Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

[laynelane]

Competition in the supply of consoles
The CMA provisionally found that a small number of key games, including Call of Duty (CoD), Activision’s flagship game, play an important role in driving competition between consoles. The evidence available to the CMA, including data on how Microsoft measures the value of customers in the ordinary course of business, currently indicates that Microsoft would find it commercially beneficial to make Activision’s games exclusive to its own consoles (or only available on PlayStation under materially worse conditions). The CMA’s provisional findings note that this strategy, of buying gaming studios and making their content exclusive to Microsoft’s platforms, has been used by Microsoft following several previous acquisitions of games studios.

It is so gratifying to see their decisions with regards to Zenimax come back to bite them on the ass. I wonder if making those games exclusive and attempting to deny choice (our ecosystem or you miss out) to millions of gamers seems as worth it to them now.

 

[Heisenberg007]

 

[AshHunter216]

CMA appears to say either divest/split off Activision and COD or no deal.

UK regulator suggests removing Call of Duty from Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition | VGC

In its provisional conclusion, the CMA says Xbox’s Activision deal ‘could harm’ players…

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Satoru]

CMA appears to say either divest/split off Activision and COD or no deal.

UK regulator suggests removing Call of Duty from Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition | VGC

In its provisional conclusion, the CMA says Xbox’s Activision deal ‘could harm’ players…

www.videogameschronicle.com

My understanding as well. Now we'll see if MS is really about mobile or if they will fight this because they really want COD.

Sucks for all the IP they will gobble if they decide to divest COD only, like crash and Spyro. More for their graveyard.

 

[Satoru]

Though those "options" in the CMA document are pretty much what they are considering ahead of their decision. Prohibition is of course one of them. But seems to me like the deal won't go through without heavy concessions, with one of them always being that CoD or the section of a Activision that controls the IP needs to be divested.

 

[Vertigo]

Even Marty throwing shade son!

 

[AshHunter216]

Another source says the cma would prefer structural remedies, but might consider behavioral remedies like the 10 year deal MS kept going on about. Personally I don't think that deal MS offered would be good enough to prevent harm.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could harm gamers, says UK regulator

The CMA is concerned about the impact on console and cloud gaming

www.gamesindustry.biz

 

[Sircaw]

Looking forward to playing Sony's new exclusive HI-FI RUSH. You were right @adamsapple it's a great fucking game.

 

[Old Gamer]

BREAKING:

• In-depth independent investigation provisionally finds deal raises concerns about cloud and console gaming
• Merger could make Microsoft even stronger in cloud gaming, stifling competition in this growing market and harming UK gamers who cannot afford expensive consoles
• Deal could also harm UK gamers by weakening the important rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles

Microsoft – Activision deal could harm UK gamers

A CMA investigation has provisionally concluded that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers.

www.gov.uk

 

[Deleted member 417]

I really hope MS have to spin off Blizzard from Acti and Sony buy Blizz for Diablo and put WoW on console.

 

[FatKaz]

Another source says the cma would prefer structural remedies, but might consider behavioral remedies like the 10 year deal MS kept going on about. Personally I don't think that deal MS offered would be good enough to prevent harm.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could harm gamers, says UK regulator

The CMA is concerned about the impact on console and cloud gaming

www.gamesindustry.biz

Yeah the problem with the 10 year deal is, it won't address the CMA concerns which are the same concerns from phase 1. CMA aren't changing those concerns anymore and it's upto MS to offer something to address it.

 

[Gediminas]

 

[KiryuRealty]

Interesting point from there:

What a shock!

 

[KiryuRealty]

Though those "options" in the CMA document are pretty much what they are considering ahead of their decision. Prohibition is of course one of them. But seems to me like the deal won't go through without heavy concessions, with one of them always being that CoD or the section of a Activision that controls the IP needs to be divested.

Any concessions would go against Microsoft’s whole motive for the buyout, so they won’t accept them.

The deal is dead.

 

[AshHunter216]

I'm thinking that if MS can't convince the regulators that the 10 year deal they offered on twitter is good enough, the deal is probably dead.

 

[FIREK2029]

I knew there was a reason Kotick and Nadella were making the PR rounds on TV yesterday.

Basically CMA called their bluff on COD not being important to them.

MS can either sell off COD/Activision or they can let the deal die. I'm not buying Phil and Nadella's PR bullshit that they only care about King and Candy Crush.

I think the main reason for this deal was to put COD in GamePass. With CMA effectively putting a halt to that, I think this deal is toast.

Awesome news for real gamers out there and bad news for shills of trillion dollar corporations.

 

[Old Gamer]

I'm thinking that if MS can't convince the regulators that the 10 year deal they offered on twitter is good enough, the deal is probably dead.

It clearly isn't good enough. Weasel words on social media won't help this time.

 

[anonpuffs]

Well, it's about what we all expected but seeing it in the flesh is just...woof. Microsoft having a bad day week month quarter year console generation entire decade

*edit* xbox dudes...i hope redfall and starfield was worth it lol...and pentiment...

 

[Gediminas]

I'm thinking that if MS can't convince the regulators that the 10 year deal they offered on twitter is good enough, the deal is probably dead.

on twitter lmao. it is as real as half life 3.

 

[Zeroing]

so… is it over?