I don't want to rehash these same arguments. but yeah it's also not good that sony is doing this. but paying for largely timed, temporary exclusives (something which MS does also) is not the same as buying out a publisher and making their games permanently exclusive. that's not even to mention the price tag. also i don't agree that the industry would be worse off if google or apple bought activision. they really don't have an incentive to make their games exclusive, since they're not trying to sell a console. MS does. I never bought this argument from MS fans.
And what happens when apple and/or google get serious about gaming and decide to start making acquisition with the intent to have exclusive content on their platform (being it streaming or otherwise)?
Also....for 70Bn...I dont think there was any doubt that some/most of those games would go exclusive where it makes sense (strategically for xbox/gamepass) .....current games would not be pulled (overwatch, diablo 4, COD etc.)....but for 70Bn id imagine they will make the next spyro, crash, tony hawks etc, go exclusive. to extract some exclusive value from that purchase. Id imagine future
new IP developed by any studio under ABK to be exclusive. Ive said before that id expect a new teir of GP that will include WoW and starcraft subs in GP, and that stuff will be Xbox exclusive as far as consoles go.
The incentive is certainly there without doubt and for the most part...COD and current games aside.,......yes...expect them to be exclusive.....after all ....all this fuss was about whether COD would still be on playstation wasnt it? MS have shown they dont pull games that were under contract to be released or have already been released for other platforms. yet here people are
still making that argument...I dont buy that.... citing unreleased bethesda games doesnt help their case either and at worst sounds like salty port begging, when xbox owners would have been without ghostwire, deathloop and starfield. three games from a developer that has always been synonymous with xbox as far as consoles...and we are here talking about who would take gamws away from who. Im not sorry for how that turned out. ill be playing starfield in Q4 but in the meantime ill run through series X optimised prey, deathloop, ghost wire and doom eternal on gamepass.... because this could have went differently. Maybe things are not as black and white as MS naysayers make it out to be.....
Its a 70Bn dollar acquisition.....was there honestly any doubt from either xbox or PS fans that some ABK games will be exclusive? who could
honestly say otherwise? instead of logic and facts you seem more concerned with the view of a few xbox gamers who probably was trying to just make you feel less angsty about the deal. but lest be honest. Xbox is gonna get a lot of non COD exclusive stuff out of this...... theres your incentive...and and honesty for you from an 'MS fan' (I have a series X, one X, and all bar one of my recording studio computers run on windows...does that make me a windows guy or an xbox guy or an MS fan in your eyes?) I dont know who was trying to convince you that there would be no exclusives but lets get this out the way.....yes.....sure...for 70Bn of course there will be. Its as obvious as water being wet. just that none of them will have the words call of duty on them...but clearly most xbox fans only care that its available on gamepass with every other MS owned IP. Its generally accepted and been repeated to death in this thread that COD is 'to big' and 'too successful' to be an exclusive...I think we all can read and understand that. Id even venture as far as to say, Most MS fans in the real world care a lick for console wars but damn sure are rubbing their hands at the idea of getting COD in service they are already paying for right now every month. I know I dont care for console wars and am most certainly rubbing my hands with glee at the idea of paying zip for COD except the odd battle pass and my usual round of weapon cosmetics. for a game that I only play for my friends sakes It sure does get a fair bit of money out of me as long as its not a WW2/historic COD game