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Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: The FTC could approve the acquisition in August

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Ozriel

M$FT
Top sellers (I added to the ones you mentioned the MS games released after Halo MCC and AoE2 according to wikipedia to have a bigger sample):

37 FH5 (just got the Hot Wheels DLC)
39 SoT (GaaS MP)
56 As Dusk Falls (released yesterday)
64 GoW (port of a 2018 SP game)
103 Grounded
241 Halo Infinite (SP campaign dlc)
265 HZD (port of a 2017 SP game)
272 AoE II Definitive Edititon
325 DG (port of a 2019 SP game)
326 FH4
470 AoE IV
474 AoE III Definitive Edition
492 Minecraft Dungeons
509 State of Decay 2
620 Ori and the Will of the Wisps
1934 Psychonauts 2
1991 FlightSim
2884 Gears Tactics
9228 Gears 5
16133 The Bard's Tale: Remastered and Resnarkled
N/A Halo Infinite (F2P MP)
N/A Halo MCC
N/A Wasteland Remastered
N/A Bleeding Edge
N/A Battletoads
N/A Tell me why

This ranking is a picture of more or less how are they selling now on Steam. I'll edit this later to add the amount of reviews each game to get an idea of how did they sell until now (in any case, I think it's a incomplete picture of PC performance because lack other stores, particularly for MS their own store where they have GP), lunch time here.


It's a graph of game services, and PS Plus is a game service, one that has giving games since 2010, before it included online MP. Like the other game subscriptions must be there. You say Gold doesn't belong there, but it's included in GPU which is part of GP, which is included there.

But including PS Plus there would have eaten a good chunk of the graph so would have broken the biased and false 'Game Pass narrative' they wanted to transmit there.


Takes a lot of balls to continue warring with a mod post just above yours. None of this is relevant in this topic.

Stop.
 

Riky

$MSFT
If they expect the deal to complete soon is the appearance of Heretic, Hexen and Quake IV related? Hopefully these games appear on Gamepass once both Bethesda and Activision are one happy family.
 

yurinka

Member
Takes a lot of balls to continue warring with a mod post just above yours. None of this is relevant in this topic.

Stop.
I didn't see the post of the mod, he posted it while I was writing that post (it took a while to collect the data).

I later updated the ranking (seems the top sellers changes very quicky) and added the reviews of the games, but couldn't the mod deleted my post.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Already had the lulz when the acquisition was first announced. Now give me the games by adding them all to Gamepass.


Amen brother, amen.

Also, pretty please reopen the FPS boost program for some (many) of them while they're at it.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
😂😂😂

When you found out it had fallen outside Steam's top 100 😁

wkmxjRW.gif
Another warrior bites the dust.
 

twilo99

Member
If they expect the deal to complete soon is the appearance of Heretic, Hexen and Quake IV related? Hopefully these games appear on Gamepass once both Bethesda and Activision are one happy family.

Why would any id software games be affected by all of this?
 

Varteras

Gold Member
My dream in this acquisition is that Microsoft detaches Blizzard from Activision and let's them do their thing. Activision's practices of sacrificing creativity and fun for short-term financial gains, milking of franchises, questionable monetization, and abandonment of "underperforming franchises" seeped into Blizzard over the years. I believe it was even stated that Kottick directly interfered with the development of Overwatch 2 and forced parts of the team to work on unrelated projects. That being one of the reasons Kaplan, the director and face of the franchise, left the company.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
I’m sure prior to closing the Bethesda purchase MS put a lot of their games on Game Pass.

Is the added scrutiny this time around preventing them from adding games like Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawks and Diablo? Would be a major boon for Game Pass if they could get some of these games added this year.
 

Ozzie666

Member
I really have to wonder once this goes through, if Microsoft puts everything on Gamepass and uses PS5, Steam for additional sales, is that going to work? will that just drive people to gamepass and to buy an xbox in the long run. Will those full price sales be enough to just keep funding Gamepass for years. Or will people finally catch on and just buy the box. It's an amazing time to witness this 4D chess being played. I am sure having nearly bottomless pockets helps, but it's a really bold strategy and so against what Sony is doing.

