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[hinch7]

Not really!

Many have suffered from COD fatigue just they have with Assassins creed games. The biggest market for COD is PlayStation and seeing how everyone outside of MS is paying full price for games, this is gonna hurt MS more than anything!

You have several studios rotations on these games and that costs! So we’re really gonna sit here and act like MS war chest is gonna keep this series alive which is the top game of this acquisition?

What if a handful of PS console owners get an Xbox for this, they’re still getting it for Pennie’s on the dollar as it’s gonna be on game pass day one right?

So as an investor, where am I seeing revenue generated in the likes this game normally does before the buyout? You clearly don’t have the market share and even being on Nintendo, how will crossplay work for this type of game compared to console and PC?

Man I just want this shit over! It’s irritating hearing about this and being a gamer and business minded about it is too much. I digress and we have no choice but to wait and see this through

Is this some sort of Blizzaro world or something? Modern Warfare 2 was the best selling game of 2022 in the US and the fastest selling CoD, ever. Its clearly not a floundering franchise.

Microsoft have shown they don't care for short term pain and are clearly investing in the long term. They want GamePass to be their money spinner for Xbox going forward.

 

[Bonsaibäumchen]

Chris drings take on the matter.



He goes in hard in the article and normally his a reserved dude. But he sees through the microsofts/acitivisions bullshit.

I really like this quote:

Kotick’s experience in the UK has come largely from buying studios, failing to make them work and closing them again

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

If you were following the acquisition thread, you would know that they had to sell those studios making CoD along with it.

I know, I'm saying this was never a realistic option.

The options given were divesting the entire CoD machine, or Activision as a whole.

Which are essentially the same thing.

Exactly.

 

[Sanepar]

Finally someone in the media is starting to call out MS on their bullshit.

Well but he says really clear the deal will be approved in Europe. So UK will be on the corner and forced to approve.

 

[Lasha]

Well, the deal is dead then. The CMA does not accept behavioral remedies.

Mastercard/Vocalink 2016 is a case where behavioral remedies were accepted during phase 1.

 

[dotnotbot]

Looking at Microsoft's behaviour, they really are acting silly and infantile. That's fine if their only purpose is to stir up the fight betwen twitter fanboys from both sides but otherwise they desperetly need some good PR experts, I can't believe a trillion dollar company behaves like this.

 

[SportsFan581]

What a "no shit Sherlock" article. Did anyone ever think that MS was going to pay $70b for ABK and then liquidate the specific piece that makes the whole worth the $70b in the first place?

 

[Thirty7ven]

Well but he says really clear the deal will be approved in Europe. So UK will be on the corner and forced to approve.

He doesn’t say that no.

 

[ArcaneNLSC]

what kind of chart will jim ryan show to regulators?

How big his balls are compared to Phils

 

[Lyrical]

Maybe Sony should try and buy Dice if this deal does goes through. Have their own online shooter in Battlefield.

 

[jm89]

Well but he says really clear the deal will be approved in Europe. So UK will be on the corner and forced to approve.

Nah he didn't say that at all.

And CMA isn't in a corner, they literally have another big regulator(FTC) who is also not very fond of the deal either.

CMA have also shown from the PF public support is not gonna saway them either, especially when that public support is based of terrible reasoning for supporting the deal.

 

[kirby007]

I hope this deal will blow up in their face and that they will loose even more marketshare.
Not a fan of this MS buy everything you can’t create yourself attitude, I have said it a couple of years ago, hope it will bite them in the ass. Trillion dollar company can’t even compete with a dwarf company compared.

thinking Sony isn't Apple in the gaming space is just a big troll

 

[adamsapple]

Microsoft says no to Activision merger without 'Call of Duty'

European regulators say Microsoft may need to divest 'Call of Duty' over antitrust concerns. Microsoft says that would be a deal breaker.

www.latimes.com

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

http://[URL]https://www.latimes.com...-no-to-activision-merger-without-call-of-duty

[/URL]

is going to be interesting to see what rhetoric they use in the U.S. Xbox/PS market share is closer between them and CoD is more popular.

