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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
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dotnotbot

dotnotbot

Member
EC says that:

The acquisition would harm competition in the distribution of PC and console games via cloud game streaming services, an innovative market segment that could transform the way many gamers play video games. Despite its potential, cloud game streaming is very limited today. The Commission found that the popularity of Activision's games could promote its growth. Instead, if Microsoft made Activision's games exclusive to its own cloud game streaming service, Game Pass Ultimate, and withheld them from rival cloud game streaming providers, it would reduce competition in the distribution of games via cloud game streaming.
Click to expand...

So basically another regulator body coming to the similar conclusion as CMA, just having a different view on remedies.
 
GHG

GHG

Gold Member
feynoob said:
CMA has to fight them. If they lose, we lose all of us.

But at this point, it looks the deal will be passed. The last thing you want to do, is give MS time to recoup their defense.

EU should have thrusted the weapon deep.
Click to expand...

Well unless it can be resolved before the deadline then it goes to shareholder vote for an extension.

Both Activision and Microsoft will need to convince their shareholders that an extension is for the good of the respective businesses in the long run.

As it stands that looks like the first hurdle that will need to be navigated.
 
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feynoob

feynoob

Banned
GHG said:
Well unless it can be resolved before the deadline then it goes to shareholder vote for an extension.

Both Activision and Microsoft will need to convince their shareholders that an extension is for the good of the respective businesses in the long run.
Click to expand...
They will extend it, since they have more benefit.
With EU pass, they will win in either option. Get more money from MS or get those share sales if they deal gets passed.

Right now it's only 3b.
 
ShaiKhulud1989

ShaiKhulud1989

Gold Member
OmegaSupreme said:
I'm lost. What's the latest? Deal went through all the sudden? It hasn't? Somewhere in between?
Click to expand...
2 out of 3 regulators that are essential for the deal said no. CMA is almost 100% block the deal even if the appeal (that will take years) will be approved. FTC hearings will only START in August. Let's assume Xbox/ATVI will somehow extend the deal, this will pause any sort of marketing activities in both companies for 2 to 3 years. I just can't see how this will work. Especially considering CAT, CMA and all that due dilligence.

So far, seems to me the deal is dead despite the OK from the smallest Wester market for Xbox. But nice koolaid for Xbox fans I guess.
 
HoofHearted

HoofHearted

Member
James Sawyer Ford said:
No, deal is still blocked by CMA

EU just approved it with weak remedies, but bolstered’s CMA’s cloud argument

Activision stock is only mildly up today so the market isn’t pricing this in as “the deal is now alive”
Click to expand...

Eh - maybe?

From the response:

"Despite its potential, cloud game streaming still represents a very limited part of the overall market for the distribution of games today, accounting only for around 1% of the total worldwide market in 2022."
 
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H

hlm666

Member
Heisenberg007 said:
And 100% of that game sales money will go to Microsoft.

The CMA came to the right conclusion that Microsoft is just making everyone their customer -- it's the opposite of encouraging competition.
Click to expand...
It is pro consumer and it would be good if this didn't have the 10 year thing and also pushed to all publishers. The publisher gets it's money when I buy a copy (license), the publisher shouldn't them be able to block me from using my license on something like geforce now.
 
D

Darsxx82

Member
LordCBH said:
The he EU sipping on that dumb juice. CMA came to the right conclusion.
Click to expand...

Ahh of course, how was that?

CADE are corrupt, no matter how well they argue, their decision is not valid.

Chile Commission? third world country. They don't even know how to read.

Japan? They don't know anything about Xbox, their decision is baseless.

Saudi Commission? country of terrorists its decision is invalid.

Other countries? they don't deserve to be mentioned...

EU Commission? they are fools sold to MS, let's celebrate Brexit... CMA is the example of a serious regulator because...

The question is who is being more irrational in their decision and, clearly, that here has been left only to the subjectivity of each one.
 
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James Sawyer Ford

James Sawyer Ford

Member
reksveks said:
"These licenses will ensure that gamers that have purchased one or more Activision games on a PC or console store, or that have subscribed to a multi-game subscription service that includes Activision games, have the right to stream those games with any cloud game streaming service of their choice and play them on any device using any operating system. The remedies also ensure that Activision's games available for streaming will have the same quality and content as games available for traditional download. "

You sign up for Gamepass, you get it on PS Now....?
Click to expand...

Sign up for GamePass

Play it free on PS plus

All proceeds of GamePass on PS Plus go to Microsoft…?

The CMA rightfully blocked this. It’s a logistical nightmare
 
tmlDan

tmlDan

Member
Darsxx82 said:
Ahh of course, how was that?

CADE are corrupt, no matter how well they argue, their decision is not valid.

Chile Commission? third world country. They don't even know how to read.

Japan? They don't know anything about Xbox, their decision is baseless.

Saudi Commission? country of terrorists Your decision is invalid.

Other countries? they don't deserve to be mentioned

EU Commission? they are fools sold to MS, let's celebrate Brexit... CMA is the example of a serious regulator because...

