Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

[AshHunter216]

Microsoft CEO points at their performance in Japan as well as hinting at companies like Embracer and Tencent as reasons why the deal should not be opposed. This media tour does seem like a bit much if they actually are confident about the outcome now that the CEOs of both companies are making the rounds.

 

[FIREK2029]

Microsoft CEO points at their performance in Japan as well as hinting at companies like Embracer and Tencent as reasons why the deal should not be opposed. This media tour does seem like a bit much if they actually are confident about the outcome now that the CEOs of both companies are making the rounds.

Now they are getting desperate. Between this and Bobby Kotick threatening UK regulators today I'd say it's most likely that CMA has probably blocked the deal.

 

[Bryank75]

Microsoft CEO points at their performance in Japan as well as hinting at companies like Embracer and Tencent as reasons why the deal should not be opposed. This media tour does seems like a bit much if they actually are confident about the outcome now that the CEOs of both companies are making the rounds.

Damn Satya is getting desperate.... yes, lets look at Japan where Nintendo is dominating and where COD has close to, if not zero influence on dominance in the region. Very insightful Satya.....

I have a better idea for him.... lets look at the USA, the worlds biggest gaming market, where Xbox and PS are much closer and how you just bought Zenimax before this....one of the biggest publishers in the industry with some of the most iconic franchises and now how you are following that up with yet another even bigger publisher buyout.

The aim is clear... and it isn't fair competition. It is to buy position straight out, publisher by publisher, IP by IP and lock them all behind a subscription for eternity, giving consumers no option but to pay them whatever they eventually ask to access those same games that used to be available everywhere.
Physical options will be killed off swiftly, game stores will be dead, layoffs across the world but MSFT will be getting fat / er.

 

[FatKaz]

Another thing i would have thought they would have done is maybe tout their confidence of getting a agreement with the EC.

Maybe it's something that they need to keep private with the EC, but i thought if they are trying to put pressure on the CMA they would bring up the EC somewhat in these interviews, and say they are working with them to find a solution. I wonder if the remedies from EC are also harsh.

 

[Gediminas]

 

[laynelane]

Microsoft CEO points at their performance in Japan as well as hinting at companies like Embracer and Tencent as reasons why the deal should not be opposed. This media tour does seem like a bit much if they actually are confident about the outcome now that the CEOs of both companies are making the rounds.

We just keep coming back to 'poor MS', don't we? They're not doing well in Japan due to their own decisions, the same decisions which have made them insignificant in many regions world-wide and yet they try to put this forward as why they should be allowed their second publisher purchase. As for Kotick, the threats and misinformation are not a good look for him or the deal, but that level of behavior is to be expected from a greedy scumbag like him.

 

[AshHunter216]

Damn Satya is getting desperate.... yes, lets look at Japan where Nintendo is dominating and where COD has close to, if not zero influence on dominance in the region. Very insightful Satya.....

I have a better idea for him.... lets look at the USA, the worlds biggest gaming market, where Xbox and PS are much closer and how you just bought Zenimax before this....one of the biggest publishers in the industry with some of the most iconic franchises and now how you are following that up with yet another even bigger publisher buyout.

The aim is clear... and it isn't fair competition. It is to buy position straight out, publisher by publisher, IP by IP and lock them all behind a subscription for eternity, giving consumers no option but to pay them whatever they eventually ask to access those same games that used to be available everywhere.
Physical options will be killed off swiftly, game stores will be dead, layoffs across the world but MSFT will be getting fat / er.

It's weird that he even mentioned Japan given that COD wouldn't do much for them in that region, unless he was actually hinting at some future acquisitions they wanted to make, and was making a case for allowing them to make a bunch of large purchases in general.

 

[Dabaus]

It's weird that he even mentioned Japan given that COD wouldn't do much for them in that region, unless he was actually hinting at some future acquisitions they wanted to make, and was making a case for allowing them to make a bunch of large purchases in general.

I was thinking that too or theyve reached the point of desperation that hes now citing xbox market share in japan as a reason for this deal to go through. I assume it the latter but microsoft seems hell bent on brute forcing their way in the games industry, billion dollar deficits and consequences be damned.

 

[Gods&Monsters]

Dementia as well as decrepit.