 

[Sanepar]

Nah he didn't say that at all.

And CMA isn't in a corner, they literally have another big regulator(FTC) who is also not very fond of the deal either.

CMA have also shown from the PF public support is not gonna saway them either, especially when that public support is based of terrible reasoning for supporting the deal.

He says EU regulators probably will approve.

 

[jm89]

He says EU regulators probably will approve.

I probably should have been clearler in my comment, i was replying to the bit about cma in a corner.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Shut your trap, we Eurogaf now.

Know your place cretin.

We are PacGaf now.

 

[jm89]

is going to be interesting to see what rhetoric they use in the U.S. Xbox/PS market share is closer between them and CoD is more popular.

Same thing goes for UK, marketshare is alot closer. Probably start bringing up ps2 vs xbox marketshare.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Well but he says really clear the deal will be approved in Europe. So UK will be on the corner and forced to approve.

That's not likely and even then, FTC are taking them to court to stop it.

 

[Thirty7ven]

He says EU regulators probably will approve.

He says may.

 

[Smoke6]

Is this some sort of Blizzaro world or something? Modern Warfare 2 was the best selling game of 2022 in the US and the fastest selling CoD, ever. Its clearly not a floundering franchise.

Microsoft have shown they don't care for short term pain and are clearly investing in the long term. They want GamePass to be their money spinner for Xbox going forward.

So how? How does making this basically free gonna make them money? No war chest involved just straight up numbers to numbers in this section!

If I spent $70b and put all these games on Gp for $10 a month with a subscriber base of 25m right? Now with the overhead of these studios and marketing, how long will it take you to make this money back?

After you think that through, then add up their other acquisitions like Bethesda and those games

 

[Rien]

thinking Sony isn't Apple in the gaming space is just a big troll

Please explain

 

[Ar¢tos]

Maybe Sony should try and buy Dice if this deal does goes through. Have their own online shooter in Battlefield.

Sony can't afford that. But they can work with EA in order to improve Battlefield and maybe even develop a VR mode for PSVR2. Imagine how much more it would sell with increased Immersion. It would be good for both Sony and EA.

 

[Lyrical]

Sony can't afford that. But they can work with EA in order to improve Battlefield and maybe even develop a VR mode for PSVR2. Imagine how much more it would sell with increased Immersion. It would be good for both Sony and EA.

Sony could definitely afford to buy Dice off EA. Don't they have a few billion set aside for acquisitions?

 

[Three]

I really like this quote:

I've got to be honest I don't know which studios he's referring to. Any idea?

 

[Ar¢tos]

Sony could definitely afford to buy Dice off EA. Don't they have a few billion set aside for acquisitions?

EA would never sell Dice and Sony has no need to buy it.

 

[ArcaneNLSC]

So these are some of my quick thoughts and concerns on the deal

- If merger is approved and no real concessions are made What stops Microsoft from buying every other major publisher now with 2 Trillion dollar war chest compared to Sony's and Nintendo's
- Microsoft will then obviously have the monopoly to either charge an arm or a leg to have content on other devices or force everyone on to the xbox/MS ecosystem
- Microsoft's track record of managing not just studios but companies they buy is terrible Nokia, Mixr and Skype just to name a few
- Microsoft's management of game studios is terrible with underwhelming releases after multiple delays and/or studio closures
- Union's will get blindsided by the amount of staff they will cut to "streamline" their portfolio but also to deny pay increases to staff especially once unionized
- Activision can already do deal with Nintendo and that they don't need Microsoft's money or hand holding to do it they already have the financial resourcses to do so or just stop giving Bobby Cockface huge bonuses for shit performances

Microsoft just needs to actually understand how to make games in an entertainment sense and not a corporate sense hire the right fucking executives and managers for each studio have studios work on new IP's and not get burnt out pumping out the same franchises year in and year out develop an clear identity of what it wants to do instead of slipping its slimy dick in to every pie and seeing what sticks. EA lost its way a bit but is slowly understanding and course correcting a bit and developing good games again if they can do it why can't Microsoft?