The question is who is being more irrational in their decision and, clearly, that here has been left only to the subjectivity of each one.
Click to expand...
I think the biggest differentiating factor in most of the markets that approved it is Sony's dominance in those markets. In the UK and the USA they are much closer than the rest of the world.

Japan saying yes immediately is because Xbox has literally no market share, im curious if it the same for the other approving markets
 
HoofHearted

HoofHearted

Member
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
2 out of 3 regulators that are essential for the deal said no. CMA is almost 100% block the deal even if the appeal (that will take years) will be approved. FTC hearings will only START in August. Let's assume Xbox/ATVI will somehow extend the deal, this will pause any sort of marketing activities in both companies for 2 to 3 years. I just can't see how this will work. Especially considering CAT, CMA and all that due dilligence.

So far, seems to me the deal is dead despite the OK from the smallest Wester market for Xbox. But nice koolaid for Xbox fans I guess.
Click to expand...
Well - this ultimately depends on if the FTC also aligns with same proposed remedies as called out in the EU response.
 
H

hlm666

Member
wolffy66 said:
This is just saying if you own the game(the license) you also own the right to play it via streaming if you own it on a service that offers game streaming. And that MS can't charge for the right to stream a game in addition to charging you to buy it.

So buy it on gforce and stream it on gforce for no additional money(to MS at least).

*I think*
Click to expand...
I think it's ment to be more universal, if you own a license you can use it on any streaming service. My reason for this is because you can't buy games on geforce now they send you to steam,ea app etc to buy it.
 
zapper

zapper

Member
from what I read, microsoft could remove the blizzard activision games from playstation as it would not be a harm to the competitor and to the market.
but then a user with the license of an acti blizz game could stream it from psplus tier 3? does it depend on sony or microosft at that point?
The proposed remedies don't seem to make much sense to me, but i'm not surprised by this ec
 
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HoofHearted

HoofHearted

Member
reksveks said:
"These licenses will ensure that gamers that have purchased one or more Activision games on a PC or console store, or that have subscribed to a multi-game subscription service that includes Activision games, have the right to stream those games with any cloud game streaming service of their choice and play them on any device using any operating system. The remedies also ensure that Activision's games available for streaming will have the same quality and content as games available for traditional download. "

You sign up for Gamepass, you get it on PS Now....?
Click to expand...

The way I read it - I think that they're proposing similar resolution like they did for digital rights to movies (streaming) as well.

i.e. - You purchase the license to the Activision game - you have the right to pull/use the the license on any streaming platform/provider. Depending on where you originally bought the license would dictate which cloud/streaming provider gets a "cut" of the initial sale.
 
mansoor1980

mansoor1980

Gold Member
Jim-Ryan-Discusses-His-Career-And-PlayStations-Future.jpg
 
dotnotbot

dotnotbot

Member
Darsxx82 said:
Ahh of course, how was that?

CADE are corrupt, no matter how well they argue, their decision is not valid.

Chile Commission? third world country. They don't even know how to read.

Japan? They don't know anything about Xbox, their decision is baseless.

Saudi Commission? country of terrorists its decision is invalid.

Other countries? they don't deserve to be mentioned...

EU Commission? they are fools sold to MS, let's celebrate Brexit... CMA is the example of a serious regulator because...

The question is who is being more irrational in their decision and, clearly, that here has been left only to the subjectivity of each one.
Click to expand...

EC came to the same conclusion as CMA when it comes to impact on the cloud market if we exclude remedies. So I think this throws the irrationality argument out of the window unless MS proves CMA's market definitions were fundamentally wrong.
 
H

hlm666

Member
reksveks said:
"These licenses will ensure that gamers that have purchased one or more Activision games on a PC or console store, or that have subscribed to a multi-game subscription service that includes Activision games, have the right to stream those games with any cloud game streaming service of their choice and play them on any device using any operating system. The remedies also ensure that Activision's games available for streaming will have the same quality and content as games available for traditional download. "

You sign up for Gamepass, you get it on PS Now... If Sony allows it obviously?
Click to expand...
oh gonna be a nightmare having to link all these accounts together.
 
gothmog

gothmog

Gold Member
James Sawyer Ford said:
Sign up for GamePass

Play it free on PS plus

All proceeds of GamePass on PS Plus go to Microsoft…?

The CMA rightfully blocked this. It’s a logistical nightmare
Click to expand...
Government and tech has always been a nightmare. Tech people will rarely say something can't be done when put on the stand. It means the government rarely gets a good picture around how expensive some of these remedies are.
 
HoofHearted

HoofHearted

Member
James Sawyer Ford said:
None of that is clear, and I doubt EC addresses this in the report

It allows MS full control over terms of the cloud market
Click to expand...

Depends on interpretation of what is the "cloud" market...

In this example - Cloud is simply a distribution channel - not related to the actual "sale" of the license/product.. - but as you've noted - need to see what is explicitly defined in the EC report..
 
W

wolffy66

Member
hlm666 said:
I think it's ment to be more universal, if you own a license you can use it on any streaming service. My reason for this is because you can't buy games on geforce now they send you to steam,ea app etc to buy it.
Click to expand...
That would probably bother the Gforce or whoever more than MS tho wouldn't it?
 
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