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Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)

Do you believe the deal will be approved?


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  • Poll closed .
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feynoob

Gold Member
m-icrosoft-phil-spencer.gif
How? Please teach me.
 
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feynoob

Gold Member
Guys I want to hear about your opinions on this matter. Blue or green, Just state your opinion.

1: If this deal is approved, how would that help MS? what would the benenfit be for gamers? Is the deal going to have a positive/negative effect? How would MS react to this deal?

2: If this deal fails, how would MS react to this deal? Would there be a more invesment on Xbox and Mobile front? Would they focus heavily on their 1st party output?

Doesnt matter if you are right or wrong.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Guys I want to hear about your opinions on this matter. Blue or green, Just state your opinion.

1: If this deal is approved, how would that help MS? what would the benenfit be for gamers? Is the deal going to have a positive/negative effect? How would MS react to this deal?

2: If this deal fails, how would MS react to this deal? Would there be a more invesment on Xbox and Mobile front? Would they focus heavily on their 1st party output?

Doesnt matter if you are right or wrong.


1.
- It would help MS by increasing their studio/IP portfolio, it will give them a guaranteed multi-billion dollar revenue stream from the gaming division.
- It would help gamers in their heavily advertised game pass eco system by giving them access to all the games day 1, and from the looks of it, other platform holders will continue to get the most wanted game(s) as well.
- I think it's a given MS will react positively to the deal going through, you don't make a deal you're not positive about.

2.
- If this deal fails, MS will continue to pursue other studios, maybe smaller in scale so it doesn't cause this much of a fuss.
- Almost all of their first party studios are currently working on one or more known projects, so it's not like they'll get a NOS boost if the deal fails OR passes. They'll continue to operate.
 
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Ah yes, the "traditional model" to make high quality games is unsustainable. After nearly 3 decades of creating high quality games that's what is unsustainable.
While I don't know about it being unsustainable, we should not pretend that the traditional physical media and normal retail approach isn't getting antiquated on consoles. The quality argument is largely strawman because there has been absolutely no evidence that subscription services degrade game quality. There is nothing wrong with having multiple ways of getting access to brand new games and Sony's resistance to that is quite interesting. They used to lead in that area.
 

pasterpl

Member
they have mentioned bringing this to Nintendo before, so no reprise there, only thing interesting is that now steam and Nintendo probably signed same deal that was offered to Sony. This now put Sony in interesting position not accepting this deal will show their hypocrisy.
 

HoofHearted

Member
Guys I want to hear about your opinions on this matter. Blue or green, Just state your opinion.

1: If this deal is approved, how would that help MS? what would the benenfit be for gamers? Is the deal going to have a positive/negative effect? How would MS react to this deal?

2: If this deal fails, how would MS react to this deal? Would there be a more invesment on Xbox and Mobile front? Would they focus heavily on their 1st party output?

Doesnt matter if you are right or wrong.

Don't know - Don't really care one way or the other. I own all the consoles and gaming PCs that I've built and really don't care about CoD - I didn't buy any of my consoles to play CoD specifically on them to begin with. I bought my consoles to play first party exclusives.

If the deal goes through and CoD is available via GamePass - then I might give it a run through - but otherwise - it's not on my radar and I'm not really looking to play it anytime soon.

I don't see any particular "legal" reason as to why the deal should be blocked.

I think all this whining and psycho babble over a single game that really isn't that great to begin with is beyond stupid and completely absurd.

Either get the deal approved or don't, or more accurately - shit or get off the pot.

My "current" read of all the recent press updates -

Clearly MS is making moves to commit to the market that CoD will be available across multiple platforms.

Sony appears to be playing the role of a pouting childish brat that isn't getting their way. It's not a good look.

I'll still play GoW:Ragnarok, Wolverine, Spider-Man 2, and other upcoming exclusives for my PS5 though..
 



Game over. Nintendo is now part of the equation more than ever thanks to this whether some want to accept it or not. No way to downplay their role now as "just a kiddy system."

The immediate benefit to consumers us insane.

And then to cut a deal with Steam also!? Microsoft is eliminating all paths of resistance.

edit:: removed an incomplete post I was posting to another post lol.
 
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Smart. Since MS has agreed to put COD on both Nintendo and Steam it raises questions from the regulators why Sony won’t take the same offer with all of the fuss they’re putting up over COD.

The signing of the agreement is EVERYTHING. It was one thing to promise it before, but now to enter into an official signed agreement!? Nintendo stock has jumped in Japan.

