Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

[Deleted member 417]

I'm not sure why Microsoft haven't jettisoned Activision from the deal and just focused on King. Microsoft strategy is to focus on mobile gaming, both for their xcloud/online services platform and to load gamepass up with games.

They need King much much more than they need COD, which will only become a burden for Microsoft by the end of the gen

 

[KiryuRealty]

I'm not sure why Microsoft haven't jettisoned Activision from the deal and just focused on King. Microsoft strategy is to focus on mobile gaming, both for their xcloud/online services platform and to load gamepass up with games.

They need King much much more than they need COD, which will only become a burden for Microsoft by the end of the gen

They haven’t done that because they don’t actually give a fuck about King. Simple as that.

 

[Deleted member 417]

They haven’t done that because they don’t actually give a fuck about King. Simple as that.

I respectfully disagree. King is more suited to Microsofts direction going forward. Activision and COD are being bough to bolster their lackluster output and to stop the franchise growing on competing platforms.

If Sony nail PSVR2 and it becomes the first mainstream VR headset - which it has a high chance of doing because its tied to a console, then franchises like COD will have to make VR modes. With Microsoft shunning VR and shying away from it almost entirely, this gives Sony defacto exclusives rights for the industries biggest franchises.

 

[KiryuRealty]

I respectfully disagree. King is more suited to Microsofts direction going forward. Activision and COD are being bough to bolster their lackluster output and to stop the franchise growing on competing platforms.

If Sony nail PSVR2 and it becomes the first mainstream VR headset - which it has a high chance of doing because its tied to a console, then franchises like COD will have to make VR modes. With Microsoft shunning VR and shying away from it almost entirely, this gives Sony defacto exclusives rights for the industries biggest franchises.

That doesn’t make King important at all to Microsoft’s goals.

King only does mobile, and if MS took their games off competitors to try to make mobile Game Pass a thing, they’d lose a shitload of revenue. Activision owning King wasn’t a factor at all for MS wanting them.

MS wants Activision for their console games, mostly Call of Duty. If MS wanted King, they’d have bought them when Activision bought them. It would have been a bargain.

 

[PropellerEar]

I'm not sure why Microsoft haven't jettisoned Activision from the deal and just focused on King. Microsoft strategy is to focus on mobile gaming, both for their xcloud/online services platform and to load gamepass up with games.

They need King much much more than they need COD, which will only become a burden for Microsoft by the end of the gen

The deal is definitely not about 250M middle aged women playing candy crush.

 

[Deleted member 417]

That doesn’t make King important at all to Microsoft’s goals.

King only does mobile, and if MS took their games off competitors to try to make mobile Game Pass a thing, they’d lose a shitload of revenue. Activision owning King wasn’t a factor at all for MS wanting them.

MS wants Activision for their console games, mostly Call of Duty. If MS wanted King, they’d have bought them when Activision bought them. It would have been a bargain.

Microsoft want to enter and dominate the mobile market. They've said this since the days of Peter Moore with "1 billion users" and "gamergrrrll".

This is only my opinion but picking King up gives Microsoft default access to millions of phones and phone games. They could launch gamepass on mobile, reaching 100's of millions of new users by hijacking Kings apps/games/store. That adds a big boost to xcloud and Microsofts Azure servers, while taking a bite into Apples marketshare.

The deal is definitely not about 250M middle aged women playing candy crush.

It is. It is about 250 million users spending Billions of £/$. Think of the whales and how much money mobile gaming makes vs console gaming. Microsoft even said Sony aren't their competition and they mean it. Microsoft want to compete in the mobile market.

I think this explains Microsoft lackluster approach with xbox. They've almost abandoned it.

 

[KiryuRealty]

Microsoft want to enter and dominate the mobile market. They've said this since the days of Peter Moore with "1 billion users" and "gamergrrrll".

This is only my opinion but picking King up gives Microsoft default access to millions of phones and phone games. They could launch gamepass on mobile, reaching 100's of millions of new users by hijacking Kings apps/games/store. That adds a big boost to xcloud and Microsofts Azure servers, while taking a bite into Apples marketshare.



It is. It is about 250 million users spending Billions of £/$. Think of the whales and how much money mobile gaming makes vs console gaming. Microsoft even said Sony aren't their competition and they mean it. Microsoft want to compete in the mobile market.

I think this explains Microsoft lackluster approach with xbox. They've almost abandoned it.

There’s no doubt that, after the disastrous first year of the Series, Nadella has basically decided that the Activision deal is Xbox’s last chance.

