bentanchorbolt
Banned
No idea. I'm not going to pretend like I understand most of this with enough authority to weigh in lol. I'm just here to see what the turbo nerds think about all this stuff.
Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)
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GHG
Gold Member
From the lead communications of MS:
Same energy.
Why don't they instruct their 120 million MAU to buy some fucking software instead of crying wolf?
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graywolf323
Member
GHG
Gold Member
mansoor1980
Member
some of those replies to that tweet are just 
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Pelta88
Member
If you glance at GP you're part of the new MAU calculations.
No way 150 million users per month with negative growth across the board
bentanchorbolt
Banned
This is a massive deal. You should want it scrutinized even if you're for it.
DarkMage619
$MSFT
I think it's stupid claim that a dependent feature of the higher tiered subscription service indicates some sort of dominance. If MS isn't offering cloud gaming on its own it's hardly dominant.
It is a great side benefit of Game pass ultimate not the main draw. Most people play the games natively and people here continue to say cloud gaming has no future. I think that's nonsense but cloud gaming in general is such a new way to play games it could be years before we see something actually dominant like Netflix.
Google learned the hard way cloud gaming has a long way to go before it is really viable on its own. NVIDIA's problem is they don't actually own the content they want to make available so there is even less of a benefit to their services. None of this changes the fact that MS dominates nothing in video games they are third and have been since 2001. This deal doesn't change that but hopefully will make them more competitive.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
bentanchorbolt
Banned
The 24/7 news cycle in addition to Twitter has made the entire world like this, because there is perceived capital in optics. It's part of what makes threads like these so entertaining. Everyone weighing in with specificity on each article of info dropped, waiting to be fed and react to news.
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Hero of Spielberg
Member
The regulators are on Twitter too, as well as politicians, other people in the industry, customers, etc. It's not like they aren't speaking with regulators directly as well.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
You get it. Cloud Gaming for many will be a situational and complementary component of the more preferred way to game, which is through native apps on local hardware. For certain edge cases it might be someone's primary means of gaming. It will do wonders for specific RPGs imo.
Topher
Identifies as young
CuNi
Member
I might be out of the loop, but I thought the deal only entered Phase 2 in the US and was still on Phase 1 on EU and CMA.
Wouldn't this be normal procedure on a deal of this size? Glad to be corrected on this if I'm misunderstanding this.
Topher
Identifies as young
I was thinking this was phase 2 in the UK. Maybe I'm wrong about that. lol.....I think the thread went over this stuff around 100 pages ago so I'm probably off.
CuNi
Member
I might be wrong as well.
With how long this already goes on for, I lost every sense of timeframes regarding this deal, lol.
Pelta88
Member
From my understanding...
1. EU sent a letter accusing MS of antitrust/warning
2. CMA set to release findings next week
3. FTC gearing up for lawsuit
Those are the important developments to date.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
First, you have no idea what criteria is used to determine a monthly active user. Also, I'm pretty sure they've explained in the past that the person needed to have actually launched and played a game. Game Pass is tracked down to activity and usage. Also, Game Pass has grown each and every quarter last year.
Pelta88
Member
Firstly I listened to the earnings call so I kinda do know the criteria.
But the bolded is proof you live in a different world entirely.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
I already established long ago you don't pay attention to facts and just ignore them wholesale.
Game Pass grew each and every quarter last year. Are you challenging that fact? Game Pass was an offsetting factor for losses in each and every quarter this year where there were losses on the gaming side of things. It was as regular statement, "losses offset by growth in game pass"
In fact, here's a direct quote from the CEO. So what exactly are you trying to argue?
https://www.vg247.com/xbox-game-pass-just-keeps-on-growing-and-growing
DarkMage619
$MSFT
Is any thing Frank posted untrue? I thought it was agreed that Sony was the market leader. Sony was the loudest company complaining about this deal yet by the provided data it appears they are doing quite well in this space. I don't see this acquisition changing that at all.
bentanchorbolt
Banned
Game Pass didn't grow? It lost subscribers?
