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

[Rangers]

Think this deserves a new thread.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/01/18/welcoming-activision-blizzard-to-microsoft-gaming/

This is insaaane.

Antitrust is a big question. Guessing maybe MS is going to pretend to be the good guy and promise to maintain multiplatform support for Activision?

Other than that just have a couple thoughts: MS is awash in money doing nothing, something like this wasn't that wild. Two, it seems like if this is allowed to happen eventually you just have platform holders. Consolidation extending beyond even just having a few big publishers...

Who's left, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft???

Also thought, MS has a LOT of stake in the PC market, that this must be viewed through. It's probably hardly just about consoles for them. They want to keep gaming more a Windows thing than a Chrome OS or Mac OS thing.

It looks like MS is putting on a PR blitz trying to convince everyone this is a done deal shock and awe, but antitrust gonna weigh in...

 

[iroboto]

Think this deserves a new thread.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/01/18/welcoming-activision-blizzard-to-microsoft-gaming/

This is insaaane.

Antitrust is a big question. Guessing maybe MS is going to pretend to be the good guy and promise to maintain multiplatform support for Activision?

Other than that just have a couple thoughts: MS is awash in money doing nothing, something like this wasn't that wild. Two, it seems like if this is allowed to happen eventually you just have platform holders. Consolidation extending beyond even just having a few big publishers...

wtf. I thought this was a rumour article, not an xbox article.
omfg.

this is incredible news. omg.

I mean, certain things will stay forever cross platform. But MS could certainly fix up the priority list around Sims and RTS games for PC.

 

[Malo]

There goes the neighborhood. MS have officially jumped the shark.

 

[eastmen]

Figured , smart move by ms

Game pass is getting better

 

[Cynicalking]

That's one expensive way to fix the toxic workplace environment at Activision-Blizzard.

 

[Malo]

Personally, I'm excited for PornHub to be included in GamePass

 

[snc]

no call of duty on psvr2? bummer

 

[Rangers]

That's one expensive way to fix the toxic workplace environment at Activision-Blizzard.

It seems to me like gaming culture mob approval (and thus probably antitrust) may hinge on whether MS ditches Kotick in this deal. Amazingly on twitter it seems it's not certain at all. Kotick currently may be in.

 

[iroboto]

no call of duty on psvr2? bummer

don't discount it.

New IPs may not come to PS. But old IPs may continue to stay.

I think separating blizzard from activision is going to be the power move here for them. Eveyrone is fixated on COD. But Blizzard is the king for PC. If they can fix up Starcraft, Warcraft, Diablo, OW and WoW... that's massive.

 

[eastmen]

Think this deserves a new thread.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/01/18/welcoming-activision-blizzard-to-microsoft-gaming/

This is insaaane.

Antitrust is a big question. Guessing maybe MS is going to pretend to be the good guy and promise to maintain multiplatform support for Activision?

Other than that just have a couple thoughts: MS is awash in money doing nothing, something like this wasn't that wild. Two, it seems like if this is allowed to happen eventually you just have platform holders. Consolidation extending beyond even just having a few big publishers...

Who's left, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft???

Also thought, MS has a LOT of stake in the PC market, that this must be viewed through. It's probably hardly just about consoles for them. They want to keep gaming more a Windows thing than a Chrome OS or Mac OS thing.

It looks like MS is putting on a PR blitz trying to convince everyone this is a done deal shock and awe, but antitrust gonna weigh in...

Better this than Tencent.

I don't think you have to worry about anti trust in regards to this. Microsoft has a very small market share in terms of console gaming and pc gaming on its own platforms. I think you will see the same as they did with Bethesda any platform contracts will stay but everything else will be microsoft platforms and steam

One thing is that Phil is becoming CEO of Microsoft Gaming and that when the acquisition is done activision blizzard will report to Phil. According to Satya this is so that microsoft can extend their jounrey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture at activision blizzard.

There is a webcast with investors at 6am pt with him , phil , amy and bobby kotick. Which I am listening to now

Slide shows 10k talented employees serving nearly 400m maus worldiwde , premier fully-owned ip and innovation pipeline , diversified across platforms and geographies and business models , strong long term track record of shareholder value creation.

Bobby is talking about meta verse and how its important to have content for that. he also says they thought about other partners but microsoft delivers everything activision needs to get to the next level of innovation and new standard of welcoming and inclusive culture.
Microsoft reached out to bobby
95$ per share in cash 40 something % increase in price for the sale

All the board wanted this .

Number 3 gaming company in revenue behind trecent and sony when the deal closes according to phil

They are excited about upcoming games in the pipelines from years to come.

Phil saying his vision of the meta verse is intersecting global community with strong franchises and that mobile is the major part of it and they haven't had success but now they will learn from the teams at king

Amy hood says they are interested in strong tam acquisitions and that activation meets that criteria.

$95 per share , 68.7billion enterprise value , all - cash consideration , expected to close in fsical year 2023.

Again comfirms Phil Spencer is Ceo of Microsoft Gaming.

 

[BRiT]

Word from Phil on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1483431362094796800

https://twitter.com/x/status/1483431489123479552

https://twitter.com/x/status/1483431647689150464

 

[mr magoo]

Looking forward to Call of Doom Halo 5

 

[SmooTh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1483434939064463368

 

[Deleted member 11852]

This is good news, I don't care about of Activision's mainline IPs (CoD) but I do care about many of Blizzard's properties and they have only been going downhill since the Activision Blizzard merger.

This can only be good for the employees as well, it's obvious the culture is utterly toxic. It makes you wonder if Microsoft reconsidered this in the past few months.

 

[Karamazov]

Call of Duty: masterchief warfare.

So that's why they don't have money to spend on VR

 

[snc]

don't discount it.

New IPs may not come to PS. But old IPs may continue to stay.

I think separating blizzard from activision is going to be the power move here for them. Eveyrone is fixated on COD. But Blizzard is the king for PC. If they can fix up Starcraft, Warcraft, Diablo, OW and WoW... that's massive.

nah they didn't spend 70 bilions (shocking amount for me) to release cod on ps5, maybe cod 2022 will be release if there exist some contract like in case of Deathloop but it will be last (or maybe already 2021 was last), about blizard titles, they are more pc titles tough lack of diablo 4 on ps5 will be also noticable

 

[iroboto]

nah they didn't spend 70 bilions (shocking amount for me) to release cod on ps5, maybe cod 2022 will be release if there exist some contract like in case of Deathloop but it will be last (or maybe already 2021 was last), about blizard titles, they are more pc titles tough lack of diablo 4 on ps5 will be also noticable

I dunno.
70B is a lot of money. COD rakes in too much cash. I think like Minecraft, it's better to leave it on all platforms. Fixing the PC IPs is really the large foothold here. WoW, Starcraft, OW, Warcraft, and others are their gateway into Asia.

They just may not release a Call of Duty every single year once the merger happens. There are 3 teams on COD, there are clearly enough shooters in MS First Party. The other teams may actually work on other titles now.

The fantastic franchises across Activision Blizzard will also accelerate our plans for Cloud Gaming, allowing more people in more places around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices you already own. Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.

 

[RobertR1]

Back for the meltdowns and list wars. Don't disappoint me. "lazy devs" for extra credit.

 

[BRiT]

Deal timeline given ranges from latest June 2023 and the earliest July 1st 2022. The range is due to regulator review process.

 

[Deleted member 7537]

I guess you need to buy talent when you don’t have it. I hope this is for the better, but monopolies are usually the death of so many jobs. I wonder if they’ll begin to buy direct competitors soon.