Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

[Suzaku]

Here comes the real political interference Xbox fans have been looking for. From the UK Prime Minister:

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. [...] We’ll reform the Better Regulation Framework so that regulation is the last, not the first, response of government. This is game-changing in the way we approach British business...​

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Interesting choice of words. Wonder if Microsoft's threats paid off after all

Rishi Sunak on LinkedIn: I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to… | 326 comments

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. It… | 326 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

From "that forum" who already reopened the thread :
Worth flagging as this will no doubt propagate - the strategic steer has been around since around 2015 through various government incarnations - it is not at all unique to this government or to this particular time period of the CMA.

It is nothing - a set of non-binding, overarching policy recommendations to the CMA. If anything, this particular steer is quite favorable (they all generally are FYI) to the CMA’s current trajectory and is within the context of new legislation being introduced to strengthen the CMA’s power (as everyone is aware). It has absolutely no relevance to, nor will it impact on, this particular merger decision.

 

[FatKaz]

Here comes the real political interference Xbox fans have been looking for. From the UK Prime Minister:

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. [...] We’ll reform the Better Regulation Framework so that regulation is the last, not the first, response of government. This is game-changing in the way we approach British business...​

​

Interesting choice of words. Wonder if Microsoft's threats paid off after all

Rishi Sunak on LinkedIn: I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to… | 326 comments

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. It… | 326 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive.

Nuff said

 

[Dabaus]

Wouldn’t be surprised if this was yet another case of “I don’t think this means what you think it means” for our Xbox brethren. Isn’t the uk also supposed to strengthen the cma? They’ve been adding new restrictions to the deal almost daily. I think this is one of those it has nothing to do with the deal type bills but when you cling to straws and it’s the only thing you care about the bill is vague enough for it to say whatever they want it to.

 

[AshHunter216]

So MS haven't given up and they plan to double down on the pressure campaign. smh

 

[Gods&Monsters]

So this thread should be to? Going by that logic.
Lock it up and throw away the key.

It's the only place where it was allowed to keep it real without xbots shills and people here were 100% right about everything. It's why everywhere else xbox fans were shocked to the core and gone in the ambulance.

Is PeterOvo Cyrribrae from Resetera?

That user used to write big delusional wall of texts in the Activision thread. If it's the same user they should ban that toxic shit so it doesn't spread everywhere.

 

[nongkris]

Here comes the real political interference Xbox fans have been looking for. From the UK Prime Minister:

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. [...] We’ll reform the Better Regulation Framework so that regulation is the last, not the first, response of government. This is game-changing in the way we approach British business...​

​

Interesting choice of words. Wonder if Microsoft's threats paid off after all

Rishi Sunak on LinkedIn: I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to… | 326 comments

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. It… | 326 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

Reading this you can clearly see it's just standard neoliberal deregulation speak concerning british companies and red tape. Nothing to do with the CMA's anit-trust powers over foreign companies which they just expanded.

 

[AshHunter216]

Has anyone else noticed that the EU's regulatory process is a lot less public and open than the CMA's? Unlike the CMA, all we have are rumors and "leaks" for them about which way they're leaning until they make their decision.

 

[Darth Vader]

Has anyone else noticed that the EU's regulatory process is a lot less public and open than the CMA's? Unlike the CMA, all we have are rumors and "leaks" for them about which way they're leaning until they make their decision.

The EU, with Van Palpatine and the other fuckit that came from the IMF, are completely sold to big corpo and big economic interests. Not surprising shit is not transparent anymore.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Everything Xbox fans get excited about quickly turns on them, if they get too confident that the EU will approve you can bet there will be a surprise somewhere.

Just look at Bethesda, $7B, years of bragging about it and it all amounted to shit like Redfall, flops, delayed and overhyped games.

 

[AshHunter216]

Everything Xbox fans get exited about quickly turns on them, if they get too confident that the EU will approve you can bet there will be a surprise somewhere.

Just look at Bethesda, $7B, years of bragging about it and it all amounted to shit like Redfall, flops, delayed and overhyped games.

The European Commission’s president gave an interview where, looking at it now, she basically implied that the EU and CMA were going to have different decisions on this deal. Things could have changed since then, but I wouldn't depend on them to make the same (correct) call that the cma did.

She also may have implied that EU decisions were too easy to appeal so they just take the path of least resistance to limit the chances of that happening.