I hope they save Blizzard and get rid of Bobby. Not too much to ask right?
 

kikkis

Member
I really have to wonder once this goes through, if Microsoft puts everything on Gamepass and uses PS5, Steam for additional sales, is that going to work? will that just drive people to gamepass and to buy an xbox in the long run. Will those full price sales be enough to just keep funding Gamepass for years. Or will people finally catch on and just buy the box. It's an amazing time to witness this 4D chess being played. I am sure having nearly bottomless pockets helps, but it's a really bold strategy and so against what Sony is doing.

I hope they save Blizzard and get rid of Bobby. Not too much to ask right?
I think gamepass is eventually going to end up being bitter dissapointment, after ms catches closer sony in HW sales. I just dont see putting cod and rest of the actiblizz production on gamepass exactly boosting revenue, I mean cod is 80 euros which is like 6 months of gamepass for just a single game. With the exception of gow studio, production has certainly dropped after acqusitions on most ms studios. Yeah, Kotick might have been complete ass hat, but at least he really cared about the tentpole releases being up to the quality bar.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
We know what the typical attach rate is and even when it is historically high as is the case with PS4, on a per user basis there is still only so much revenue there. Especially when you figure in sales etc. The only way GP can effect sales in a major way is if a strong number of users are subscribed to the service, and if that is the case the revenue is essentially replaced and then you have additional sales on top of that. If GP doesn't grow in a significant way, than the sales will still be there. It's not really that much different from all the other industries that have moved to the recurring revenue model. Typically this is the more profitable approach.
 

onesvenus

Member
With the exception of gow studio, production has certainly dropped after acqusitions on most ms studios
Can you please point to some examples of this? And I suppose you have the checks to confirm your opinion and cite it as a fact like you did there
 

kikkis

Member
Can you please point to some examples of this? And I suppose you have the checks to confirm your opinion and cite it as a fact like you did there
Well halo infinite has been slog development wise as has main Bethesda. The game with lead with psychosis 2 was also announced 2019 and I think awoken or whatever it was called seems to be taking its time. Then there is initiative studio which doesn't seem to get much done.
 
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onesvenus

Member
Well halo infinite has been slog development wise as has main Bethesda.
But Halo infinite was not from an acquired studio?
And Bethesda has released 2 games since the acquisition and is releasing two more this year and two more the first half of next one. I wouldn't call that "slog development" but that's your opinion
 

Three

Member
I just dont see putting cod and rest of the actiblizz production on gamepass exactly boosting revenue. I mean cod is 80 euros which is like 6 months of gamepass for just a single game. With the exception of gow studio, production has certainly dropped after acqusitions on most ms studios. Yeah, Kotick might have been complete ass hat, but at least he really cared about the tentpole releases being up to the quality bar.
Unfortunately people don't think like this. They see a €1 price tag for a month trial then sub. Once they have subbed then you have vendor lockin because leaving becomes prohibitively expensive. then you would have to pay €80 + the cost of whatever other GaaS games you would now need to buy, say SoT. So you think f* it and keep just paying that €14 monthly sub.
 
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Ozriel

M$FT
I really have to wonder once this goes through, if Microsoft puts everything on Gamepass and uses PS5, Steam for additional sales, is that going to work? will that just drive people to gamepass and to buy an xbox in the long run. Will those full price sales be enough to just keep funding Gamepass for years. Or will people finally catch on and just buy the box. It's an amazing time to witness this 4D chess being played. I am sure having nearly bottomless pockets helps, but it's a really bold strategy and so against what Sony is doing.

Gamepass subs aren’t free. People pay money monthly or yearly to subscribe, which funds the games in the service.

I think gamepass is eventually going to end up being bitter dissapointment, after ms catches closer sony in HW sales. I just dont see putting cod and rest of the actiblizz production on gamepass exactly boosting revenue, I mean cod is 80 euros which is like 6 months of gamepass for just a single game.