 

[Loxus]

I wonder if Microsoft would agree to giving Sony the possibility to purchase the latest version of IW engine. Where Sony would have to continue development and marketing under a new name, while Microsoft keeps the COD name.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yeah no shit. Where do you think they were gonna get a return on Minecraft if they kept it Xbox and PC exclusive?

Thats the point.

COD is the biggest money maker. So for MS to pull COD from PS systems despite that platform being the biggest user base doesn't make sense.

 

[adamsapple]

I've got to be honest I don't know which studios he's referring to. Any idea?

Probably Bizarre Studios or Swordfish Studios, those are 2 UK based studios Activision has closed over the decades.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

If Microsoft can't get a ton of exclusives from the deal then I don't see the point if we are just talking about selling more Xboxes. I'm not sure they could ever recoup the cost of the buyout anyways.

 

[ManaByte]

Chris drings take on the matter.



He goes in hard in the article and normally his a reserved dude. But he sees through the microsofts/acitivisions bullshit.

He goes political in the third paragraph to elicit a response. Pass.

 

[noise36]

That means you're going to disappear for some time if the deal doesn't go through, right?

Microsoft isn't making game pass for the gamers, they're trying to control the entire gaming market. lol

Why would I do that?

So these are some of my quick thoughts and concerns on the deal

This thread in a nutshell.

Lets completely ignore that Sony currently has significant monopoly power over the market with 70% WW marketshare and uses it to screw over its customers into paying more and having less options.

Lets focus entirely on the fear that someday maybe MS could increase their market share and do the same thing. Nevermind they are currently making gaming cheaper and more accessible than it has ever been.

 

[Bonsaibäumchen]

I wonder if Microsoft would agree to giving Sony the possibility to purchase the latest version of IW engine. Where Sony would have to continue development and marketing under a new name, while Microsoft keeps the COD name.

Thats a weird idea and I don't think a good one.
Sony would need people who know how the engine works otherwise they would have to hire people and spend time learning all the ins and outs of the engine. It would be probably more effective to make a new one by themselfs.

 

[Punished Miku]

Lets completely ignore that Sony currently has significant monopoly power over the market with 70% WW marketshare and uses it to screw over its customers into paying more and having less options.

Lets focus entirely on the fear that someday maybe MS could increase their market share and do the same thing. Nevermind they are currently making gaming cheaper and more accessible than it has ever been.

Pretty much sums it up.

 

[jm89]

He goes political in the third paragraph to elicit a response. Pass.

You finally posting in your own thread after going into hiding. Pass.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

I don't think these guys would see a fail of this deal as a "protection". They'd love to suck MS dick for billions of dollars.

Corporations would literally put children in meat grinders if it got them a billion dollars and governments didn't stop them. Capitalism is naturally devoid of ethics, that's why we have regulatory bodies.

 

[Mr Moose]

Why would I do that?

This thread in a nutshell.

Lets completely ignore that Sony currently has significant monopoly power over the market with 70% WW marketshare and uses it to screw over its customers into paying more and having less options.

Lets focus entirely on the fear that someday maybe MS could increase their market share and do the same thing. Nevermind they are currently making gaming cheaper and more accessible than it has ever been.

We ignoring Switch selling more than PS4 again?
What do you mean by doing the same thing? Paying more what? Game prices? Already raised by MS (and first by Activision, heh), console prices? Already raised in at least 3 countries.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Chris drings take on the matter.



He goes in hard in the article and normally his a reserved dude. But he sees through the microsofts/acitivisions bullshit.

"There was something frankly Trumpian and performative about the whole thing" is a sentence that probably sums up pretty well how most Europeans are perceiving this charade.

- Union's will get blindsided by the amount of staff they will cut to "streamline" their portfolio but also to deny pay increases to staff especially once unionized

Unions on ABK will be able to do squat when Microsoft starts their usual method of scaling up through subcontractors.