Microsoft is not playing games and I love it.
 

gothmog

Gold Member
I'm curious to see how this is going to play out with the regulators. Brad's comments seem a bit aggressive. First of all they don't own the company. Forcing Sony into a deal seems like exactly the kind of behavior these regulators are concerned about. Once again I would love to know what they were told to make them go this ballistic over the past week.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I'm curious to see how this is going to play out with the regulators. Brad's comments seem a bit aggressive. First of all they don't own the company. Forcing Sony into a deal seems like exactly the kind of behavior these regulators are concerned about. Once again I would love to know what they were told to make them go this ballistic over the past week.

Wasn't too long ago some folks in this topic were demanding MS to put ink on paper and guarantee CoD's continued existence on Sony platforms.

Now that is being viewed as an aggressive behavior and "forced" deals.

Whelp .....
 
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HoofHearted

Member
Smart. Since MS has agreed to put COD on both Nintendo and Steam it raises questions from the regulators why Sony won’t take the same offer with all of the fuss they’re putting up over COD.
It's actually a fucking brilliant move by MS at this point. The way this now reads is that apparently MS has been trying to negotiate with Sony and it seems like Sony hasn't been forthcoming even with the 10 year offer.

So now MS is calling their bluff by committing the same deal with Nintendo/Steam.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
So now MS is calling their bluff by committing the same deal with Nintendo/Steam.

They had the plan all the way back in Feb to bring CoD to Nintendo platforms again.

This is just them codifying it with an official deal with Nintendo (and Steam).

Is this a masterstroke of idyllic timing to announce it on the eve of Brad Sams meeting with Lina Khan and the FTC ? of-fucking-course.
 
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[

Wow yeah im calling it this deal isn't going through. I'm dying to hear your take on this SenjutsuSage SenjutsuSage but please keep it concise.

You're 100% wrong. It's going through, I've been telling this to people from the jump. It never had a serious chance of being stopped because Microsoft was always prepared to go all out to get it through.
 
Yeah, we'll see. I was surprised by how strongly she was willing to strike down Microsoft's philosophy on innovation they promoted just days ago via WSJ article when asked about the agency's potential adverse impacts on innovation. There was no diplomacy or beating around the bush in her answer and I wasn't expecting that in a public setting.

She's a Democrat political appointee. Microsoft is one of the biggest Democrat corporate allies and it has the backing of one of the most important labor unions in America. If she attempts to block it, her job is as good as gone. It's really as simple as that. The current Democrat Party, with the 2024 map looking like it does for Democrats in the Senate, will not stand for it. Those Democrats do not want their credentials with Unions tarnished, and that's exactly what will happen if Lina Khan tries to block this deal.

Remember I said all this.
 

gothmog

Gold Member
Wasn't too long ago some folks in this topic were demanding MS to put ink on paper and guarantee CoD's continued existence on Sony platforms.

Now that is being viewed as an aggressive behavior and "forced" deals.

Whelp .....
You're not wrong, but that does not change the aggressive nature of this particular tactic. I'm more curious how it will play out with the regulators.
 
Wasn't too long ago some folks in this topic were demanding MS to put ink on paper and guarantee CoD's continued existence on Sony platforms.

Now that is being viewed as an aggressive behavior and "forced" deals.

Whelp .....

They were never really interested in logic. It's all about blocking the deal at all costs. When Microsoft doesn't commit to it for longer than 3 yeaars, it's a problem. When they make serious attempts to do so with a 10 year deal, and show they're serious, now it's another problem.
 

gothmog

Gold Member
Err.....was gothmog gothmog "some folks"?
My on paper stance was a perpetual license and not 10 years. Some kind of ports program that MS would promise to whoever wanted in as long as both sides played by some simple rules. As you go through the thought experiment on this type of agreement, though, you realize why regulatory bodies typically do not like these types of deals. They're hard to enforce and if someone breaks it there's no swift justice as it would get tied up for years in court.

That's actually why I felt Kahn put out that we don't have enough firepower type of commentary linked earlier. She had strong bipartisan support (well as strong as you're going to get in this political environment) when she was confirmed that she would help rein in tech giants but I'm pretty sure the lobbying alone from all sides is probably insane. As I said earlier all of this shit Microsoft has orchestrated in the past few days is basically being done to sway a few handfuls of people. It's almost surreal to be honest.
 
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akimbo009

Gold Member
It's actually a fucking brilliant move by MS at this point. The way this now reads is that apparently MS has been trying to negotiate with Sony and it seems like Sony hasn't been forthcoming even with the 10 year offer.

So now MS is calling their bluff by committing the same deal with Nintendo/Steam.

You gotta think Nintendo is laughing their asses off too. There has to be some level of spite here by them.

Market seems happy with it too.

 
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