Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard King for $69 Billion on 2023-10-13

[mr magoo]

If Windows was Sony OS they would release game day one but this is not their ecosystem. I don't have a gaming PC and I want to buy a PS5 when Starfield won't release I can't buy it. Less people will be able to play Zenimax games this is the reality. This is life and my choice. What Sony do is very different they don't take multiplatform IP and made them exclusive. They buy studio and let them make new IP or Sony IP(like Ratchet and Clank).

"If Windows was Sony OS they would release game day one but this is not their ecosystem."

True but this is not msft fault.

"I don't have a gaming PC and I want to buy a PS5 when Starfield won't release I can't buy it."
"Less people will be able to play Zenimax games this is the reality."

Somewhat true, most people do, and you will be able xcloud to play it without a gaming pc. You are not limited by supply chain constraints. Xbox series X is not the only platform it will be available. And you dont have to wait 10 years until it comes to PC. That is my point, it will not be limited to just one platform. That's why fewer people will be able to play it, is not entirely true.
From all possible companies that could buy ABK or zenimax msft is less intrusive, because even if it will be limited to xboxes, pcs and xcloud this is still a far greater platform choice if Nintendo bought them or sony. And day one release as well.

 

[chris1515]

"If Windows was Sony OS they would release game day one but this is not their ecosystem."

True but this is not msft fault.

"I don't have a gaming PC and I want to buy a PS5 when Starfield won't release I can't buy it."
"Less people will be able to play Zenimax games this is the reality."

Somewhat true, most people do, and you will be able xcloud to play it without a gaming pc. You are not limited by supply chain constraints. Xbox series X is not the only platform it will be available. And you dont have to wait 10 years until it comes to PC. That is my point, it will not be limited to just one platform. That's why fewer people will be able to play it, is not entirely true.
From all possible companies that could buy ABK or zenimax msft is less intrusive, because even if it will be limited to xboxes, pcs and xcloud this is still a far greater platform choice if Nintendo bought them or sony. And day one release as well.

There will be no PS game releasing 10 years later from Playstation to PC. Game will release between 1 to 3 years later on PC depending of the commercial success of the game on PS console and sometimes before like TLOU Part 1 because they need the PC version to release asap because of the TV show. I don't use cloud gaming PS plus premium or xcloud or Amazon Luna or the now defunct Stadia and I don't want to do it before I have no choice and I am not the only one.

 

[mr magoo]

There will be no PS game releasing 10 years later from Playstation to PC. Game will release between 1 to 3 years later on PC depending of the commercial success of the game on PS console and sometimes before like TLOU Part 1 because they need the PC version to release asap because of the TV show. I don't use cloud gaming PS plus premium or xcloud or Amazon Luna or the now defunct Stadia and I don't want to do it before I have no choice and I am not the only one.

Still one to 3 years ( and in some cases later or never) is not day one. And if you ever acquire device that is able to run google chrome so you will be able to play it without buying PC.
I don't want to buy PS5 but i don't have choice, no one can guarantee that all titles will come to PC. Most people have PC at home, its like phone these days.

 

[chris1515]

Still one to 3 years ( and in some cases later or never) is not day one. And if you ever acquire device that is able to run google chrome so you will be able to play it without buying PC.
I don't want to buy PS5 but i don't have choice, no one can guarantee that all titles will come to PC. Most people have PC at home, its like phone these days.

Again I don't play cloud service Xcloud, PS premium or Amazon Luna aren't a choice for me and from now on all games will release on PC, they said it. We can take a bet because it is some money lost for Sony if it was not the case. Sony live service game like the Guerrilla Games Horizon Monster Hunter like game will release day one on PC because they need to have the biggest audience possible.

Some games will arrive later like TLOU2 or Ghost of Tsushima but they were developed before Sony began to develop on PC and they will release them when the season 2 TLOU TV show will release or around the moment Ghost of Tsushima movie will release.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1603752192166469634

EDIT: And I will repeat I don't care about Xcloud and cloud gaming this is not a choice for me. If I want a game I play it on console.

 

[mr magoo]

Again I don't play cloud service Xcloud, PS premium or Amazon Luna aren't a choice for me and from now on all games will release on PC, they said it. We can take a bet because it is some money lost for Sony if it was not the case. Sony live service game like the Guerrilla Games Horizon Monster Hunter like game will release day one on PC because they need to have the biggest audience possible.

