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 .
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Dr_Ifto said:
He sounds like someone who has been in a courtroom before. He is very short and brief. Not giving more info than asked.
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So far Jimbo is really hammering on the point that next-gen HW features that Sony innovates will be at risk if MS acquires ABK, and ABK is still releasing their games on PlayStation. And PS will not be their main focus.

____

Phil's agreement offer to Jim Ryan.

Did you express these concerns to him? About ABK content availability on PS?

Yes.

A proposed letter agreement attached.

page 007 - Exhibit A to the agreement. Game Titles. (redacted). "In your view, does this agreement adequately address your concern about ABK content availability on PS after acquisition?"

No.

Prior to the agreement, did you two negotiate? No. I just received this email.

Another email b/w Phil and Jim. "Followup"

Second para >> "When we last spoke on April 28, 2022, we proposed a counter-offer."

Another email >> Microsoft's commitment for ABK content on PS. (May 26, 2022). to Mr. Spencer.

"Two fundamental principles: (1) commitment of availability of COD and other ABK games on PlayStation, and (2)

Jim said it was not an adequate list of games (in Phil's attached email). It was a particular selection of older titles (e.g., Overwatch, but Overwatch 2 was not on that list).

Is it important to have future ABK games on PlayStation? Yes.

Why? ABK has a very strong portfolio of games. Some have more value than other. like COD. Many of the Blizzard games, e.g., OW2, Diablo 4, are two other good examples.
 
thicc_girls_are_teh_best said:
You do realize that in the US market, where this case is taking place, he's kind of correct? Even in the XBO gen, MS were pretty close with PS4 sales in the US market.

Even this gen, they had a few months where they led and other months where they weren't far off from PS5. Although a lot of that could be attributable to lack of supply on Sony's part, it still holds true.
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While Xbox is strong in the US, I would not consider them comparable in demand. Sony definitely is much more demanded console, Its just that microsfot competes better here than many other countries.
 
ABK releases unique games every year that nothing have anything like in the gaming industry. Annual iterations of major franchise, for example. The devs and publishers build iteratively on previous versions of the game. ABK makes new games every year. so ABK situation is very different.

"Unavailability of ABK will be very bad for PS consumers."

Why?

"I believe that MS intends to use Call of Duty to disadvantage PlayStation in terms of availability or the manner it is made. And to drive PS gamers to the Xbox platform, specifically Game Pass."

What result would that lead to?

"The critical feature of gaming consoles in terms of its attractiveness to people who make games is to have an installed base." "If many people switch from PS to Xbox ..."

Will that hurt gamers?

"most certainly."
 
Heisenberg007 said:
ABK releases unique games every year that nothing have anything like in the gaming industry. Annual iterations of major franchise, for example. The devs and publishers build iteratively on previous versions of the game. ABK makes new games every year. so ABK situation is very different.

"Unavailability of ABK will be very bad for PS consumers."

Why?

"I believe that MS intends to use Call of Duty to disadvantage PlayStation in terms of availability or the manner it is made. And to drive PS gamers to the Xbox platform, specifically Game Pass."

What result would that lead to?

"The critical feature of gaming consoles in terms of its attractiveness to people who make games is to have an installed base." "If many people switch from PS to Xbox ..."

Will that hurt gamers?

"most certainly."
Click to expand...
Hurt PlayStation players yes but as a PC gamers not at all.
 
FritzJ92 said:
While Xbox is strong in the US, I would not consider them comparable in demand. Sony definitely is much more demanded console, Its just that microsfot competes better here than many other countries.
Click to expand...

So basically you're saying they're comparable in demand, in the way in which demand can directly be measured, i.e console sales in the given market?

On more specific terms I'd agree with you that PS has a good lot more demand than Xbox even in the US, but obviously Jim Ryan is only going to acknowledge demand in terms of sales in the market and the sales leave room to say that demand is comparable. Even if this gen in particular, it's quite higher for PS and sales have been showing that for the past 8-12 months I'd argue (though also keep in mind, Jim Ryan is referring to PS & Xbox going back to XBO, even 360 gen I'm sure).
 
It seems that the MS proposal that Jim did not find adequate did not refer to the years of availability of COD on PS consoles but that they considered it inadequate because of the number of other Activision games that MS offered....
 
"Were you concerned about the transaction in Jan. 2022?"

"At that point my understanding was that we'll come to an arrangement."

Phil later sent that email, very generalized terms.

Around May 2022, Jim still thought that an agreement could be reached.

The thing that caused the major concern was an August 26, 2022 email from Phil. "That was the significant factor, yes." (Before that? "I wasn't particularly happy about the transaction, but I was hopeful*." (para)

Is this transaction bad for competition? "Yes."
 
Just so I have this clear... Jim says it's imperative that Playstation and Xbox have the exact same version on the exact same date.

This is the same company that has had exclusive missions locked for a year. They also don't want to give Microsoft dev kits for future versions.
 
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