Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

Zeroing

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6 Jul 2022
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Real question what are they hoping to see?

Sony entered a marketing arrangement with Square for FFXVI and Konami for Silent Hill 2? We already know that
It’s bullying, “shut up or we will find out any bad things you’ve done”

I dunno anymore I’m so tired of this crap, it’s even worse when gaming journalists cannot do their job and just make things worse.
Meanwhile people who really want to understand this deal cannot, because all of it it’s made by bias opinions and PR .
 

laynelane

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14 Jul 2022
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Great posts from Modiz here;

View attachment 732

View attachment 733


Seem to be going unanswered at Reset, probably cause they have no decent argument against Modiz here...

That person really hit the nail on the head with the last two sentences - that's been the gist behind "let us compete" from MS, their many paid journalists/astroturfers/shills, and militant fans. Nintendo and Sony earned their market share over many years and many good decisions and strategies. But suddenly Sony is evil and is pushing poor, little MS around. The sentiment is that Sony should be punished for their success and MS should be rewarded for their failure. Of course, the main underlying motive for many of these people is they want more games on Gamepass, but since very few are honest about that - they champion a company that has a proven anti-competitive track record and refuses to focus on making great games over services and PR stunts.

I try to remember that people who support this are a minority who just screech really loudly. Plus, regulators are doing a great job so far and I hope that, in the end, this deal is killed. I don't even want to think about how a soulless company like MS will impact the market long-term if they're allowed to just do whatever the hell they want.
 

Dabaus

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28 Jun 2022
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Great posts from Modiz here;

View attachment 732

View attachment 733


Seem to be going unanswered at Reset, probably cause they have no decent argument against Modiz here...
The new talking points from xbox zealots is:
-It should be illegal for the market leader (Sony) to make third party deals because its unfair to xbox because marketshare
-Microsft should be allowed to buy publishers because market share
-Sony shouldnt be allowed to buy anyone in response because market share.
-Microsft 3rd party deals dont count because reasons
-Microsoft is far behind in japan they should be allowed to go on a shopping spree there because market shRE

Basically sonys success should be used against them and since microsofts business model makes it impossible for them to gain market share, they should be allowed to indefinitely buy up publishers.
 
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Zeroing

Veteran
6 Jul 2022
577
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Great posts from Modiz here;

View attachment 732

View attachment 733


Seem to be going unanswered at Reset, probably cause they have no decent argument against Modiz here...
Almost no one outside of the fanatics go on that thread anymore, if you express a different opinion, people will defect, gaslight and turn the conversation into something else.

So all of them are now in a tiny happy bubble defending and cheering a trillion dollar company who does not give a crap about their fanbase.

The way that forum works basically enables people to live on isolated groups making it even harder for anyone to express their opinions because those groups do not care.
 

KiryuRealty

Cambridge Dictionary High Priest of Grammar
28 Nov 2022
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Where it’s at.
The new talking points from xbox zealots is:
-It should be illegal for the market leader (Sony) to make third party deals because its unfair to xbox because marketshare
-Microsft should be allowed to buy publishers because market share
-Sony shouldnt be allowed to buy anyone in response because market share.
And the funniest part is their insistence that Sony 3rd-party deals are somehow “shady”, while not even acknowledging bullshit MS deals like exclusive DLC for Dead Rising 2 and Tomb Raider: Underworld that have NEVER been released elsewhere, or Xbox execs BRAGGING about how they were happy to pay for exclusives to keep Xbox on top in the 360 era.

And then there’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, which some go so far as to try to paint as proof that Sony and it’s users are immoral because people were pissed off about the exclusivity and Sony ended up getting the game on Plus as a freebie right at launch with all DLC.
 

Dabaus

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28 Jun 2022
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Almost no one outside of the fanatics go on that thread anymore, if you express a different opinion, people will defect, gaslight and turn the conversation into something else.

So all of them are now in a tiny happy bubble defending and cheering a trillion dollar company who does not give a crap about their fanbase.

The way that forum works basically enables people to live on isolated groups making it even harder for anyone to express their opinions because those groups do not care.
Ive noticed that thread in particular is significantly more hostile than the neogaf thread and i think it comes down to neogaf being lenient with their moderation.
 

KiryuRealty

Cambridge Dictionary High Priest of Grammar
28 Nov 2022
6,646
8,166
Where it’s at.
Ive noticed that thread in particular is significantly more hostile than the neogaf thread and i think it comes down to neogaf being lenient with their moderation.
Lenient?

It’s more like all the mods there have quit. They’re going almost a week between bans!
 

Zeroing

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6 Jul 2022
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Ive noticed that thread in particular is significantly more hostile than the neogaf thread and i think it comes down to neogaf being lenient with their moderation.
I have the impression most people on Neogaf do not take themselves as seriously or think they are better than the rest... thus you notice the difference in hostility.
But both forums still have crazy mods.
I have no idea, I try to find some sense in all of the madness.
Lenient?

It’s more like all the mods there have quit. They’re going almost a week between bans!
That is Gaf, when the mods get into the banning mode, they ban anyone who got reported. They do not even bother to investigate.
 