Imagine thinking nobody at Microsoft did basic forecasting for Gamepass.
Most People who join the service for Call of Duty will most likely stick to it for the entire year to keep playing it. They’ll funnel more cash to MS over years at a steady rate.

This isn’t Microsoft’s first subscription service. You think they weren’t selling Office well enough as a stand-alone product before pivoting to Office 365?



IWith the exception of gow studio, production has certainly dropped after acqusitions on most ms studios. Yeah, Kotick might have been complete ass hat, but at least he really cared about the tentpole releases being up to the quality bar.

This is completely untrue. Post acquisition, Psychonauts 2 was improved. Ninja Theory’s given a bigger budget for Hellblade 2 and are making a better game than the first one. Undead Labs is getting funding for AAA games. Obsidian got funding for Pentiment, and they’re hard at work on Avowed and Grounded. Compulsion is making their most ambitious game ever. Playground is expanding to 2 teams to make Fable.


Well halo infinite has been slog development wise as has main Bethesda. The game with lead with psychosis 2 was also announced 2019 and I think awoken or whatever it was called seems to be taking its time. Then there is initiative studio which doesn't seem to get much done.

343 wasn’t acquired. Bethesda has had Starfield and Redfall delayed…in the same year that at least 10 AAA titles got delayed due to the pandemic. No idea what you mean by ‘psychosis 2’, but Psychonauts 2 was released last year and was one of the best games of 2021 wth the dev saying MS provided funding that led to improvements in the final title. Avowed was announced 2020 and is having a normal development schedule. You imagine AAA games are made in a year?
Initiative wasn’t acquired. They were newly set up, and new studios can have teething issues.

You don’t seem to know much about these things.
 
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Leyasu

Banned
Unfortunately people don't think like this. They see a €1 price tag for a month trial then sub. Once they have subbed then you have vendor lockin because leaving becomes prohibitively expensive. then you would have to pay €80 + the cost of whatever other GaaS games you would now need to buy, say SoT. So you think f* it and keep just paying that €14 monthly sub.
Yah but that 14 a month sub aint for nothing. There's always plenty to play. 2022 has not been a great year, but there's still plenty that has been added and more coming. I would be shocked if ABK games don't come to gamepass day one, and a catalogue drop once the deal has been approved is going to be nice too

The best value in gaming only getting bester too lol
 

Leyasu

Banned
I’m sure prior to closing the Bethesda purchase MS put a lot of their games on Game Pass.

Is the added scrutiny this time around preventing them from adding games like Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawks and Diablo? Would be a major boon for Game Pass if they could get some of these games added this year.
The Bethesda games came after acquisition no? Or am I misremebering?

Until finalised, I imagine that Mircrosoft would have to pay to add them. Might as well just wait unti the deal closes and put them on there then. They will be their I.Ps then
 

3liteDragon

Member

reksveks

Member
Question, when did Spencer say they complied with the second request from the FTC? Cause, looking at that 30-day rule they have, don’t both parties involved in the acquisition have to submit stuff to them in order for that rule to take effect? Feels like it’s taken longer than that.
That story came out 15th July so its been roughly 6 weeks.
 

ChorizoPicozo

Gold Member
I listen to the Hoeg marathon 6 hour stream. At the end of it...and for the n time....logically; there is no justification for this deal to be blocked. CoD is the apple of the discord, if anything.

So, I don't know how many of you come up with all of these wall of text arguing against MS. Is just nonsense.
 

feynoob

Banned
I listen to the Hoeg marathon 6 hour stream. At the end of it...and for the n time....logically; there is no justification for this deal to be blocked. CoD is the apple of the discord, if anything.

So, I don't know how many of you come up with all of these wall of text arguing against MS. Is just nonsense.
People are trying to be lawyers and experts.
Not to mention, the cod issue was fixed by yesterday's interview. The new length should satisfy the regulators demands for COD.

Edit:Wrong thread.
 
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