Yeah someone got in their feelings and pressured the lawyers to go hard... too bad regulators in the current admin don't bend over backwards for industry like they used to
Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard
- Thread starter Darth Vader
- Start date
They cut their throats with that asinine “We tried to give peace a chance” statement. The arrogance to think they could threaten governments shows just how delusional MS execs can be, and shows just how important it is for them to be brought to heel by regulators.
The only people who thought that was a smart move are the hardcore Stans, and they are so out of touch with reality that it will be incredible to see the meltdowns when the hammer falls on the merger.
OP
OP
They delayed provision findings, whatever that means. They were supposed to announce them sometime this month but delayed to April.
CMA extends deadline for Microsoft/Activision Blizzard investigation
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox The Competition and Markets Authority has …
www.gamesindustry.biz
Should be interesting when they publish their findings.
Provisional findings would be their initial report on what conditions they’d require for approval, or their reasons for denying approval.
What they’re doing is basically keeping their guns holstered to avoid influencing the US proceedings, and allowing enough time for the US case to be in full swing before they drop their report.
It is an indication that they are not approving the deal, most likely.
No. They are taking their time to ensure that everything is properly considered before making their decisions... which if you take their actions now compared to what they were during phase 1, you realize that this is actually probably an indication that things are more positive for Microsoft now than they were back in phase 1. If their concerns from phase 1 were able to hold up to scrutiny... then they'd nip this deal in the bud right away.
That's the most backwards logic I've ever heard. So they're going to waste people's times more because they couldn't find anything to hold up the deal? That's LAUGHABLE. The more likely scenario is they've actually found a valid legal case to stop the transaction and are making sure they've got their ducks in a row because once they file the action to halt the merger, they need to have an airtight case. Otherwise they would have just let the deal pass like multiple other countries have.
if you read pro-Xbox places they are saying the delay is very positive for MS and the deal is now going through 100%.
Then you read the posts here and it means it's blocked. Who to believe
Your post does make more sense to be honest but I don't know.
No one knows, maybe the people doing review got covid or some shit. Anyone speculating right now has zero fucking idea... but xbox channels have no games to talk about so they constantly beat the FTC/CMA dead horse. The thing is atomized now, can't believe their audience isn't tired of the subject yet. Then again they did suffer through 20 years of the same halo gears and forza...if you read pro-Xbox places they are saying the delay is very positive for MS and the deal is now going through 100%.
Then you read the posts here and it means it's blocked. Who to believe
Your post does make more sense to be honest but I don't know.
if you read pro-Xbox places they are saying the delay is very positive for MS and the deal is now going through 100%.
Then you read the posts here and it means it's blocked. Who to believe
Your post does make more sense to be honest but I don't know.
I tend to take the delay at face value. They need more time, for whatever reason, to complete their investigation. I do, however, doubt that all positive news is coming for MS. It's interesting to see the about face for MS and their fans on this issue from the beginning. From confidence bordering on arrogance that there would be no issues whatsoever to what we have now.
Last edited:
Literally the dumbest shit I've read here LOL
Yea, they're going to waste everyone's time.... when they've already found a valid legal case to stop it.... durrrr
D
Deleted member 417
Guest
if they didn't find anything, they had NO ground to delay it legally.
most probably they found blockable offenses and building the case to be sound proved.
because they can be sued. good luck explaining why you blocked while had nothing. turn your brain on once at least.
We've seen time and time again, the longer this drags out, the worse this acquisition gets for microsoft. I think some executive from microsoft was "surprised" at how much scrutiny this deal is getting and complained that this wouldnt have been a big deal a few years ago. Them lashing out and calling the FTC unconstituional is a bad look and shot across the bow to ALL regulators, not just the FTC. Does that mean regulators from other countries also are unconstitutional? Microsoft is burning up all the goodwill theyve made since the 90s with this deal for a division thats never been all that successful and is burning money like they the Joker in the dark knight.
My question is, is the xbox divsion so important to the company as whole that theyre willing to burn up all goodwill with this so they could potentially miss out on a deal that theyll actually need later down the line, or are they just that powerful and rich that it doesnt matter?
If the CMA was going to approve the deal, even with remedies, why would they delay findings? In my opinion they already have their minds made up and are waiting for cover from other regulatos who also probably are leaning the same way. I agree with those saying, that they delayed their findings to build a case. I could be wrong but those of us skeptical have been correct so far, unlike the xbox astroturfers saying itd sail through no problem.
This deal isn’t important to MS overall, but it is crucial to Xbox having a future.
There’s no doubt that, after being allowed to gobble up Bethesda, they figured this would be rubber-stamped, but MS never expects to lose and never has a plan B, so that is hardly shocking. Gates and Ballmer both bragged about how they never made contingency plans on multiple occasions.
Now, with a nobody like Nadella at the helm, listening to an empty shirt like Phil, they’re hitting the rocks hard with Xbox, and they probably STILL don’t have a backup plan to salvage things when this fails.
Fun times to be watching.
Another angle ive seen is that the CMA is delaying to simply run the clock out on the deal like the FTC is. At this point i think its more likely Microsoft walks away from this deal than it is to go through, but that's my extremely biased opinion.
OP
OP
Funny thing is that astroturfers and paid journalists keep spinning this as "it's not about CoD" but I can almost guarantee regulators would have no problem if Microsoft was willing to break ABK up upon acquisition and make CoD an independent studio / publisher. They are not, meaning this is all about CoD and the revenue / hardware sales it brings.
You’re off-base to think regulators will be ok with the biggest software company in the world buying the biggest game publisher in the world with that small of a stipulation.
There’s a lot more to MS than XBox, despite how Phil and his press lackeys are presenting this. Keeping Nadella out of any public statements and coverage is a strategic manipulation of optics.