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AshHunter216

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8 Jan 2023
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The new talking points from xbox zealots is:
-It should be illegal for the market leader (Sony) to make third party deals because its unfair to xbox because marketshare
-Microsft should be allowed to buy publishers because market share
-Sony shouldnt be allowed to buy anyone in response because market share.
-Microsft 3rd party deals dont count because reasons
-Microsoft is far behind in japan they should be allowed to go on a shopping spree there because market shRE

Basically sonys success should be used against them and since microsofts business model makes it impossible for them to gain market share, they should be allowed to indefinitely buy up publishers.
Their logic makes zero sense. How in the world would their proposal be good for competition if Xbox is allowed to do anything they want while Playstation has so many handicaps forced on it?
 
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Dabaus

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Their logic makes zero sense. How in the world would their proposal be good for competition if Xbox is allowed to do anything they want while Playstation has so many handicaps forced on it?
The answer is in your question from their perspective.
 

Cool hand luke

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14 Feb 2023
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Yoga flame on Reee may as well have a sign around his neck saying he'll 'Swallow cum for Spencer' with how much he's salivating at the prospect of Microsoft gaining an unfair advantage

Publication of an older article that Idas posted:

Finally, a key area of dispute may also be around pricing. Sony takes the view that it needs to be enabled to price Call of Duty competitively to what Microsoft could offer, said the third source familiar.

A factor here is the shifts in the industry from console gaming offers, where games can be priced at around EUR 70 for and where the revenue split is typically 30% to the platform and 70% to the publisher, to a subscription service model, said the source.

Under the subscription service model, publishers are typically either paid upfront for the rights to their game, which can be good for smaller gaming studios but less beneficial for blockbuster games like Call of Duty, which would likely see limit to their upside, said Rietveld. Another model for subscriptions is the Spotify-style model where it would be paid for share of time spent on a game, he noted.

A third option would see a licensee, such as Sony, paying the wholesale price for Call of Duty multiplied by the number of users who play the game for more than a set amount of time, he noted.

Sony is likely to take the view that the contract on offer by Microsoft result in diminished revenues for PlayStation, leaving it unable to put investments into its own games, said the third source. It would be forced to offer its PS Plus subscription service at a higher price than GamePass, they noted.

Good points around the game pass/PS+ dimension. Microsoft can offer it for free on game pass, while Sony would be forced to pay Microsoft for access and net diminished revenue due to lower sales and more subscriptions. Eventually this leads to a distortion of the market where the deepest pockets outside of gaming win. The best reason to block this, imo.

A structural remedy would also be very complicated, noted Rietveld. There are three studios that are working on Call of Duty within Activision, and any carve-out would likely require the development capabilities and not solely the IP for the game, he said. The fourth source familiar with the transaction said that a structural remedy would call into question the deal and would likely prove to be exceptionally complex.
Good point here, too. If structural remedies are too hard, then prohibition it is.
 
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AshHunter216

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8 Jan 2023
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Yoga flame on Reee may as well have a sign around his neck saying he'll 'Swallow cum for Spencer' with how much he's salivating at the prospect of Microsoft gaining an unfair advantage

Publication of an older article that Idas posted:



Good points around the game pass/PS+ dimension. Microsoft can offer it for free on game pass, while Sony would be forced to pay Microsoft for access and net diminished revenue due to lower sales and more subscriptions. Eventually this leads to a distortion of the market where the deepest pockets outside of gaming win. The best reason to block this, imo.


Good point here, too. If structural remedies are too hard, then prohibition it is.
Any structural remedy would likely involve leaving all of Activision out of the deal rather than individual studios in order to ensure that COD could still be developed properly with all of the necessary studios intact. MS have already said they would rather abandon the entire deal than do that.
 

FatKaz

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16 Jul 2022
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Yoga flame on Reee may as well have a sign around his neck saying he'll 'Swallow cum for Spencer' with how much he's salivating at the prospect of Microsoft gaining an unfair advantage

Publication of an older article that Idas posted:



Good points around the game pass/PS+ dimension. Microsoft can offer it for free on game pass, while Sony would be forced to pay Microsoft for access and net diminished revenue due to lower sales and more subscriptions. Eventually this leads to a distortion of the market where the deepest pockets outside of gaming win. The best reason to block this, imo.


Good point here, too. If structural remedies are too hard, then prohibition it is.
Yeah pricing will be very tricky for the cloud/sub service concessions, and they need to consider future entrants to the cloud market aswell. I think CMA mentioned a new unamed entrant in the cloud market they are aware of.

CMA will need to monitor and enforce it aswell which will be another ballache, i've seen some others mention microsoft could hire a third party to do the monitoring, but that would still need CMA oversight. Regulators would be off there rocker to leave a thrid party to montior microsft without some oversight.
 

FatKaz

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16 Jul 2022
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The new talking points from xbox zealots is:
-It should be illegal for the market leader (Sony) to make third party deals because its unfair to xbox because marketshare
-Microsft should be allowed to buy publishers because market share
-Sony shouldnt be allowed to buy anyone in response because market share.
-Microsft 3rd party deals dont count because reasons
-Microsoft is far behind in japan they should be allowed to go on a shopping spree there because market shRE

Basically sonys success should be used against them and since microsofts business model makes it impossible for them to gain market share, they should be allowed to indefinitely buy up publishers.
My favourite one is microsoft leaving the UK market. People have lost their minds.

I have to say i've never seen this insanity in any other fanbase, android vs iphone, rival sports teams etc. I am at a lost for words what i am reading.
 
D

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My favourite one is microsoft leaving the UK market. People have lost their minds.

I have to say i've never seen this insanity in any other fanbase, android vs iphone, rival sports teams etc. I am at a lost for words what i am reading.
Microsoft could leave the UK market, no one would know.