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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Banjo64 said:
Is there a link to this rumour and what it would look like? Is it just the 'selling cloud gaming rights for the UK' that was touted a couple of days ago or something else?
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I can't remember where I read it but it was just a rumour but sounded like a feasible solution, who knows?
 
poppabk said:
How does a UK startup innovate in cloud gaming to be number 1 when Sony has GoW, Spiderman, TLOU, Uncharted, Gran Tourismo, and MS has Gears, Halo, AoE, Forza Horizon, Forza Motorsport, FlightSim, and Activision has CoD, Diablo 4, WoW and Nintendo has Mario, Zelda etc?
The best chance they have is to have at least 10 years of CoD on their platform.
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Other than CoD, which games bring in 110m active players per month and generate that type of revenue and are an franchises with public visibility that is so well known throughout the world it is in a small list like Star Wars?
 
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HeisenbergFX4 said:
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So it's the same deal? I think that's a win-win for both sides.

Sony fought until they could and gave themselves the best chance of blocking it and still got the deal they were initially offered.
Microsoft got Sony to sign the deal and made it even easier for them to close the acquisition ahead of CMA's final order.
 
Ozriel said:
Feels really weird that you - sitting in your bedroom - plan to 'hold Microsoft accountable' for an acquisition made with their own cash.

On what basis? You're a major Microsoft shareholder?

The key metric will be significantly expanded revenues at their earnings calls. Not exactly rocket science.
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But this purchase will obviously come with increased levels of expenses too. I maybe wrong but didnt a MS exec say that they are looking for the Xbox brand to match their other divisions will it comes profits?
MidGenRefresh said:
So exactly what happened to film and music entertainment industry?
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Have you heard about the latest strike in Hollywood?

feynoob said:
Gaming will be like that soon. People can deny as much as they want to, but it's coming. These publisher, even Sony included wants to maximize their sales. Streaming allows them to do that. They basically controll their content.
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You don't think gaming is going streaming only do you?

RedC said:
It's apparent you haven't fully grasped Microsoft's overall goals in gaming.

So let's continue to reduce it to console sales and completely miss the whole point.
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And it's apparent you don't seem to understand that consoles gaming is a pillar that means a lot to MS. And the better they do there the more revenue and profit they will receive.
 
Negotiator101 said:
This PS contract is not about appeasing the CMA (although it can't hurt). The way the CMA has reacted after the FTC failure and now Sony signing a deal they never wanted to sign. Shows Microsoft have satisfied the CMA behind closed doors for now, and are just waiting to make it official.

You honestly think Spencer would announce that PS have signed with such bullish wording as "following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard". Seriously give up the ghost mate 🤣
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You are wrong, the CMA hasn't reacted to anything other than fake projected news by shills around their position, hence why they tweeted their block still remains, and the probe will take 6weeks past the 18th of July.
 
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PaintTinJr said:
You are wrong, the CMA hasm't reacted to anything other than fake projected news by shills around their position, hence why they tweeted their block still remains, and the probe will take 6weeks past the 18th of July.
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I'll be very surprised if it takes that long.
 
havoc00 said:
Dude after covid, even like 2 years seems like an eternity who the F knows what could happen in 10
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nuclear explosion GIF
 
Topher said:
I still think comparisons of game streaming to movie/music are faulty. If/when game streaming becomes indistinguishable from local gaming no matter where you are then perhaps those comparisons would make more sense, but as things are the game streaming experience is highly dependent on location relative to the datacenter whereas music and movies just need relatively decent bandwidth. Because of this, I think installation of games to local devices will remain an option for quite some time even as game streaming eventually becomes a popular option alongside.
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People don't seem to understand that we humans have been "streaming" music, tv shows, and movies for decades. It's called radio and terrestrial TV. And then cable TV. The only thing that's changed is the delivery method (the internet).

But practically speaking the end user is still getting the same result. That's not the same for gaming like you're saying.
 
Negotiator101 said:
This PS contract is not about appeasing the CMA (although it can't hurt). The way the CMA has reacted after the FTC failure and now Sony signing a deal they never wanted to sign. Shows Microsoft have satisfied the CMA behind closed doors for now, and are just waiting to make it official.

You honestly think Spencer would announce that PS have signed with such bullish wording as "following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard". Seriously give up the ghost mate 🤣
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If this PS deal includes stuff about PS Plus, it will help MS with the CMA. Otherwise, since the CMA had dropped the console SLC, theoretically they can still block the acquisition because of Cloud (although the chances seem very low).

