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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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    886
  • Poll closed .
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
"If you believe in competition, you should believe in this deal."

No Nadella, this deal is not a litmus test for "believing" in competition.

Iron Man Eye Roll GIF
If they keep going like this, the next iteration of this statement might be: "If you believe in America, you must believe in this deal. Don't be a traitor. Support Microsoft!"
 

Three

Member
So lower overall revenue and piss away money on expensive money hats. That's a great way to build a sustainable business. Or buy content makers and own content to generate more revenue.

I don't get this Microsoft has to compete the same exact way as sony money hats. No i do because that is to Sony's advantage they get those pennies on the dollar compared to everyone else. It keeps sony on top and every major game launching day 1 on Playstation the plastic box of choice of some.
Who even mentioned Sony or doing something like them? I said the only reason a platform holder would lower publisher fees is to attract publishers in the same way that the only reason you would lower prices in your shop is to attract customers. When you are buying the publishers there is less incentive to attract publishers.
 
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ToTTenTranz

Banned



European here, and I'm friends with people who own games' dev studios in my country.

I never heard of EGDF in my entire life. Sounds like a bunch of people who get together to take european funding for mobile games.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Settle down Colt.

x3MbiK4.png
disgusted not safe for work GIF


If they keep going like this, the next iteration of this statement might be: "If you believe in America, you must believe in this deal. Don't be a traitor. Support Microsoft!"
They almost tried that with the "anti-constitutional" quip, but walked that one back when they looked in their own backyard.
 
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reksveks

Member
called what?

I am very confused you can see the organizations that is apart of the EDGF.

https://www.egdf.eu/about/

This are national organisations (private industry bodies to be more accurate) for local devs that they can opt into, have your devs friends heard of GAME in Germany or IIDEA in Italy?

Yes, there will be mobile devs and web3 devs in there. Feel free to argue that those organisations and/or the EGDF isn't representing their members' members or members accurately.
 
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Three

Member
European here, and I'm friends with people who own games' dev studios in my country.

I never heard of EGDF in my entire life. Sounds like a bunch of people who get together to take european funding for mobile games.
They are a group of NGOs of mostly SMEs (Small-medium enterprises). Their main aim is lobbying. There isn't a list of the SMEs who have joined anywhere that EGDF publish. To be honest I hadn't heard of them either being in that circle and had to look them up.
 

reksveks

Member
That his comment wasn't all tinfoilery.
Sounds like a bunch of people who get together to take european funding for mobile games.

But the EDGF aren't devs, neither are their members. They may give money to developers of mobile games and console games, I assume the dev includes decent sized studio's using the TIGA's awards page but its hard to find the exact member directory's
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
But the EDGF aren't devs, neither are their members. They may give money to developers of mobile games and console games, I assume the dev includes decent sized studio's using the TIGA's awards page but its hard to find the exact member directory's
Such is life when it comes to lobbying interests.
 

Three

Member
All Industry organisations are going to be lobbying for better and for worse.

Still confused at the revelation here.
I think his only point was that he said it sounded like a group of people who try to get government funding for their mobile games. It's completely reductive but not too far off when he looked them up.

The only revelation he was pointing out was that he was right there. That they try to get EU funding. The mobile games is probably only partially true as I'm sure the SMEs include non-mobile devs. Not exactly a tinfoilhat conspiracy though.
 
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ToTTenTranz

Banned
The funny part about this EGDF thing is how their statement basically says Microsoft can't to be trusted because they engaged in anti-competitive behaviour in the past nor have they respected assurances to continue releasing games on competing platforms, but then in does a 180º in support of the acquisition.

EGDF acknowledges that Microsoft has the ability for anti-competitive market behaviour and has not in the past consistently respected assurances it has given to continue making games published by companies that it has acquired available on rival platforms. EGDF, therefore, welcomes the European Commission’s in-depth investigation of competition concerns arising from Microsoft’s ActivisionBlizzard acquisition.

EGDF supports Microsoft’s ActivisionBlizzard acquisition (...)

And then they claim that the acquisition enables Microsoft the means to challenge Apple in... cloud gaming and game subscription markets?
 

reksveks

Member
I think his only point was that he said it sounded like a group of people who try to get government funding for their mobile games. It's completely reductive but not too far off when he looked them up.