Some games will arrive later like TLOU2 or Ghost of Tsushima but they were developed before Sony began to develop on PC and they will release them when the season 2 TLOU TV show will release or around the moment Ghost of Tsushima movie will release.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1603752192166469634

EDIT: And I will repeat I don't care about Xcloud and cloud gaming this is not a choice for me.

You see its not a CHOICE for you. And that's fine. This is not really exclusivity as i see it (and you can disagree with me) when you have a choice. Yes yes, the games will come, eventually or not.

Demon Souls relase date November 12, 2020. Still waiting, its not day one.

"Sony live service game like the Guerrilla Games Horizon Monster Hunter like game will release day one on PC because they need to have the biggest audience possible."

Yes some service style games will be relased on PC day one. ALL ZeniMax games will be relased on PC day one. ALL.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

They tried to follow the template of Sony, however through brand loyalty and other factors, they were not successful in doing so.

XB360 proves otherwise. MS competed and was an equal player. In terms of profit for that generation, MS probably even beat Sony.

One singular instance of this was Tomb Raider exclusivity and the outcry it caused.

OMG! This again?! The devil is and always was in the details. MS buying a multiplatform into exclusivity (and not communicating it was timed) and meeting outcries does not prove they were unable to compete fairly. Look at the numerous examples of MS buying 2nd party exclusivity - Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Sunset Overdrive, etc - without fan backlash. When they competed the same as Sony (and standard industry practice), they got the same public reaction as Sony (no complaining). The only time MS have hit massive backlash is when they've done things differently that the public considered unfair, which sometimes is just a matter of scale - society is probably not going to react the same to you shop-lifting a $10 hoodie as burgling $500,000 of jewellery from a store as a difference in scale of the crime. A girl won't respond the same to you giving her a stick of gum as giving her a diamond necklace due to the scale of the giving.

XB360 generation - MS introduced a good product, populated it with quality exclusives made in house and commissioned second party titles, same as console have done since consoles began, and they competed on a level footing. they also innovated Kinect and gave the market a product with massive appeal. This clearly illustrates there's nothing holding MS back except their business choices. eg. This gen, the smart move to introduce the XBSS enables them to reach a wider audience than just the high-end console and MS is selling consoles at about the same rate as Sony; they're not struggling in any way. MS don't need extra support to compete 'fairly' with Sony. They have proven themselves able to compete fairly. They just need to create a product and library and set of services. Buying up massive quantities of talent is a short-cut enabled by excesses of cash which 1) cannot be competed with fairly by any other company, certainly not Sony nor Nintendo, and 2) creates an arms race of studio acquisitions which is worse for all gamers as then they have to either miss out on half of games or buy two consoles at gross waste.

We had just moved into a new era of cross-platform libraries where less games were missed because of platform exclusivity. Moving more studios under one platform is a complete backwards step.

But regardless of view on the acquisition, it's bonkers to argue against the evidence that MS struggle to compete with Sony when they've had plenty of success and continue to do so without the need for massive acquisitions.

 

[chris1515]

You see its not a CHOICE for you. And that's fine. This is not really exclusivity as i see it (and you can disagree with me) when you have a choice. Yes yes, the games will come, eventually or not.

Demon Souls relase date November 12, 2020. Still waiting, its not day one.

"Sony live service game like the Guerrilla Games Horizon Monster Hunter like game will release day one on PC because they need to have the biggest audience possible."

Yes some service style games will be relased on PC day one. ALL ZeniMax games will be relased on PC day one. ALL.

And it release less then than three years before if it doesn't release in 2023 on PC you can complain and funny if I remember well it was part of the Nvidia leak like Returnal.

Again PS platform is probably around 98 or 99% of SIE revenue not the PC and most of it is not from first party title but from third party royaties on microtransactions and game sales. This is good for consumer Sony release game on PC later because they battle with Steam or Epic Games store for this royalties. They could do like before and keep everything on their own ecosytem.

Again if MS didn't buy Zenimax I could play it as as I like on my PS5, MS took a choice from me.

 

[mr magoo]

And it release less then than three years before if it doesn't release in 2023 on PC you can complain and funny if I remember well it was part of the Nvidia leak like Returnal.

Again PS platform is probably around 98 or 99% of SIE revenue not the PC and most of it is not from first party title but from third party royaties on microtransactions and game sales. This is good for consumer Sony release game on PC later because they battle with Steam or Eic Games store for this royalties. They could do like before and keep everything on their own ecosytem.

Again if MS didn't buy Zenimax I could play it as as I like on my PS5, MS took a choice from me.