And I don't think MS has satisfied the CMA yet. The CMA will review their new offer, and that's why they took the 6 weeks period. If MS had satisfied the CMA, the CMA would have announced their revised decision before July 18, as there is (albeit a small) risk that after July 18, ABK could walk away.

To eliminate that risk, MS would have insisted the CMA to announce their decision before July 18. I think the CMA has yet to review it but will likely accept it.
 
PaintTinJr said:
Other than CoD, which games bring in 110m active players per month and generate that type of revenue and are an franchises with public visibility that is so well known throughout the world it is in a small list like Star Wars?
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And those innovative start-ups don't have access to CoD and actually have to compete aginst soneone who does if Activision remains 3rd party. With the sale they have access for 10 years to this huge IP with massive visibility and huge numbers of active players.
 
PaintTinJr said:
I still don't think ATVI are extending past July 18th, but the fake news shill side of the deal is so effective, I'm only working from the CMA news tweets, now.
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They may ask for more money but I think they will stay because it seems like MS is on the finishing line.

If the CMA 6-week extension did not happen, ABK could be looking at an uncertain period that could be extended up to 4-6 months. In that case, ABK would have likely walked away.

But right now they just need to see out 6 weeks, which is quite reasonable from their POV.
 
PaintTinJr said:
I still don't think ATVI are extending past July 18th, but the fake news shill side of the deal is so effective, I'm only working from the CMA news tweets, now.
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There seems to be a pre-emptive clause in the original contract that allows them to extend the deadline without shareholder approval (which is key given the current timing and circumstances surrounding this). So it looks like there will be an extension without any resistance if it's necessary.
 
PaintTinJr said:
That makes no difference. rebuilding xcloud is absolutely nothing to a multi trillion dollar company, and them focusing on the UK only doesn't fix the SLC for future UK startups, as it would need to be world wide, and because they still get the library, it effectively still means it is a behavioural remedy which Microsoft will just take fines over to breach. The CMA can't accept that offer against the legality of the 500page report they have produced, and they can't rewrite that report without looking like liars.

For this deal to still go through we are at the WMDs weapons inspector report situation before the war in Irag. I not saying it won't go through, I'm saying it only goes through if the CMA and CAT break the law.
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It's clear that incredible pressures were made and CMA was forced to give the whole thing an other shot. FTC losing their battle was a triggering point.
Ideally they should have confirmed the block in their final order and they should have faced the appeal. Instead they acted so scared unless they could delay the whole thing until October.
Imo they will find a compromise, Microsoft will have to give up their cloud ambitions in the UK and the deal will pass.
It's legal and CMA can still claim they got what they wanted.
 
mckmas8808 said:
And it's apparent you don't seem to understand that consoles gaming is a pillar that means a lot to MS. And the better they do there the more revenue and profit they will receive.
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I definitely understand that console gaming is an important variable within the full equation of Xbox's ambitions, but it is only one variable among multiple variables that Microsoft is investing in further expanding and growing Xbox into more gaming markets with the goal of ultimately generating more overall net profit than their competitors.
 
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Elios83 said:
It's clear that incredible pressures were made and CMA was forced to give the whole thing an other shot. FTC losing their battle was a triggering point.
Ideally they should have confirmed the block in their final order and they should have faced the appeal. Instead they acted so scared unless they could delay the whole thing until October.
Imo they will find a compromise, Microsoft will have to give up their cloud ambitions in the UK and the deal will pass.
It's legal and CMA can still claim they got what they wanted.
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Actually the section 41(3) demanded that the CMA reviews any deal the parties submit claiming as "material changes." The CMA legally had no option.

Microsoft was really smart at invoking that section. Probably their best move, especially in terms of timing, since Jan. 2022.
 
How likely is it that a future COD launch looks like this?

PS5 - Call Of Duty $79.99

Xbox - Call Of Duty + 7 day early access, 6 exclusive maps, 4 exclusive weapons, free battle pass, exclusive skins - $79.99 (Free for Game Pass subscribers)
 
mckmas8808 said:
But practically speaking the end user is still getting the same result. That's not the same for gaming like you're saying.
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That's not the goal of streaming. It's about replacing the current system and removing any concept of ownership. It just has to be good enough so that people still play and buy the MTX.
 
kiryani said:
How likely is it that a future COD launch looks like this?

