Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

Swolf712

Veteran
29 Jun 2022
781
1,018
Wisconsin, USA
I know what you're thinking. This must be a joke. It's not.

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Saw it here: https://redd.it/132bh4q
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Dick Jones

Corporate Dick
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5 Jul 2022
1,458
2,206
Pretty much exactly what's going to happen.
The deal will go through and Microsoft will own Activision-Blizzard this year.
Well what I wrote and what you wrote are not the same. Why do you think the CAT can direct the CMA to make a decision? Who lied to you?
 
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TerraNova

Newbie
26 Apr 2023
19
69
Klobrille's comments are the funniest.

Xbox has been expanding for "many, many years." Fuck, coulda fooled me, seeing so little content output from most of those studios listed.

Exactly why he spends 40 hours/week in Adobe Illustrator putting together masturbatory infographics stuffed to the brim with his wet dream wish list of devs and pubs. Sadly, the ABK block has set him back on that front. Guess he'll just have to make his font/graphic sizes bigger to replace the space formerly occupied by what was assuredly going to become MS first party.
 

FatKaz

Veteran
16 Jul 2022
2,204
4,185
If anyone else is feeling like a sadist go to the era acquistion thread, go to the threadmark where the news of the CMA blocking the deal got posted, then go back a few pages and enjoy the early celebrations before the meltdowns.

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Obviously joking on the sadist bit, just for fun.
 

Cool hand luke

Veteran
14 Feb 2023
2,887
5,134
If anyone else is feeling like a sadist go to the era acquistion thread, go to the threadmark where the news of the CMA blocking the deal got posted, then go back a few pages and enjoy the early celebrations before the meltdowns.

the-simpsons-heart-broken.gif


Obviously joking on the sadist bit, just for fun.
Nah, you're right - the pages before the acquisition was blocked should be archived. It's peak delusion and psychologists would have a field day.

I'm with the poster who said they can't get enough of mocking Xbots. If there's any group in gaming more repugnant on this earth, I haven't met them.
 

nongkris

Veteran
14 Feb 2023
1,325
2,158
If anyone else is feeling like a sadist go to the era acquistion thread, go to the threadmark where the news of the CMA blocking the deal got posted, then go back a few pages and enjoy the early celebrations before the meltdowns.

the-simpsons-heart-broken.gif


Obviously joking on the sadist bit, just for fun.
The only thing that would've made this event perfect if their was some Xbox influencer live streaming when the news broke so I could see their face when their hearts got hroken. But salty forum reactions will have to do. 🤣
 

Sleepy Brown

Banned
5 Jul 2022
317
545
Well what I wrote and what you wrote are not the same. Why do you think the CAT can direct the CMA to make a decision? Who lied to you?
The CAT will see that the decision to block the acquisition makes no sense. It will once again go back to the CMA and after looking at it again (with more data and deals from Microsoft) the CMA will approve it. Microsoft's appeal will be successful.
It's not "over". Not at all.
Activision-Blizzard will be a part of Microsoft. Call of Duty and Crash are going to be Microsoft 1st party IPs.
 
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Cool hand luke

Veteran
14 Feb 2023
2,887
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The CAT will see that the decision to block the acquisition makes no sense. It will once again go back to the CMA and after looking at it again (with more data and deals from Microsoft) the CMA will approve it. Microsoft's appeal will be successful.
It's not "over". Not at all.
Activision-Blizzard will be a part of Microsoft. Call of Duty and Crash are going to be Microsoft 1st party IPs.

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Xbox will LOSE access to previously multiplatform titles naturally as sales dry up on the dying platform, Crash and Spyro will be purchased by Sony (they're coming home) as ABK looks to streamline their business with the departure of Kotick and Lulu, and Xbox will be shuttered as a console platform within a couple of years.

That's your future. Learn to love it.
 

Entropi

Veteran
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22 Jan 2023
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MS and lulu lemon thinking this deal was the be all end all for the UK’s tech market is both extremely arrogant and delusional.

I would say the EU blocking the deal would be the cherry on top but MS already installed one of their stooges to do their bidding.
 

AshHunter216

Banned
8 Jan 2023
4,556
7,628
MS and lulu lemon thinking this deal was the be all end all for the UK’s tech market is both extremely arrogant and delusional.

I would say the EU blocking the deal would be the cherry on top but MS already installed one of their stooges to do their bidding.
I expect the EU as well as some smaller markets to be in favor of the deal in the end and for the CMA and FTC to be standing together against it. China is the wildcard though imo. Rumors had them being OK with the deal, then their decision got delayed, Netease are protesting it and then the US and China have increased tensions. CMA blocking badly screwed MS chances either way though.
 
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laynelane

Veteran
14 Jul 2022
1,019
2,110
MS's behavior over the past few months in trying to get approval for the deal, which included previous things like belittling the FTC, have also left a similarly sour taste in my mouth. I was not abjectly against the deal on the grounds it was Microsoft buying them, but I always had reservations because of the precedent it could have set for consolidation if they got approved with little to no remedies applied. The statements I've seen from people like Brad Smith, and from the list of influencers, lawyers etc. who are clearly in their camp online just constantly attacking Sony over mostly BS reasons, kind of also gravitated me towards being against the deal out of the nature of the company making the acquisition.

It's funny, because for as much some diehard Xbox fans make fun of Sony's "This is how you share games." jab, or try to pretend Peter Moore and other Xbox execs in the 360 era didn't do some (friendly) console warring of their own, NONE of that compares to the incidental console warring Microsoft themselves have been doing in trying to get the ABK deal approved. It makes their own efforts with the 360 pale in comparison, and does the same to any of Sony's, NEC's, Nintendo's, or Sega's for that matter. And in some cases that is saying a lot.

The reason I feel that way is because Microsoft, unlike those others, actually found a way to weaponize the console warring mentality through their astroturfing efforts and grassroots social media with content creators, influencers and "ambassadors". They enabled the ridiculous console warring extremism we've seen from diehard Xbox fans and associated content creators, influencers etc. throughout this acquisition process, and some of it got really nasty and hateful. Yet not once did anyone from Xbox disavow any of it, because they, and Microsoft (and ABK), were probably counting on it, and as we can see through certain statements like those from Brad Smith today (or Kotick yesterday)...they have a similar mentality themselves.

That can turn me away quicker than Craig and RedFall ever could.

It has been rather disgusting, hasn't it? I've been against this deal from the start. If there was any evidence of creativity, standards, or love for gaming with MS - I have yet to see it over the time Phil has been in charge. I don't want a corporation like that consolidating the industry in order to "compete". I'm still catching up on the thread, but did you see the information on the contracts MS signed for access to ABK titles? Where they would keep all revenue from in-game purchases? This was in effect while they were ridiculing Sony for refusing to sign a 10 year deal. It says a lot, doesn't it?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - everything MS is doing is designed to remove consumer choice - to drag you into their ecosystem no matter what. They need to be shut down, full stop, from making any moves that impact the industry in order for it to remain healthy. I am beyond thankful for the CMA decision and for the FTC's stance. I only hope the EC will follow suit to really make it clear that the methods they've used to obtain near-monoplies in other sectors will not work in gaming.