And we thought Lulu was the worst

 

[Deleted member 417]

 

[anonpuffs]

Xbox sucks bad in japan? Cool, how does acquiring activision have anything to do with that? Lmao

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Microsoft CEO points at their performance in Japan as well as hinting at companies like Embracer and Tencent as reasons why the deal should not be opposed. This media tour does seem like a bit much if they actually are confident about the outcome now that the CEOs of both companies are making the rounds.

Isn't it their own fault why they have done poorly in Japan? They kind of tried with 360, then gave up halfway through. XBO was an afterthought there. They should probably hire more Vtubers to shill promote the brand and see how that works.

All of their reasons are either crying victim or blaming others for good work & finding success where MS failed to. It's beyond looking weak; it looks petty & pathetic and regulators aren't going to throw them a pity party with ABK as the prize because of it.

Another thing i would have thought they would have done is maybe tout their confidence of getting a agreement with the EC.

Maybe it's something that they need to keep private with the EC, but i thought if they are trying to put pressure on the CMA they would bring up the EC somewhat in these interviews, and say they are working with them to find a solution. I wonder if the remedies from EC are also harsh.

I don't think that really matters because if reports are correct, regulators of the three big bodies communicate with each other a bit more than they have in the past so if one is leaning a certain way, chances are likely the other two are, as well. So if anything this kind of projection from MS hints to me that things may not be going well any any of the Big Three regulatory bodies, otherwise if something seemed especially favorable with one, it'd be at least somewhat favorable with the other two at roughly the same time.

Although, I don't think the concern on my end necessarily means the deal is dead; like you said it could mean concessions, but concessions that Microsoft would rather likely avoid. If for example they were to be forced to divest COD and associated studios into their own thing (something I'd personally push for if I were involved in the process ), then I can understand the pushback from Microsoft even if they retained partial ownership, because they want EVERYTHING that comes with ABK, and to have 100% unimpeded control over it.

They're control freaks, basically, and they're having a very hard time with the growing reality that they may not get it 100% their way. I do still think they'll get ABK, but not in the manner they clearly thought they were, and who knows. If Microsoft are that upset over the concessions, they could just walk away from it altogether but I don't see that being highly probable.

Now they are getting desperate. Between this and Bobby Kotick threatening UK regulators today I'd say it's most likely that CMA has probably blocked the deal.

Wait what? He threatened them? Did he call them unconstitutional ?

 

[KiryuRealty]

Isn't it their own fault why they have done poorly in Japan? They kind of tried with 360, then gave up halfway through. XBO was an afterthought there. They should probably hire more Vtubers to shill promote the brand and see how that works.

All of their reasons are either crying victim or blaming others for good work & finding success where MS failed to. It's beyond looking weak; it looks petty & pathetic and regulators aren't going to throw them a pity party with ABK as the prize because of it.

MS was financing so much Japanese development over the first three years of the 360 generation that ending that venture was the main cause of the Japanese games industry nearly going under in the late 2000s. They quit because they weren't able to sell in Japan with that outreach, and the games it created tended not to sell as well as MS wanted in the west, or didn't get localized at all.

Microsoft actually paid all the dev costs for all the 360 Idolmaster games themselves.

 

[Dick Jones]

Microsoft CEO points at their performance in Japan as well as hinting at companies like Embracer and Tencent as reasons why the deal should not be opposed. This media tour does seem like a bit much if they actually are confident about the outcome now that the CEOs of both companies are making the rounds.

I'm confused. What did he mean? I read this great article and it doesnt mesh with the CEO. https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-japan-fastest-growing-market

 

[KiryuRealty]

I'm confused. What did he mean? I read this great article and it doesnt mesh with the CEO. https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-japan-fastest-growing-market

They are, to put it simply, flailing. They will say ANYTHING at this point to try to make it seem like they aren't totally fucked.

Of course, while he is talking like that publicly, you KNOW he is updating his resumé, because he is TOAST when the deal fails.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

MS was financing so much Japanese development over the first three years of the 360 generation that ending that venture was the main cause of the Japanese games industry nearly going under in the late 2000s. They quit because they weren't able to sell in Japan with that outreach, and the games it created tended not to sell as well as MS wanted in the west, or didn't get localized at all.

Microsoft actually paid all the dev costs for all the 360 Idolmaster games themselves.