PS5 - Call Of Duty $79.99

Xbox - Call Of Duty + 7 day early access, 6 exclusive maps, 4 exclusive weapons, free battle pass, exclusive skins - $79.99 (Free for Game Pass subscribers)
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Extremely low, I think. Doing so will go against Microsoft's claims and promises and (I think) deals. They ensured complete parity both in terms of content and release dates.
 
poppabk said:
And those innovative start-ups don't have access to CoD and actually have to compete aginst soneone who does if Activision remains 3rd party. With the sale they have access for 10 years to this huge IP with massive visibility and huge numbers of active players.
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ATVI currently don't offer CoD in the cloud for a sub cost, only buy to play with an additional cloud processing sub like GeforceNow AFAIK. So, no those startups aren't competing with an incumbent cloud provider like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc that also owns CoD, so your point is moot.
 
Heisenberg007 said:
If this PS deal includes stuff about PS Plus, it will help MS with the CMA. Otherwise, since the CMA had dropped the console SLC, theoretically they can still block the acquisition because of Cloud (although the chances seem very low).

And I don't think MS has satisfied the CMA yet. The CMA will review their new offer, and that's why they took the 6 weeks period. If MS had satisfied the CMA, the CMA would have announced their revised decision before July 18, as there is (albeit a small) risk that after July 18, ABK could walk away.

To eliminate that risk, MS would have insisted the CMA to announce their decision before July 18. I think the CMA has yet to review it but will likely accept it.
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Ultimately we are both thinking the same outcome so its irrelevant how and when if they reach the same conclusion. I'm of the opinion CMA have given Microsoft the unofficial nod of approval given how events have panned out.
 
Negotiator101 said:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microso...-rights-to-get-activision-blizzard-deal-done/
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Yeah, will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Bloomberg's story, citing unnamed sources, claims Microsoft is considering selling its cloud gaming rights in the UK to a third-party company.

The CMA will review it in detail, and we'll see if it negates every concern. I personally think there could be a way around this without divesting CoD, it's just that Microsoft have to put together a pretty open remedy.
 
kiryani said:
How likely is it that a future COD launch looks like this?

PS5 - Call Of Duty $79.99

Xbox - Call Of Duty + 7 day early access, 6 exclusive maps, 4 exclusive weapons, free battle pass, exclusive skins - $79.99 (Free for Game Pass subscribers)
Click to expand...

Free battlepass definitely not gonna happen. They want to earn money. Even MS has its limits when it comes to eating up costs.
 
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Elios83 said:
It's clear that incredible pressures were made and CMA was forced to give the whole thing an other shot. FTC losing their battle was a triggering point.
Ideally they should have confirmed the block in their final order and they should have faced the appeal. Instead they acted so scared unless they could delay the whole thing until October.
Imo they will find a compromise, Microsoft will have to give up their cloud ambitions in the UK and the deal will pass.
It's legal and CMA can still claim they got what they wanted.
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No, that is all still projection, which is exactly why they have stated their block remains.

They are legally required to entertain options that resolve matters without litigation. It is just logical, not forced
 
kiryani said:
How likely is it that a future COD launch looks like this?

PS5 - Call Of Duty $79.99

Xbox - Call Of Duty + 7 day early access, 6 exclusive maps, 4 exclusive weapons, free battle pass, exclusive skins - $79.99 (Free for Game Pass subscribers)
Click to expand...
You're doing parroty. They'll get parity.
 
kiryani said:
How likely is it that a future COD launch looks like this?

PS5 - Call Of Duty $79.99

Xbox - Call Of Duty + 7 day early access, 6 exclusive maps, 4 exclusive weapons, free battle pass, exclusive skins - $79.99 (Free for Game Pass subscribers)
Click to expand...

Gamepass day 1 from 2024 onward is good enough for me, don't need or care about battle pass shit.
 
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mckmas8808 said:
People don't seem to understand that we humans have been "streaming" music, tv shows, and movies for decades. It's called radio and terrestrial TV. And then cable TV. The only thing that's changed is the delivery method (the internet).
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That's actually a fantastic point.
 
Banjo64 said:
Yeah, will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Bloomberg's story, citing unnamed sources, claims Microsoft is considering selling its cloud gaming rights in the UK to a third-party company.

The CMA will review it in detail, and we'll see if it negates every concern. I personally think there could be a way around this without divesting CoD, it's just that Microsoft have to put together a pretty open remedy.
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Selling cloud rights basically satisfies CMA concerns.
If they do it like Spiderman, it will be terrific for CMA.
 
PaintTinJr said:
No, that is all still projection, which is exactly why they have stated their block remains.

They are legally required to entertain options that resolve matters without litigation. It is just logical, not forced
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We'll see what happens.
Do you think that if Microsoft gives up on the cloud gaming market in the UK and they only license games to other cloud providers there, no loopholes allowed, CMA is still going to block this?
I doubt it.
If it happens it will be the final twist in this whole ordeal but the chance imo is very low.
 
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