I see your point, and understand that may cause pain. I think this is my view of what exclusivity means. I am as much pc gamer as a console gamer. This means nothing to me. But not everybody is in the same position.

 

[chris1515]

XB360 proves otherwise. MS competed and was an equal player. In terms of profit for that generation, MS probably even beat Sony.

OMG! This again?! The devil is and always was in the details. MS buying a multiplatform into exclusivity (and not communicating it was timed) and meeting outcries does not prove they were unable to compete fairly. Look at the numerous examples of MS buying 2nd party exclusivity - Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Sunset Overdrive, etc - without fan backlash. When they competed the same as Sony (and standard industry practice), they got the same public reaction as Sony (no complaining). The only time MS have hit massive backlash is when they've done things differently that the public considered unfair, which sometimes is just a matter of scale - society is probably not going to react the same to you shop-lifting a $10 hoodie as burgling $500,000 of jewellery from a store as a difference in scale of the crime. A girl won't respond the same to you giving her a stick of gum as giving her a diamond necklace due to the scale of the giving.

XB360 generation - MS introduced a good product, populated it with quality exclusives made in house and commissioned second party titles, same as console have done since consoles began, and they competed on a level footing. they also innovated Kinect and gave the market a product with massive appeal. This clearly illustrates there's nothing holding MS back except their business choices. eg. This gen, the smart move to introduce the XBSS enables them to reach a wider audience than just the high-end console and MS is selling consoles at about the same rate as Sony; they're not struggling in any way. MS don't need extra support to compete 'fairly' with Sony. They have proven themselves able to compete fairly. They just need to create a product and library and set of services. Buying up massive quantities of talent is a short-cut enabled by excesses of cash which 1) cannot be competed with fairly by any other company, certainly not Sony nor Nintendo, and 2) creates an arms race of studio acquisitions which is worse for all gamers as then they have to either miss out on half of games or buy two consoles at gross waste.

We had just moved into a new era of cross-platform libraries where less games were missed because of platform exclusivity. Moving more studios under one platform is a complete backwards step.

But regardless of view on the acquisition, it's bonkers to argue against the evidence that MS struggle to compete with Sony when they've had plenty of success and continue to do so without the need for massive acquisitions.

I think you are wrong they continue to be behind less than before because of Sony stock problem. Even Brad Smith admit they are behind in consoles sales.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1603923050386575361

 

[chris1515]

A WSJ article about the Microsoft defense against FTC if it goes to the court.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1604125544647467008

 

[Jay]

I think it's less to do with the OS and more about the store/launcher.
Although in the future they may release day one if they have a PS launcher.
Right now they see it as they can drive console sales and make money off the back end from PC.

 

[Nesh]

Yes but we were talking about that in the context of msft buying Zenimax (wich is now msft first-party studio, like insomniac or santa monica) and those games being xbox exclusives, what was suggested, will result in fewer gamers having access to those titles. My point is those are not exclusives like sony exclusives. Those titles will be available day one on other platforms and some of them do not even require you to own a physical unit (like xbox console). That's all. I am fully aware of Sony different strategies for attracting customers.

But what you are describing is another indication that the acquisition is actually more anticompetitive. Zenimax and Activision were releasing their games on all platforms day 1. The acquisition means that many games will seize appearing on Sony's platforms altogether. You are describing the fact that MS owns Windows and XBOX, it shows that their ecosystem is actually unimaginably far larger than Sony's, which is in support why these studios must remain multiplatform, and why Sony's exclusives from their own studios are excused for being exclusive or not being day 1 on PC, and that, unlike MS's purchases, Sony's offers are largely an addition to the market instead of a limitation in accessibility.

 

[Nesh]

I think you are wrong they continue to be behind less than before because of Sony stock problem. Even Brad Smith admit they are behind in consoles sales.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1603923050386575361

It is very likely they are comparing the install base using PS4 and One's as well in the market share numbers they are describing

 

[SmooTh]

.

 

[chris1515]

It is very likely they are comparing the install base using PS4 and One's as well in the market share numbers they are describing

This is possible too.

 

[iroboto]

I mention this because - as someone, I think Shifty said - Microsoft seem to be fighting for public opinion. And that absolutely does not matter, because pubic opinion won't change regulators minds. It almost feels like Microsoft have already accepted defeat and and setting up a narrative should the deal not go though.