The only revelation he was pointing out was that he was right there. That they try to get EU funding. The mobile games is probably only partially true as I'm sure the SMEs include non-mobile devs. Not exactly a tinfoilhat conspiracy though.
Why do you think it's not too far off when EDGF aren't only funding mobile games, not only funding games and not funding their own games. There is a whole chunk of things that they do (https://www.egdf.eu/documentation/egdf/). I am taking liberty with the fact the comment called out funding games as the thing that they do.
 
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reksveks

Member
EGDF calls upon the European Commission to:
  • closely monitor how Microsoft implements DMA on its Windows operating system and cross-platform Microsoft Store.
  • ensure that, should it condition its approval of the ActivisionBlizzard acquisition on commitments given by Microsoft, those commitments, for example, guarantee the continued availability of ActivisionBlizzard games on rival consoles and subscription services, are backed up with rigorous compliance and enforcement mechanisms.

I do wonder if grey or nuance exists in some people's world
 

gothmog

Gold Member
I would like to know his advsior or PR guy asking him to give such statements. Even without Activision, I think they have more game studious than anyone else. They do not need Activision or more studious to be competitive 🤦‍♂️ They simply have to start releasing good games.
The advisor or PR guy is telling them that most people don't understand gaming and that if you just keep repeating that this is good for everyone some people will just believe it. Fact checking is so overrated these days.
 
Uh oh SenjutsuSage SenjutsuSage looks like you're gonna owe me a game 🤣

MS facing EU antitrust warning

Concession talks are ongoing 😉

There's literally no 'there' there in that report. A statement of objections is a must or prerequisite in any phase 2 before any possible talks of whether any concessions will be or will not be required. They're quite literally just taking a normal part of the procedure and using it to create clickbait. People forget the EU was JUST formally notified of the transaction by Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. Now like all other regulators, they will lay out their concerns, which will then be followed up by more detailed data and evidence from the parties of the transaction to quell all concerns.

So they state where their concerns are, Microsoft then addresses those concerns with evidence and data, and then the regulator upon receipt of that evidence can determine there are willing to accept concessions in particular areas, or that they don't require any concessions at all depending on how convincing Microsoft is in its case. There can be concessions, but there's no evidence yet that any concessions will be ones that Microsoft were not already prepared to make, such as the 10 year Call of Duty commitment they've already said publicly.

We have eggs, but the chickens haven't hatched my friend. I have no issue getting you the game if I lose, but I suspect I'm still going to win this one lol.
 
I do wonder if grey or nuance exists in some people's world

And to stress, they are in no way demanding that specific concession. They're only offering it as an example of one they think the EU might request. And pay close attention that it makes zero clear reference to all future titles from Activision Blizzard. Most titles from ABK will be multi-platform, but I'm almost certain there will be exclusives too.
 

jm89

Member
There's literally no 'there' there in that report. A statement of objections is a must or prerequisite in any phase 2 before any possible talks of whether any concessions will be or will not be required. They're quite literally just taking a normal part of the procedure and using it to create clickbait. People forget the EU was JUST formally notified of the transaction by Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. Now like all other regulators, they will lay out their concerns, which will then be followed up by more detailed data and evidence from the parties of the transaction to quell all concerns.

So they state where their concerns are, Microsoft then addresses those concerns with evidence and data, and then the regulator upon receipt of that evidence can determine there are willing to accept concessions in particular areas, or that they don't require any concessions at all depending on how convincing Microsoft is in its case. There can be concessions, but there's no evidence yet that any concessions will be ones that Microsoft were not already prepared to make, such as the 10 year Call of Duty commitment they've already said publicly.

We have eggs, but the chickens haven't hatched my friend. I have no issue getting you the game if I lose, but I suspect I'm still going to win this one lol.
Really disappointed i was expecting a few more paragraphs.
 

feynoob

Member
The advisor or PR guy is telling them that most people don't understand gaming and that if you just keep repeating that this is good for everyone some people will just believe it. Fact checking is so overrated these days.
Even those who are here don't understand it.
 