Once that merger falls through, I wouldn’t be shocked to see an early discontinuation of the Series consoles and the quiet end of XBox in the hardware realm.

I also think the abject failure of Windows Mobile and the destruction of Nokia has pushed MS away from wanting to be in mobile until everyone has forgotten about their past failures.

 

[Deleted member 417]

There’s no doubt that, after the disastrous first year of the Series, Nadella has basically decided that the Activision deal is Xbox’s last chance.

Once that merger falls through, I wouldn’t be shocked to see an early discontinuation of the Series consoles and the quiet end of XBox in the hardware realm.

It would be a shame when they end the xbox division instead of putting someone competent in charge.

The series S was a mistake and the series X was rushed to market and (i believe) should have originally released this xmas. Neither Series consoles have their software sorted yet and its struggling with RTX, regardless of what the media and shills would have you believe

 

[Gediminas]

There’s no doubt that, after the disastrous first year of the Series, Nadella has basically decided that the Activision deal is Xbox’s last chance.

Once that merger falls through, I wouldn’t be shocked to see an early discontinuation of the Series consoles and the quiet end of XBox in the hardware realm.

I also think the abject failure of Windows Mobile and the destruction of Nokia has pushed Ms away from wanting to be in mobile until everyone has forgotten about their past failures.

pretty much xbox should be dead if actiblizz falls.
how long you can sink billions before you say enough?
Phil single handedly killed all games sales on the platform. no wonder he is getting rewards, no one would have a balls to do that

 

[KiryuRealty]

It would be a shame when they end the xbox division instead of putting someone competent in charge.

The series S was a mistake and the series X was rushed to market and (i believe) should have originally released this xmas. Neither Series consoles have their software sorted yet and its struggling with RTX, regardless of what the media and shills would have you believe

It doesn’t matter who is in charge, with the way MS corporate culture does things, Xbox will never do anything but lose money.

Every generation after the original Xbox has come only after a boardroom battle for the green light. The Xbox One TV fiasco was due to the board wanting Xbox to diversify away from gaming since they’d lost so much money on the original and 360. The Series came close to not happening due to the One generation continuing to be a money sink.

MS doesn’t operate the right way to succeed in the gaming market. Four generations in, nobody can argue that MS knows how to do consoles competently. The investors and board of directors know this.

After this generation, say good bye to Xbox. Don’t expect MS to even hang in for the full generation, either. Every year they stay in the game means more money lost.

 

[Gediminas]

It doesn’t matter who is in charge, with the way MS corporate culture does things, Xbox will never do anything but lose money.

Every generation after the original Xbox has come only after a boardroom battle for the green light. The Xbox One TV fiasco was due to the board wanting Xbox to diversify away from gaming since they’d lost so much money on the original and 360. The Series came close to not happening due to the One generation continuing to be a money sink.

MS doesn’t operate the right way to succeed in the gaming market. Four generations in, nobody can argue that MS knows how to do consoles competently. The investors and board of directors know this.

After this generation, say good bye to Xbox. Don’t expect MS to even hang in for the full generation, either. Every year they stay in the game means more money lost.

should they go 3rd party?

yeah, i catch the same. m$ pushing too much corporate garbage into xbox, and that's why they have no chance. gaming just doesn't respond that way.

 

[PropellerEar]

Microsoft want to enter and dominate the mobile market. They've said this since the days of Peter Moore with "1 billion users" and "gamergrrrll".

This is only my opinion but picking King up gives Microsoft default access to millions of phones and phone games. They could launch gamepass on mobile, reaching 100's of millions of new users by hijacking Kings apps/games/store. That adds a big boost to xcloud and Microsofts Azure servers, while taking a bite into Apples marketshare.



It is. It is about 250 million users spending Billions of £/$. Think of the whales and how much money mobile gaming makes vs console gaming. Microsoft even said Sony aren't their competition and they mean it. Microsoft want to compete in the mobile market.

I think this explains Microsoft lackluster approach with xbox. They've almost abandoned it.

There is some point to the speculation about mobile side of things specially with the rulings in the Apple vs. Epic case.

But this is very risky, King customers couldn't care less for XBOX.

 

[KiryuRealty]

There is some point to the speculation about mobile side of things specially with the rulings in the Apple vs. Epic case.

But this is very risky, King customers couldn't care less for XBOX.

The thrust of MS’ mobile presence right now is Game Pass streaming.

 

[Deleted member 417]

It doesn’t matter who is in charge, with the way MS corporate culture does things, Xbox will never do anything but lose money.

