Insomniac on an Xbox exclusive open world game with heavy emphasis on traversal. Insomniac was on the outs with Sony for a long period time and anyone could have poached them. Gamestop even published one of their games.

 

[Slicker than your average]

Yeah um. I do not need to use Xbox When I have high-end PC. The only reason I bought it is because I really like the collector edition lol.

I do not need to justify my purchases to you lol.

If i did not however, I would surely be playing that along with the PS5. I do not see any problem with that heh.



I honestly do not know who bought who first, Nor I do care, Sony been buying studios ever since they released their PS1. including Naughty dog and the rest. I think it is normal behavior to expand your business this way. granted not the scale of buying 70B publisher. But if Sony had MS money. They would probably do worse lol.

It's been covered a million times this if Sony could if Sony had the same money etc. I even covered it an hour ago in this thread.

They don't have the money so it's pointless whataboutism and even if they did. They wouldn't need to a shown by their ability to compete without the money in the first place.

 

[Pop]

wait a minute, people actually believe Activision is going to drop the deal?

 

[GHG]

Yeah um. I do not need to use Xbox When I have high-end PC. The only reason I bought it is because I really like the collector edition lol.

I do not need to justify my purchases to you lol.

If i did not however, I would surely be playing that along with the PS5. I do not see any problem with that heh.

That's literally the position I'm in. It's not about justifying purchases, it's about seeing things for what they are. If Xbox (as a console) were competitive then you would have reason to use the Xbox alongside your PS5 and PC, I would too. But as it stands they are proving to be somewhat redundant for many gamers who have access to multiple platforms.

I'm with you when you say that Sony having competition will be good. However we need said competition to be of high quality and one that raises standards across the industry, one that gives people real reasons to engage on their platform. Not one that has been demonstrably poor for over a decade now, isn't interested in raising the barrier and uses their poor market performance as a justification to scoop up industry property on a mass scale when said industry property would have been fine as is. Yeh you might get your "free" call of duty for a while if you're a gamepass subscriber, but in the long run nobody wins unless these guys have a shift change in the way they're running the Xbox business. As it stands it's nothing but very expensive paper for the cracks.

 

[bitbydeath]

wait a minute, people actually believe Activision is going to drop the deal?

It was rumoured earlier that MS have added some new clauses which ABK don't want to sign.

 

[Kilau]

Guys, the deal doesn't go away at midnight PDT, nor "naturally extend". They just won't be locked in. Yes that would be interesting but it wouldn't be the end of it by itself.