Microsoft's acquisition of Activison Blizzard

[Fenton]

Rumor

 

[Would_you_kindly]

I knew this wouldn't last
View attachment 1867

Did you see the wording 'investigate building an offer' sounds to me like it won't be anytime soon & it will be more expensive than the 'preview' lol

 

[Dr Bass]

Rumor

So if this is true, the next Halo still has a budget as big as a Sony blockbuster?

 

[Would_you_kindly]

So if this is true, the next Halo still has a budget as big as a Sony blockbuster?

Apparently most of the budget for halo infinite went into slipspace engine which is laughable considering the Devs blamed the engine for missing features & lack of content

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Who cares about Halo?
Many other great franchises have died. I don’t care what happens to Microsoft’s IPs. They can rott with Microsoft.

 

[Zzero]

Rumor

For those who haven't bothered, you'll want to click Show More and read the whole post. She really goes to town on 343 and its inability to make a good game.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Rumor

This wasn't a choice they made, gamers made that choice for them. Furthermore as I've mentioned and many of us forsaw years ago Gamepass would have the effect of reducing budgets on games since it's cannabalizing sales. All thst AAAA shit we knew was bullshit and this Halo will be constrained in budget even more.

 

[Puff]

The merger agreement between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard is due to expire on July 18, which would allow either company to walk away from the deal and triggering a $3bn break fee. However, after this week's legal victory in the US courts and a potential lifeline in the UK, people close to the companies say they are likely to agree an extension to the deal early next week. "Things are moving quite quickly," said one person close to the negotiations.

UK regulators open door to quick Microsoft-Activision deal

New timetable from Competition and Markets Authority means $75bn transaction could be closed within weeks

www.ft.com

 

[Ezekiel]

UK regulators open door to quick Microsoft-Activision deal

New timetable from Competition and Markets Authority means $75bn transaction could be closed within weeks

www.ft.com

I'll believe it when I see it.

Not trusting these 'person close to the negotiations' controlled leaks.

 

[Swift_Star]

UK regulators open door to quick Microsoft-Activision deal

New timetable from Competition and Markets Authority means $75bn transaction could be closed within weeks

www.ft.com

So, no settlement by Monday.

 

[Puff]

Response from MS

Second, the FTC's claimed emergency is entirely of its own creation. Microsoft and Activision first notified the FTC of the merger on February 1, 2022. Op.19. The Commission filed an administrative complaint challenging the merger on December 8, 2022. Op.20. Breaking from its standard practice in merger cases, the FTC did not file a federal court complaint seeking a preliminary injunction at that time. On the contrary, it set its administrative hearing for August 2, 2023—after the merger agreement's termination date. Thus, the FTC acted for the better part of a year and a half as though this case was not an emergency necessitating federal court intervention. The parties and the Court face a time crunch because—and only because—"the FTC did not file this action to preliminarily enjoin the merger until June 12, 2023—less than six weeks before the termination date." Op.20.

The FTC now perversely responds that the pro-consumer benefit of increasing access to Call of Duty is somehow anticompetitive because only one subscription service, Xbox's Game Pass, will have Call of Duty post-merger. Mot.14-15. But that is one more subscription service than the FTC's own expert predicted would have Call of Duty absent the mer-ger. In characterizing this unambiguously pro-consumer outcome as an- ticompetitive, the FTC commits the cardinal sin of antitrust: mistaking a competitive disadvantage for a particular competitor (namely, the mar- ket-dominant Sony) with harm to competition and consumers. See Bruns- wick Corp. v. Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., 429 U.S. 477, 488 (1977); Op.39 (characterizing post-merger expansion of Activision content to new plat- forms and delivery mechanisms as "[p]erhaps bad for Sony. But good for Call of Duty gamers and future gamers").

The FTC's reliance on Heinz for this point is ironic given that the injunction granted in Heinz did, in fact, kill the proposed merger. See FTC v. H.J. Heinz Co., 164 F. Supp. 2d 659, 659 (D.D.C. 2001) (noting that the company "announced publicly within hours of the Court of Appeals' decision [granting a preliminary injunction] that it had abandoned its plans to acquire Beech-Nut Foods").

Regardless, any quibbles about the precise phrasing of the legal standard are irrelevant because the district court repeatedly found that the FTC had no evidence to support its claims of harm, meaning that they would have failed under any plausible standard. See, e.g., Op.33-38 (explaining why, for eight different reasons plus an additional reason "not necessary to the Court's finding," the "evidence points to no incentive to foreclose [Sony]"); Op.40 ("overwhelming evidence of the combined firm's lack of incentive to pull Call of Duty from PlayStation"); Op.41 (FTC's expert's opinions "not based on evidence"); Op.49 (lack of "explanation, let alone evidence" why Activision would put its game on subscription services); Op.50 (similar, as to cloud). It is telling that the FTC's incomplete and revisionist narrative does not contain a single citation to the district court's factual findings, which "may not be set aside unless they are clearly erroneous."

 

[Gediminas]

Rumor

poor studio, will have just 250M to make a game. must that hit them hard. so, their next Halo is Indie level of game?

 

[Eggman]

There goes Major Nelson

 

[Gediminas]

There goes Major Nelson

here goes Lead of Narrative in Fable

 

[historia]

here goes Lead of Narrative in Fable

Does she has pronouns in bio?

Either way, Phil

 

[Ezekiel]

There goes Major Nelson

I never understood his role in Xbox. He was in marketing?

 

[AshHunter216]

Response from MS

Microsoft and their fanbase have been especially angry and vicious this gen. I hope they're never allowed to control the industry, regardless of how worthy/deserving of dominance that they and their fans consider themselves to be.

 

[AshHunter216]

There goes Major Nelson

I would rather Greenberg leave.

 

[Gediminas]

I would rather Greenberg leave.

why, they are very good with Spencer

 

[Gods&Monsters]

the FTC commits the cardinal sin of antitrust: mistaking a competitive disadvantage for a particular competitor (namely, the mar- ket-dominant Sony) with harm to competition and consumers

MS still attacking Sony in their response, I'm so sick of them.

Of course, they are harming the customers on Sony platforms but the judge will side with Microsoft as usual.