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
Not open for further replies.
TheThreadsThatBindUs said:
What is even the point of regulators when they just bend over and take it up the ass by trillion-dollar corporations when the deal is big enough?

How can they claim to be protecting the public interest and consumers? Honestly, it's a joke.

This is essentially unregulated capitalism where multi-billion dollar corporations have more power than governments. We're not in for a good time.
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Look at the FDA and pharma, this was expected. These agencies are captured and incapable of doing what they were designed to do.
 
howitis3 said:
There was no chance this wasn't going through.
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Considering that the FTC"s main argument was that it would hurt Sony's playerbase?

No shit.

The judge at one point literally went, "we arent here to help Sony, we are here to help the consumer" - and to which the focus was on COD, and MS's point was "we'll put it on nintendo also and now even more people can play"
 
splattered said:
Absolutely wild ride this has been... did NOT expect anything from the CMA so soon, especially not IMMEDIATELY. Insane!
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So, I feel inclined to defend my fellow UK lawyers. I see they've quickly gone from being heroes to paid off hacks.

I've said consistently over the past few months that their cloud argument and, in particular, their definition of market was on shaky ground. I just didn't find it compelling.

I wanted to see a vanilla competition action brought against the acquisition, that really considered whether or not this was a traditional vertical purchase. But that was already waived by the UK and EU.
 
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Antwix said:
You realize there's not a gun to people's head to pay for game pass right? You can indeed opt out of paying. Shocking I know. If a crazy price increase does indeed happen, you can just pay for 1 month every several months or so, play the games that interest you and move on.
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It isn't just the price increase. It's the big premise behind it that could potentially destroy the gaming industry.
 
splattered said:
Ok so now tell me... do you want Sony to attempt to negotiate a deal to keep Activision games on PS or not? Cause at this point especially now the clock is ticking...
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What I want is irrelevant. What are you even arguing there? It doesn't matter what Sony wants, either. The e-mails made it clear that Microsoft's goal is exclusivity. Because of course it is. That shouldn't even be surprising.
 
Not_A-Cop_Maybe said:
Considering that the FTC"s main argument was that it would hurt Sony's playerbase?

No shit.

The judge at one point literally went, "we arent here to help Sony, we are here to help the consumer" - and to which the focus was on COD, and MS's point was "we'll put it on nintendo also and now even more people can play"
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tbf, the lawyers on both sides and the judge were too ill informed on the gaming industry to be involved in this at all
 
zapper said:
I have read that they are negotiating behind the doors for remedies, which means they have already accepted. they basically don't want to make a fool of themselves in court like the ftc did, they will announce that they have found a solution in a few days
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I guess we will see. I think one way or the other this will all be over by next week. I don't think there is any deal extensions happening.
 
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intheinbetween said:
I can see that acquisition blocked by every regulatory body, after all UE is key for all of the gaming industry
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The precedent set is that anyone can do anything they want as long as the money is good...

If MS wanna do it or Sony want to they can. That is what this decision has set going forward.

Fully expect UE to be on the table, if not MS then Tencent is coming to get them
 
Wow, those Trending Topics on Twitter:

DV5c2oG.png
 
zapper said:
I have read that they are negotiating behind the doors for remedies, which means they have already accepted. they basically don't want to make a fool of themselves in court like the ftc did, they will announce that they have found a solution in a few days
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The UK process isn't anything like as adversarial as the US. It obviously can be, at the very final stage, but the iterative stages before that give the parties more than enough time to reach a resolution.
 
Aguero9320 said:
Exciting news for those who wanted this (me included), but there's no need for despair from the Sony fans - this will force them to be even better. Can only imagine the years ahead. Can't wait. Should end any questions of Microsoft leaving the industry too.

CMA's immediate climbdown is kind of amusing though, and a big loss for Jim Ryan, which I'm okay with... If you're not going to win, don't pick the fight. A bit of humble pie never hurt anyone long term.

Imagine being the person who initiates that transfer of funds?
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You're laughing now.... but this going to bite Microsoft in the ass.
 
Aguero9320 said:
Exciting news for those who wanted this (me included), but there's no need for despair from the Sony fans - this will force them to be even better. Can only imagine the years ahead. Can't wait. Should end any questions of Microsoft leaving the industry too.

CMA's immediate climbdown is kind of amusing though, and a big loss for Jim Ryan, which I'm okay with... If you're not going to win, don't pick the fight. A bit of humble pie never hurt anyone long term.

Imagine being the person who initiates that transfer of funds?
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Someone accidently puts in the wrong wire transfer number.
 
thicc_girls_are_teh_best said:
We could probably play it safe and say 50%. Now, what AI programs are being used to farm them out, is the question...
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at this rate the first page of bans is going to be entirely from this week soon enough and it's only Tuesday
foamdino said:
So - MS to acquire next publisher before close of 2023 - place your bets
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I mean they said back when this all started that they weren't going to stop with ABK so wouldn't shock me, the bigger question is how long before Sony reacts?
 
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DrFigs said:
I think this is clearly a huge loss for playstation and probably bad for gamers in general to lose a major publisher like this. But could be a silver lining that spurs some innovation (assuming Sony's response isn't just to buy more companies).
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Ms declares their goal to take playstation out of business and u still think the way to compete is innovation? The only way to compete now is money and 1 big publisher.
 
Unknown? said:
Look at the FDA and pharma, this was expected. These agencies are captured and incapable of doing what they were designed to do.
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I laughed when Pfizer get away with all their shit and suddenly they are saints after all the shits they pulled.

Now it is Microsoft who got the same treatement. This world is filled with so much oligarchy shit it is insane.
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
We live in a clown world where just a few years ago an exec says they want to spend Sony out of business and a US judge rules that this deal doesn't lessen competition or lead to a dark place where competition is lessened
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Old internal emails dont mean shit. Its not like that email was from just before the activision purchase even came up-its from 2019, and the intention was to say "we can afford to spend more now and be in a better position later". It was hyperbole. No way Sony ever gets pushed out of the gaming market. Its literally whats kept the company going in last few decades as tv, camera, electronic sales plateau.

Best example of this i can say is like a few years ago, when those Sony Movie studios emails got leaked where the head honchos literally shit on the other people in the industry and the people they hired to make their movies. That division is still making movies right?

people are making far too much about potential email strategies rather than the fact that both companies are trying to consolidate the market, albeit with MS making larger priced moves.
 
I'm not surprised, but it is disappointing. If the CMA agree to some half-baked concession from MS, the industry is going to consolidate even faster and things will continue to get worse.
 
SirTerry-T said:
That's true GHG. but to be fair there has also been certain elements of this thread that have been tarring all Xbox owners with the same brush.

Some of us like Gamepass and buying new releases :)

Still ..never a dull moment in this pastime these past few years.
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Nope, there are plenty of people I've had conversations and discussions with in this thread who are xbox fans through and through.

So anyone who happens to have been tarred with a particular "brush" only needs to look at their own behaviour and how they've conducted themselves across the forum.

Some people have lacked the necessary maturity and emotional stability to have logical and rational discussions in this thread (in amongst any fun that's happened during the quiter moments). They only have themselves to blame if they are no longer able to participate.
 
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