I think narrative may actually be playing a factor here. More union's seem to be piling onto this one, which, honestly I didn't see happening. For the US that's a pretty big deal, unions are pretty heavily opposed to there, I think in some ways it may have an effect on the proceedings. Also, in the EC/EU, they have been asking for another digital store on mobile other than android and apple, and MS has come out to say that this deal will be pivotable in their building of a 3rd store (whether that is just bS or whatever). And I don't know if the regulatory body looking for more digital stores, is the same one that is looking at their case. So having some of this cross public talk may have some effects behind the scene.

Though I agree with you, that MS will not be granted any sympathy given their company size. The reality is, with their funds, they should have been able to do better than this. Something is greatly wrong in terms of their directions/management for their first party. Delays upon delays, and just often swings and misses.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I think you are wrong they continue to be behind less than before because of Sony stock problem. Even Brad Smith admit they are behind in consoles sales.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1603923050386575361

Pretty sure they are counting last gen as well. Multiple times MS have PR'd that they've outsold Sony in NA some period this year...

Xbox sales beat PS5 for Microsoft's best start to the year since the Xbox 360

Microsoft has enjoyed its best non-Christmas sales quarter ever, with the Xbox outselling the PS5 in the West for the last three months.

metro.co.uk

​

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella was so pleased he proclaimed that, ‘We are the market leader this quarter among the next gen consoles in the United States, Canada, the UK, and western Europe’, while adding that Xbox had increased its market share for two quarters in a row now.​

Xbox Series X has outsold PS5 for three quarters in a row in US says Microsoft

Despite a decline in sales, Xbox has just posted its second best fourth quarter ever, as Xbox Cloud Gaming also proves a hit.

metro.co.uk

According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the company has ‘sold more consoles life to date than any previous generation of Xbox and have been the market leader in North America for three quarters in a row among next gen consoles.’

That's better than XB360 that was an equal player versus PS3

MS of course doesn't provide sell-through so we don't really know, but sales aren't bad and XBSS's lower price is seeing accelerating sales.

 

[iroboto]

It is very likely they are comparing the install base using PS4 and One's as well in the market share numbers they are describing

When regulators went to block Facebook and Giphy.
This is what they are referring to when it comes to downstream and upstream impacts. Activision only represents 5-10% of the market. MS will only represent 10-20% after the merger, about the size of EA or Nintendo in upstream.

Microsoft filing with UK antitrust authority CMA indicates Fortnite on Xbox Cloud Gaming hasn't taken off, largely because of Apple and Google: Activision Blizzard merger review

Competition regulators in various jurisdictions are reviewing Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Earlier today I already w...

www.fosspatents.com

Look carefully at the percentages here for Giphy and Facebook.

Compare this to MS and the 3rd party market.

 

[iroboto]

MS of course doesn't provide sell-through so we have to use unofficial estimates, but these aren't a 70:30 split, and XBSS's lower price is seeing accelerating sales.

I don't' think the sales are actually accelerating, that would imply demand is increasing. The demand curve is likely the same. They are trying to meet revenue goals for the quarter, and being as behind as they were, they just offloaded as much stock as possible to make it. They would rather much be in Sony's position of not having to discount and to just sell them out anyway.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I mention this because - as someone, I think Shifty said - Microsoft seem to be fighting for public opinion. And that absolutely does not matter, because pubic opinion won't change regulators minds. It almost feels like Microsoft have already accepted defeat and and setting up a narrative should the deal not go though.

Here's the thing though. The FTC is also heavily fighting for public opinion since they don't have a case for stopping the acquistion. Public opinion and stall tactics are the only weapons they have in this case.

Everything they are doing is throwing things against a wall hoping either [1] MS just gives up even though they know the FTC doesn't have a case or [2] public opinion will swing in the FTC's favor (with help from a relatively clueless media) so much that Federal court judges will somehow be pressured into ruling in their favor despite the law clearly not applying to this case.

At least MS' attempts at countering the FTC's public favor bid puts forth compelling evidence that they are operating not only well within the bounds of the law (at least in the US), but that they are also being very generous to their competition and the FTC, in fact it can easily be argued that they are being overly generous.

Labor is one of the pillars that Lina Khan is fighting for and they very quickly struck a legally binding agreement with the CWA. Not just words, a legally binding agreement on paper. Likewise with their 10 year offers to Sony, Valve, and Nintendo.

All of those were legally binding agreements on paper. Well, Valve declined the contract because Gabe Newell trusts Microsoft and because MS has treated Steam quite well since Phil took over. And Sony, of course, also declined the contract because they want to keep their COD exclusivity of content (speculation since Sony didn't give a reason for declining such a generous contract).

Regards,
SB