Yeah, MS had as much to gain (or so they thought) from that as the Japanese devs who were struggling to make the transition to the HD era. In theory it should've worked but for whatever reason, Microsoft botched that approach. The Wii & DS presented themselves as fantastic alternatives for Japanese devs who did not want to burn money going HD and didn't want to limit their games to the small Xbox audience in Japan & other parts of Asia. Meanwhile by the time more of them were ready to go to the HD era, the PS3 gained healthy sales in the region, lapped over 360's install base in the country, and had become a lot easier to develop for. Was a no-brainer to focus the big HD efforts for a known big brand in the territory (and doing very well in ROTW compared to 360, aside from US & UK where 360 was clearly ahead) by that point.

I still remember several Japanese devs more or less outright admitting they used the money MS funded (and the money they got from initial 360 sales) to fund the PS3 versions and complete what they originally envisioned. 360 became an Early Access box for them . Nothing MS could have really done about it by then because they needed all the Asian dev support they could get but, it was still funny to see happen and then Platinum Games kind of just did more of the same with Scalebound on XBO.

 

[laynelane]

Isn't it their own fault why they have done poorly in Japan? They kind of tried with 360, then gave up halfway through. XBO was an afterthought there. They should probably hire more Vtubers to shill promote the brand and see how that works.

All of their reasons are either crying victim or blaming others for good work & finding success where MS failed to. It's beyond looking weak; it looks petty & pathetic and regulators aren't going to throw them a pity party with ABK as the prize because of it.


They're control freaks, basically, and they're having a very hard time with the growing reality that they may not get it 100% their way. I do still think they'll get ABK, but not in the manner they clearly thought they were, and who knows. If Microsoft are that upset over the concessions, they could just walk away from it altogether but I don't see that being highly probable.

They're control freaks and very, very entitled. You could see it in their over-confidence at the beginning of this process, boasting 'that they weren't done yet' with acquisitions, and projection on the market leader (Sony wants to increase their market share by decreasing XBox market share). All their rhetoric will not effect regulators as can be seen in the FTC suing to block the deal. It won't win over anyone not already heavily invested in their ecosystem as seen by the mockery they're rightfully receiving with these PR barrages. As ridiculous as it all is, though, I figure there's still a something of a (poor) strategy behind it. Maybe it's about saving face or maybe it's about setting up a narrative for when or if the deal fails or is a compromised version of what they intended.

Either way, for a company that needs to increase their market share, the fact that they are putting more effort into PR around this deal and the acquisition itself than releasing games is a bad sign for the health and future well being of their platform.

 

[KiryuRealty]

They're control freaks and very, very entitled. You could see it in their over-confidence at the beginning of this process, boasting 'that they weren't done yet' with acquisitions, and projection on the market leader (Sony wants to increase their market share by decreasing XBox market share). All their rhetoric will not effect regulators as can be seen in the FTC suing to block the deal. It won't win over anyone not already heavily invested in their ecosystem as seen by the mockery they're rightfully receiving with these PR barrages. As ridiculous as it all is, though, I figure there's still a something of a (poor) strategy behind it. Maybe it's about saving face or maybe it's about setting up a narrative for when or if the deal fails or is a compromised version of what they intended.

Either way, for a company that needs to increase their market share, the fact that they are putting more effort into PR around this deal and the acquisition itself than releasing games is a bad sign for the health and future well being of their platform.

There is a VERY simple reason for that.

The Xbox platform has NO future when the deal fails. The Series models were only approved as a trojan horse for GamePass, which hasn't achieved the market penetration needed to profit, so they want more content at any price right now, and if they can't get the big ticket content to drive subscriptions, what is the future of their hardware when they lose $100 on Series S and $200 on Series X, per unit sold? Shareholders have wanted Xbox killed since 2002 due to the constant huge losses, and here we are, 21 years later after an absolutely disastrous quarter. The sand has run out.

 

[FIREK2029]

Wait what? He threatened them? Did he call them unconstitutional ?

He warned them that the UK is at risk of becoming "Death Valley" if they block the deal

 

[laynelane]

He warned them that the UK is at risk of becoming "Death Valley" if they block the deal

He makes my skin crawl. All that will happen if the deal fails is he won't get a huge payday which is a fitting punishment for someone like him who values money over all else. So, yet another plus for the deal not going through.