Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

[Ezekiel]

https://www.ft.com/content/17d7c71f-a82f-4f6b-8552-b2814cb5f9d1

 

[AshHunter216]

https://www.ft.com/content/17d7c71f-a82f-4f6b-8552-b2814cb5f9d1

Article has a paywall for me. Is there anything new in there?

 

[Swift_Star]

Article has a paywall for me. Is there anything new in there?

Headline alone is enough to make the bots cry.

 

[Swift_Star]

Article has a paywall for me. Is there anything new in there?

Article content:

The heads of the UK’s competition regulator have insisted that they are not creating a “hostile” environment for tech companies after the agency was criticised for blocking Microsoft’s $75bn takeover of Activision Blizzard.

Answering questions from UK members of parliament on Tuesday, Marcus Bokkerink, chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, and its chief executive Sarah Cardell defended its stance on the video games industry’s largest deal, despite the European Commission accepting commitments from Microsoft and approving the tie-up on Monday.

“I think it’s absolutely critical that we maintain a constructive dialogue [with the tech industry] and that’s something that I seek to do and I’m doing regularly,” said Cardell, “so I don’t find that we are operating, sort of broadly speaking, in a hostile environment.”

Cardell added she had told tech companies in preparatory meetings ahead of the creation of a new digital markets unit, run by the CMA: “This is a sector where we want to work together.”

After executives at Microsoft and Activision suggested the CMA’s decision threatened to damage the UK’s profile among overseas businesses, Conservative MP Bim Afolami challenged the regulator’s top executives over how its decisions took account of Britain’s “international reputation”.

“I will challenge the premise that there is an impact on international confidence in doing business in the UK, that the best way that confidence is served is by turning a blind eye to anti-competitive mergers,” said Bokkerink. “We are vigilant . . . about investments that consolidate and entrench market power.”

In response to the CMA and EU’s contrasting decisions, Activision chief Bobby Kotick has said that “the UK is clearly closed for business” while saying his company would “meaningfully expand our investment and workforce throughout the EU”.

Cardell told MPs that officials at the CMA and in Brussels agreed about the potential harms of the Activision deal in the cloud gaming market but differed in their acceptance of Microsoft’s proposed remedies.

While the EU said that Microsoft had agreed to allow buyers of Activision’s games to stream them on rival cloud gaming platforms for up to 10 years, Cardell said that after “very carefully” considering “several iterations” of that proposal, CMA officials “ultimately concluded that remedy would not be effective to resolve the competition concerns”.

She also denied accusations levelled by Kotick that the CMA was acting as a “tool” of US antitrust enforcers, who have also opposed the deal.

“We are absolutely not doing the bidding of other agencies. We undertake our own analysis,” she said.

Reinforcing their stance.
There's literally nothing MS can do. It's over.

 

[Gods&Monsters]

HAHAHAHA I got Jez locked on Twitter..

https://imgur.com/gallery/HSIvAPH

Edit: Can't post Imgur media?

His account is still active. He was tweeting 15 mins ago.

 

[Dabaus]

The resetera thread has been reduced to who and how can Microsoft usurp the UK government's power to defang the cma.

 

[Plextorage]

The resetera thread has been reduced to who and how can Microsoft usurp the UK government's power to defang the cma.

Don't get it. Reduced in what actually?

 

[gokuss4]

The resetera thread has been reduced to who and how can Microsoft usurp the UK government's power to defang the cma.

Most reeee members give up on that thread
But that thread showed how the green bots are the most insane fans imo

 

[PropellerEar]

Don't get it. Reduced in what actually?

In variety of posts.

 

[Plextorage]

Article content:


Reinforcing their stance.
There's literally nothing MS can do. It's over.

So, MS can kiss CMA's ass goodbye, huh?

 

[Dabaus]

Don't get it. Reduced in what actually?

Reduced as in wishing for absolutely insane and corrupt dealing with government officials to change their laws so a video game deal can go through.

 

[Plextorage]

Reduced as in wishing for absolutely insane and corrupt dealing with government officials to change their laws so a video game deal can go through.

Reduced....because bans or some people came to their senses?

 

[Swift_Star]

Reduced....because bans or some people came to their senses?

no, it means the thread is in a deplorable state where people want MS to force the UK government to overrule the CMA's decision.
Which will never happen.

 

[Nhomnhom]

It looks like Jim Ryan cut a deal with the CMA where he promised them a PlayStation Showcase the following week if they killed the deal.

 

[Plextorage]

no, it means the thread is in a deplorable state where people want MS to force the UK government to overrule the CMA's decision.
Which will never happen.

I thought that there is a reduced opinion about how MS needs to pull out from UK.

 

[Swift_Star]

I thought that there is a reduced opinion about how MS needs to pull out from UK.

Nope, this is the kind of take that is being spread there:

Agreed.
Given how farcical the CMA appeals process is structured, I wonder if Microsoft believes its only legitimate shot at obtaining approval in the UK is to apply political pressure.
Don't like the rules? Get the people who ultimately make the rules to change the rules.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Phil on his way out, they are already setting up his replacement:


They also found a solution to Xbox inability to produce games, they'll have AI do it for them.

 

[riesgoyfortuna]

It’s still better than Redfall.

A soap drop in prison communal bath is better than redfall

 

[riesgoyfortuna]

Nope, this is the kind of take that is being spread there:

Thats the ugly fucker ( its its avatar photo) uramallas

 

[KiryuRealty]

Phil on his way out, they are already setting up his replacement:


They also found a solution to Xbox inability to produce games, they'll have AI do it for them.

That would mark the first time XBox was associated with intelligence.