Every generation after the original Xbox has come only after a boardroom battle for the green light. The Xbox One TV fiasco was due to the board wanting Xbox to diversify away from gaming since they’d lost so much money on the original and 360. The Series came close to not happening due to the One generation continuing to be a money sink.

MS doesn’t operate the right way to succeed in the gaming market. Four generations in, nobody can argue that MS knows how to do consoles competently. The investors and board of directors know this.

After this generation, say good bye to Xbox. Don’t expect MS to even hang in for the full generation, either. Every year they stay in the game means more money lost.

I agree with all of this. Microsoft did have the formula nailed under the OG team of J Allard and later with Peter Moore, but afterwards it quickly went to shit. Mattrick was terrible but at least he stuck to his vision. Spencer is the most useless tech exec I've known in my life.

As for dipping out of the market, i think MS will become a storefront like steam crossed with amazon; offering a stick for local streaming to a TV with a digital storefront loaded onto it.

I would put money on Disney taking Microsofts place

There is some point to the speculation about mobile side of things specially with the rulings in the Apple vs. Epic case.

But this is very risky, King customers couldn't care less for XBOX.

Do mobile gamers notice who owns the games or makes them? Candy crush could be king or xbox, the users wouldn't care.

Most gamers don't know, or care, who makes fifa, CoD or Fortnite let alone know about the history of those companies. I don't think middle aged cat mums and wine aunts would even notice the change. Microsoft's coffers would know though.

 

[PropellerEar]

Do mobile gamers notice who owns the games or makes them? Candy crush could be king or xbox, the users wouldn't care.

Most gamers don't know, or care, who makes fifa, CoD or Fortnite let alone know about the history of those companies. I don't think middle aged cat mums and wine aunts would even notice the change. Microsoft's coffers would know though.

No, but forcing a separate XBox or GamePass store or even creating an XBL account could be a deal breaker.

 

[Deleted member 417]

No, but forcing a separate XBox or GamePass store or even creating an XBL account could be a deal breaker.

Very true

 

[KiryuRealty]

I agree with all of this. Microsoft did have the formula nailed under the OG team of J Allard and later with Peter Moore, but afterwards it quickly went to shit. Mattrick was terrible but at least he stuck to his vision. Spencer is the most useless tech exec I've known in my life.

As for dipping out of the market, i think MS will become a storefront like steam crossed with amazon; offering a stick for local streaming to a TV with a digital storefront loaded onto it.

I would put money on Disney taking Microsofts place


Do mobile gamers notice who owns the games or makes them? Candy crush could be king or xbox, the users wouldn't care.

Most gamers don't know, or care, who makes fifa, CoD or Fortnite let alone know about the history of those companies. I don't think middle aged cat mums and wine aunts would even notice the change. Microsoft's coffers would know though.

That’s why King isn’t relevant in the deal. Mobile is pretty unique in that nobody knows where the next big hit is coming from, and track record means nothing. Once Candy Crush dies off entirely, who is to say if King will ever have another hit?

 

[Deleted member 417]

That’s why King isn’t relevant in the deal. Mobile is pretty unique in that nobody knows where the next big hit is coming from, and track record means nothing. Once Candy Crush dies off entirely, who is to say if King will ever have another hit?

I believe King is more about the foot in the door into the mobile realm than the franchises they own. King is the biggest game maker/publisher/dev in the mobile gaming industry. Microsoft buying them would be like Tencent buying Sony. King gives Microsoft instant access to 100s of millions of devices and the mobile gaming market experience.

We all know Microsoft like to "buy 'em out, boys".

In terms of the ABK deal, King is to mobile what CoD is to Consoles.

 

[KiryuRealty]

I believe King is more about the foot in the door into the mobile realm than the franchises they own. King is the biggest game maker/publisher/dev in the mobile gaming industry. Microsoft buying them would be like Tencent buying Sony. King gives Microsoft instant access to 100s of millions of devices and the mobile gaming market experience.

We all know Microsoft like to "buy 'em out, boys".

In terms of the ABK deal, King is to mobile what CoD is to Consoles.

Microsoft doesn’t need King for a mobile breakthrough, they need competent developers working on mobile product. No need to buy anyone to set up a studio or two.

 

[Deleted member 417]

Microsoft doesn’t need King for a mobile breakthrough, they need competent developers working on mobile product. No need to buy anyone to set up a studio or two.

I agree but this Microsoft we're talking about. They've had to buy their way into every industry except the xbox, which they now have to buy out to keep this once successful product afloat.

Buying King as a way into Mobile makes sense, as they get CoD and Overwatch thrown in. They kill 2 birds with one stone; console and mobile games with one purchase.