James Sawyer Ford
Member
SenjutsuSage
Banned
SenjutsuSage
Banned
What Nvidia does is renting out hardware (which they make), letting you play games you already bought on it. I will never get what's wrong with that. I mean, other companies have been doing that for a long time, just not over a distance. (Hint: you can still play games you bought, over a distance, on rented hardware, due to streaming such as Steam Remote Play or Nvidia GameStream. Or for rented consoles, XBOX/PS Remote Play)
Meanwhile, now the FTC themselves have subpoena'd Sony and Sony is trying to avoid/quash it.
01011001
Banned
we need more AAA publishers going to court... the Epic case was highly entertaining
US: case in the FTC administrative court is pending in August iirc
EU: MS has received the EC's SO (Statement of Objection) so has to respond with their concessions to try and overcome those concerns. It's in the phase 2 stage of the investigation.
UK: CMA going to be sharing the 'preliminary' results from the phase 2 investigation with MS and potential remedies (hopefully next week). MS and other parties also then gets the opportunity to respond, obviously MS gets the opportunity to offer concessions to overcome any concerns that the CMA have. They have until some point in March to talk/negotiate with the CMA.
EU: MS has received the EC's SO (Statement of Objection) so has to respond with their concessions to try and overcome those concerns. It's in the phase 2 stage of the investigation.
UK: CMA going to be sharing the 'preliminary' results from the phase 2 investigation with MS and potential remedies (hopefully next week). MS and other parties also then gets the opportunity to respond, obviously MS gets the opportunity to offer concessions to overcome any concerns that the CMA have. They have until some point in March to talk/negotiate with the CMA.
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Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
Seems like Sony wants the CMA to go first.
laynelane
Member
Somebody should explain to him what competition actually is too.
Does seem like it. I think there may be some interesting scenarios here.
If the CMA asks for structural remedies, and MS decides to drop the deal very quickly then they get a nice cause to quash the subpoena.
If the CMA asks for behavioral remedies, MS agrees or even takes until March to agree then Sony is kinda stuck (not sure that they will agree to a delay for that long)
If the CMA and EU does accept concessions but the FTC decides to still go to court, then Sony need to figure out what their next step is.
Kiraly
Member
What a surprise they are desperate to hide the very practices they accuse Microsoft of hypothetically doing in the future with the CoD franchise. Brazen hacks.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
1. Not hiding lol. Also, these practices aren't exclusive to Sony. The "worst" that can come out is timed-exclusivity agreements. Guess what, Microsoft also has similar timed-exclusivity agreements for Ark 2, Stalker 2, High on Life, etc. There is nothing special there.
2. Hypothetically? They already have public evidence of Microsoft doing it. There are numerous examples now that have also been cited by these regulatory bodies, including The Outer Worlds 2, Hellblade 2, Starfield, Redfall, Hi-Fi Rush, etc.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
Yes, I think Sony is banking on structural remedies. In that case, MS will drop the deal and Sony doesn't have to share anything at all.
In the worst-case scenario for them, they will just share the bare minimum that they can get away with. But they understandably don't want to do it before they have to.
Banjo64
cumsessed
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Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
Banjo64
cumsessed
He didn't say they are the market leader, he said it's a market they mainly control.
Astray
Member
None of this moves the deal forward in any way tho, and the politicians don't address this deal on Twitter beyond generic endorsements.
Just keep it to the judge's chambers and Phil Spencer puff interviews.
Hero of Spielberg
Member
Naive to think that there aren't external influences on regulation that can be effected by social media.
MasterCornholio
Member
Had to read it a second time but your right. Being market leader and controlling the market are two different things.
Astray
Member
Social media doesn't affect anything, if it did then Hogwarts Legacy wouldn't be the #1 preorder in all platforms.
All these posts are performative nonsense and don't add any meaningful pressure that couldn't be exerted through court motions anyway. Meanwhile, the opposition is entrenching its advantage in MS's key regions and reducing their options for how they can utilize their acquisitions.
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