From the same producers of Brexit, Hoven ready, and UK - Australia Deal!
Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard King for $69 Billion on 2023-10-13
- Thread starter Rangers
- Start date
From the same producers of Brexit, Hoven ready, and UK - Australia Deal!
Big games that require a lot of online players will be on all platforms. Single player games or games that need a smaller install base of players will be xbox/pc exclusive. For everything that releases on all platforms, xbox will be the best console platform to play it on. Now that can come in the form of betas/ more betas than other platforms, exclusive content like skin packs or any other myriad of stuff. For things like COD don't expect it to happen over night, it will take years as MS slowly makes the xbox console version the best console version through those means. But it will happen eventually
arandomguy
Veteran
But I don't believe we know all the details of the 10 year agreement? I believe Sony's concern wasn't really limited to CoD being exclusive, but actually that it would remain multiplatform except worst for PlayStation either via the quality of the game, content, or things such as a higher price on the PlayStation. For all we know the terms of this agreement have provisions in there to essentially prevent this tease/poison pill type strategy.
In terms of the length I think one of importance here is by extending it out to years compared to the original 2027 date is that it removes ambiguity surrounding the launch of the next generation of consoles. And launch marketing/messaging is a very strong factor due to the importance of initial inertia for every generation.
There is no way equal quality is built into an agreement targetting hardware that doesn't exist yet.
The Xbox version is going to become the target platform and PS fans will need to deal with it. However it doesn't benefit MS to go through the trouble of porting to PS a version that is crap. If ps6 xbox seriesY are as similar as 5 and x then expect the ps6 version will be fine.
The Xbox version is going to become the target platform and PS fans will need to deal with it. However it doesn't benefit MS to go through the trouble of porting to PS a version that is crap. If ps6 xbox seriesY are as similar as 5 and x then expect the ps6 version will be fine.
arandomguy
Veteran
You're thinking about this too much from a just tech an enthusiasts stand point and dare I say it a fan wars perspective (given the "PS fans" comment). You can absolutely bake into any agreement rather easily things such as a price, content parity and release date parity. Even from the tech/game performance side you can add language in there that at the very least fore sure prevents completely bad faith efforts.
Also the concern about future platforms is marketing and messaging, not the actual technical side. Having a 2027 ending agreement would almost certainly push the topic of CoD on the PS6 into the forefront of discussions during the launch cycle.
At this point the strategy has to shift towards mitigating negative impact and relatedly delaying the potential negative impact. Complete prevention of all impact from the acquisition is impossible at this point. This just from the business strategy side, I'm not personally much interested in either the Xbox or PS fans issue on these types of topics.
Also the concern about future platforms is marketing and messaging, not the actual technical side. Having a 2027 ending agreement would almost certainly push the topic of CoD on the PS6 into the forefront of discussions during the launch cycle.
At this point the strategy has to shift towards mitigating negative impact and relatedly delaying the potential negative impact. Complete prevention of all impact from the acquisition is impossible at this point. This just from the business strategy side, I'm not personally much interested in either the Xbox or PS fans issue on these types of topics.
No. I am not. The hardware does not exist therefore there is no way to guarantee quality parity. Sony could release the ps6 as a 1st gen raspberry pi and MS would have make a crap version for xboxnext?
The business strategy side for MS will be to make quality ports that aren't better on the competition. That will be an improvement over the current situation. In 10+ years if COD is still relevant people will have migrated to the MS platform cuz gamepass.
It's not about worst, it's about worse. COD will most certainly be worse on Playstation than it is now, with their marketing agreement and exclusive DLC. As it stands right now, Xbox and PC versions do not have parity with Playstation. Parity is a downgrade from the current position Playstation is in now.
You can bake a price into a contract but I doubt it exists considering that MS has a subscription service that COD will go onto as will the other games. Also it depends on what you mean by content parity. MS wont sign a deal that would allow sony to have say kratos and other sony exclusive IP as skin packs in a game while not being able to do so with their now Huge stable of IP. Also beta weekends and early access are a big upsell over just having the game pass version. Ms will love to offer a $XX dollar upgrade to the game pass version that gives you beta access or extra beta's over the regular preorder and other perks. Sony isn't going to get any of that.
Also the deal is 10 years I thought which would have it go to 2033 no?
Yup, after about a decade of having the best version with special extra xp weekends , special beta periods and zombies. That wont be the playstation version anymore.
Anyway it would be pretty cool for MS to announce a new Rockband with all new instruments and game pass options
I MS launches a new Guitar Hero, I fully expect it to have controller support. That way you can have the game on Gamepass without gatekeeping it's popularity behind an exotic controller.
I don't see why it wouldn't, they always did in the past.
I dont expect Microsoft to actually do a ton differently with Activision that they weren't already doing. They bought them cuz Activision makes a lot of money, not because they were excited about all the dormant IP they have, and there's no reason for them to mess with that.
In other words, I expect them to mostly keep these studios as Call of Duty factories like before. Microsoft also doesn't have any spare studios to take on old Activision IP, either.
In other words, I expect them to mostly keep these studios as Call of Duty factories like before. Microsoft also doesn't have any spare studios to take on old Activision IP, either.
Guitar Hero Aerosmith was the last GH game that you could play with a controller, IIRC. All of the ones that had full band support would identify the instrument automatically to know if you were drumming, strumming, or humming, and if you tried to play with a controller, it assumed you were singing.
That's not what that article says at all. I despair at how clueless people are and how cluelessly they spread utter nonsense because they can't even read.
"Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), said there is “no reason” to dilute planned new powers to regulate Big Tech companies."
This is about changing new powers being afforded the CMA. It's being levelled up and the PM is wanting to reduce the point investment in the future skill-tree. This has nothing to do with the existing skill-tree.
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Deleted member 11852
Guest
And the planned powers will go ahead regardless of who has been lobbying Number 10 to say this..
The EU have such powers and they already apply in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK. The proposed CMA powers would maintain parity for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) so everything is consistent across the whole of the UK. Whenever there is a political play like this with regards to investigatory and regulatory powers, it always ends up the powers being granted with some degree of Parliamentary oversight, as is right.
cheapchips
Veteran
Blizzard head, Mike Ybarra, seemed be on an everything is awesome interview spree during Blizzcon and Spencer's first visit to their offices.
Ybarra held a terribly demoralising townhall meeting with his teams back in Feb. Now that he doesn't report into Activision execs, guess we'll see Blizzard evolves now that he has more autonomy.
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www.theverge.com
Ybarra held a terribly demoralising townhall meeting with his teams back in Feb. Now that he doesn't report into Activision execs, guess we'll see Blizzard evolves now that he has more autonomy.
Blizzard’s president on the studio’s “new era” under Xbox
The studio is juggling a lot.
www.theverge.com
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Deleted member 11852
Guest
Following Redfall and to a much lesser degree Starfield, which hasn't performance as I think many expected a Bethesda RPG would, Microsoft have already begun to implement change in terms of oversight. There is a balance between creative freedom and having to deliver compelling games on a reasonable cadence. This is definitely not an Xbox-only problem, I think many PlayStation owners are disappointed how few new games Naughty Dog have output over the last two generations.
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cheapchips
Veteran
Redfall yes, but Startfield? As far as I've read, that's been hands on from MS throughout, in terms of support. Not heard anything about MS being disappointed / rolling in new execs to provide oversight to BGS.
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