 

[Nhomnhom]

The European Commission’s president gave an interview where, looking at it now, she basically implied that the EU and CMA were going to have different decisions on this deal. Things could have changed since then, but I wouldn't depend on them to make the same (correct) call that the cma did.

She also may have implied that EU decisions were too easy to appeal so they just take the path of least resistance to limit the chances of that happening.

You never know, people were sure about the CMA approving it before too. The deal is pretty much already dead anyway, the EU doesn't need to fear any appeals.

 

[AshHunter216]

You never know, people were sure about the CMA approving it before too. The deal is pretty much already dead anyway, the EU doesn't need to fear any appeals.

True. A split decision would also be weird after all the talk and reporting about the major regulators being more coordinated and united on big cases like this going forward.

 

[FatKaz]

True. A split decision would also be weird after all the talk and reporting about the major regulators being more coordinated and united on big cases like this going forward.

If not a block, perhaps EC ask for harsh remedies enough to just make MS want to walk away. It would also perhaps make it harder to fight the EC on court as they haven't blocked it. But then again an EC block would probably make MS walk away and not bother challenging, as they'd be fighting three regulators all at once, one which is looking like a losing battle.

Considering CMA and FTC have taken strong stances, it would make EC look spinless to approve with weak remedies which is what MS have provided so far.

I'm surprised we haven't got more positive PR from MS and ABK for the EC. Like if reuters know it is positive, wouldn't MS and ABK also know and be jumping up and down about it and try to pressure the CMA earlier? And have their shill lawyers out and spreading it to more outlets?

Although that reuters article is questionable whether they actually know anything new or are just stating the obvious date of a possible approval.

 

[Swift_Star]

So this thread should be to? Going by that logic.
Lock it up and throw away the key.

Well we are nobodies and don’t spread conspiracy therapies or FUD, so I guess not.

 

[AshHunter216]

If not a block, perhaps EC ask for harsh remedies enough to just make MS want to walk away. It would also perhaps make it harder to fight the EC on court as they haven't blocked it. But then again an EC block would probably make MS walk away and not bother challenging, as they'd be fighting three regulators all at once, one which is looking like a losing battle.

Considering CMA and FTC have taken strong stances, it would make EC look spinless to approve with weak remedies which is what MS have provided so far.

I'm surprised we haven't got more positive PR from MS and ABK for the EC. Like if reuters know it is positive, wouldn't MS and ABK also know and be jumping up and down about it and try to pressure the CMA earlier?

Although that reuters article is questionable whether they actually know anything new or are just stating the obvious date of a possible approval.

It would also be weird if they made a ruling before their deadline hits even though other regulators are content to wait all the way until their deadline to make their ruling.

 

[Swift_Star]

Here comes the real political interference Xbox fans have been looking for. From the UK Prime Minister:

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. [...] We’ll reform the Better Regulation Framework so that regulation is the last, not the first, response of government. This is game-changing in the way we approach British business...​

​

Interesting choice of words. Wonder if Microsoft's threats paid off after all

Rishi Sunak on LinkedIn: I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to… | 326 comments

I want to make it as easy as possible for British businesses to thrive. To do that we need a regulatory system in the UK that doesn’t get in the way. It… | 326 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

This have absolutely nothing to do with the powers the CMA has.

Edit: it seems it gives the CMA more reason to continue doing what they’ve been doing.

 

[Fenton]

 

[Dick Jones]

Is there anything Sting can't do?

 

[daniel5043]

Allan and Bernd, LOL

Bernard is also active on resetera thread doing the exact same shit

 

[Swift_Star]

This guy here is right on the money.

The CMA and Microsoft agree on one thing: the cloud gaming market is what matters | Opinion

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox In the end, it wasn't really about Call of…

www.gamesindustry.biz

Quoting from the article:

Microsoft was arguably quite smart to try to capitalise on that confusion by proposing remedies that address the cloud streaming aspect, while pointedly ignoring the subscription aspect. I do say arguably; there's another perspective which argues that wilfully misunderstanding the points the CMA is making, and making a public song and dance about remedies which deliberately ignored the CMA's concerns, may have simply fuelled the regulator's distrust of the company.

But I have to disagree with the smart part since it was painfully obvious the deals were all performative and meaningless. MS shot themselves in the foot with the deals and, as exposed previously, the whole cloud gaming focus was what ultimately killed tue deal.
The second part where he says the cloud deals fueled the CMA’s concerns, though? Completely right.
They thought they were playing some 4D chess, guess what? The CMA was playing 10D chess.

Thanks for playing, MS.