 

[Punished Miku]

We ignoring Switch selling more than PS4 again?

Without Call of Duty. It doesn't matter if you include Switch or not, it doesn't really change much.

 

[Bonsaibäumchen]

We ignoring Switch selling more than PS4 again?
What do you mean by doing the same thing? Paying more what? Game prices? Already raised by MS (and first by Activision, heh), console prices? Already raised in at least 3 countries.

First they cry why nintendo isn't seen as a part of the market now they try to use it to their advantage.

 

[Mr Moose]

Without Call of Duty. It doesn't matter if you include Switch or not, it doesn't really change much.

70% of CoD sales are on PS?
Wait no, I was correct, he is talking about sales.

70% WW marketshare - If you include the Switch that changes everything.

 

[ToadMan]

Well but he says really clear the deal will be approved in Europe. So UK will be on the corner and forced to approve.

Interesting - we read the same article (well I’m assuming you read it) and yet you seem to have totally misrepresented what was written.

Here it is :

“
Will the deal go through? Microsoft may
[may - not “really clear”] have won over the European Commission. The regulators in Brussels are perhaps more willing [you get it] to accept Xbox's proposed remedies. It will require policing, of course. But Brad Smith and his Microsoft team have been working the halls of the European Commission for years, and have made previous arrangements like this work.

Where the true challenge lies, however, remains the UK and the CMA. The CMA requested Microsoft make 'structural remedies' (selling off parts of the business, such as Call of Duty) to satisfy their concerns. Microsoft has rejected that option this week. Now they have just two weeks to convince the UK -- or 'Death Valley' if you prefer -- that there is another way forward. The CMA was always viewed as the biggest obstacle in the path of this deal getting completed. And that remains the situation today.”

TLDR? Yeah it shows.

 

[zcaa0g]

Meh. Make the deal and then just steal all of the Call of Duty series developers with offers they can't refuse and make Call of Honor or some shit.

 

[Punished Miku]

70% of CoD sales are on PS?

I don't know the sales numbers. I was agreeing with the general sentiment of his post, not that specific 70% part.

 

[kirby007]

Please explain

how is it not a troll having all your teams make the same game in a different coat of paint, and just make your followers present it as the next best thing since sliced bread

 

[rhodesianshepard]

Thats the point.

COD is the biggest money maker. So for MS to pull COD from PS systems despite that platform being the biggest user base doesn't make sense.

This generation it doesn't make sense. It would make total sense for future generations tho

 

[Punished Miku]

First they cry why nintendo isn't seen as a part of the market now they try to use it to their advantage.

It literally works for MS either way in terms of their argument.

If you count Nintendo as part of the market, it proves that you don't have to have Call of Duty to be successful.
If you want to exclude Nintendo, it highlights massive Sony dominance.

And Call of Duty wouldn't be going anywhere in the first place. The amount of effort you guys put into focusing on some imaginary Nintendo gaffe is pretty ridiculous.

 

[Mr Moose]

It literally works for MS either way in terms of their argument.

If you count Nintendo as part of the market, it proves that you don't have to have Call of Duty to be successful.
If you want to exclude Nintendo, it highlights massive Sony dominance.

And Call of Duty wouldn't be going anywhere in the first place. The amount of effort you guys put into focusing on some imaginary Nintendo gaffe is pretty ridiculous.

But then that shows MS don't need to own Call of Duty to be successful.

 

[Punished Miku]

But then that shows MS don't need to own Call of Duty to be successful.

They've argued that they're last place, and are not dominating the video game market. I don't think they argued they have to own it to be successful. They want to improve their position though, and are responding to claims that they're a monopoly, which is absurd whether you include Nintendo or don't include Nintendo.

And again, they've repeatedly committed to Call of Duty being available for everyone, and just gave Nintendo a large guarantee they didn't previously have. Either way you want to bring up Nintendo, it doesn't hurt MS argument, which is the point.