Three

Member
Why do you think it's not too far off when EDGF aren't only funding mobile games, not only funding games and not funding their own games. There is a whole chunk of things that they do (https://www.egdf.eu/documentation/egdf/). I am taking liberty with the fact the comment called out funding games as the thing that they do.
I said that it's reductive but not far from the truth. Nobody said that's what they only do. I don't think anybody said that's all they do. I could be wrong and missed/misread a comment though.

It's CEO runs RCP who develops smaller games mainly on mobile. The mobile games thing is only partially true. A fair few of them are though, like Netflix mobile app games Cobra kai, Angry birds, etc. Nothing wrong with that. A great deal of the SMEs are likely to be.
 
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reksveks

Member
I said that it's reductive but not far from the truth. Nobody said that's what they only do. I don't think anybody said that's all they do. I could be wrong and missed/misread a comment though.
We may just have to agree to disagree around 'how far from the truth it is'.
 
Now they're number 4 in the market? Someone toss them a life preserver, they're going down fast!

At the very start of the transaction, Microsoft literally said that if it closes it would become the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.

Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, inclusive of Activision Blizzard’s net cash. When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.

https://news.microsoft.com/2022/01/...ty-of-gaming-to-everyone-across-every-device/

Going down fast isn't the phrase I would use for a transaction that is having more final decisions go in favor of the transaction than not. But you must mean the opposition to it is going down fast? Because I only see more and more support coming in favor of the deal from relevant parties, not less. If this deal were being graded based on internet articles, forum posts, and tweets it would have been blocked already. But since it's going through actual regulatory bodies instead, so far the record is in Microsoft's favor with the FTC out on the edge of a cliff in high heels praying CMA or the EC can give them a lifeline. A lifeline I don't believe is coming at the end of each process. We should know by April 15th or early May if the deal has won approval. Possibly sooner depending on circumstances and how they go about notifying the parties.

But thus far every hope of it successfully being blocked has ended in an outcome that is pro-transaction. The action taken by the FTC doesn't prevent the deal from closing, a fact Microsoft made clear to the FTC in its own pretend court when they told them they plan to close even in spite of their opposition, and the FTC can go ahead and choose to take them to court if they so wish.

Data in this industry constantly shifts from one year to the next. A company can be #5 or #4 one year and then suddenly be #3 the next depending on what takes place.
 

Thirty7ven

Banned


The guy is having trouble making sense and you can tell when he cuts off his own argument and reverts back to the media trained lie that this increases competition.

Opportunity for more publishers? What? More gamers to enjoy? What? Oh buying the competition = more competition… what?

Competition is Nintendo coming up with a different hook for their console, Sony investing on creating new successful IP when they were down with the PS3. MS’s interpretation of competition? Buying customers…
 

NickFire

Member
Going down fast isn't the phrase I would use for a transaction that is having more final decisions go in favor of the transaction than not. But you must mean the opposition to it is going down fast? Because I only see more and more support coming in favor of the deal from relevant parties, not less. If this deal were being graded based on internet articles, forum posts, and tweets it would have been blocked already. But since it's going through actual regulatory bodies instead, so far the record is in Microsoft's favor with the FTC out on the edge of a cliff in high heels praying CMA or the EC can give them a lifeline. A lifeline I don't believe is coming at the end of each process. We should know by April 15th or early May if the deal has won approval. Possibly sooner depending on circumstances and how they go about notifying the parties.

But thus far every hope of it successfully being blocked has ended in an outcome that is pro-transaction. The action taken by the FTC doesn't prevent the deal from closing, a fact Microsoft made clear to the FTC in its own pretend court when they told them they plan to close even in spite of their opposition, and the FTC can go ahead and choose to take them to court if they so wish.
Can you name one single approval that matters nearly as much as the EU or USA to MS's vision?

Just one. All I'm looking for it one pro-transaction outcome that mattered in the grand scheme of things.
 

jm89

Member
It’s good for PC gamers, Xbox gamers, and gamepass users, of which a very small percentage are actual “fans”, whatever that means.

The benefits for those people are clear.

The deal is presumably bad for Sony, but the how and why are not very clear at all, it’s rather hypothetical isn’t it?
Multiple ips will be gone from the platform. It's very clear actually.
 
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