Microsoft buys Activision-Blizzard

Stone Deaf 4evr · 03-02-2022 6:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118577112#Comment_118577112

thats what i was thinking, so the return on investment is potentially shorter, given that WoW , CoD and Overwatch all seem to be fairly well represented in terms of secondary money generation.

Retr0gamer · 03-02-2022 7:01pm

Anyone else sick of hearing metaverse being thrown around by the corporate sociopaths even though you know it's going to crash and burn like a second life that's 20 years too late?

Penn · 03-02-2022 7:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118577118#Comment_118577118

Totally. And I think that's what the FTC plan on investigating, the likelihood or risk of that happening, because if it did get to that point it would be near impossible to put the genie back in the bottle.

Potential-Monke · 03-02-2022 9:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118577314#Comment_118577314

100%, and then someone else will come along and do it right, then sell it to some other corporation who'll ruin it with ads or paywalls. Bring back Home!

06-02-2022 6:39pm

07-02-2022 2:15pm

I've used Nintendo, Playstation and Xbox down through the years and I have never had any personal love for either three - nor do I understand why anybody else would. They are cut throat enterprises all out to try and outdo each others irregardless of what's best for the customer. To play exclusives from all there companies requires a personal investment of €1,300 on hardware.

Sony prevents Xbox players from playing their exclusives as well, so I don't understand the holier-than-thou mentality? Instead of paying say €50+ for a game you might like on Microsoft Store, you'll need to invest 10 times that on a new Sony console in order to even contemplate playing it. And I say this as someone who likes Sony's TVs / HiFi systems/ phones etc.

07-02-2022 2:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594864#Comment_118594864

I think some people like to think that Nintendo and Sony are "mom and pop" indie developers who never grew their companies through questionable business practices, while Microsoft are the evil corporation baddies.

Penn · 07-02-2022 2:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594864#Comment_118594864

There is a clear difference with COD/Fallout being made exclusive that doesn't apply to other games.

Halo being exclusive to MS is fine. Gears of War being exclusive is fine. Forza being exclusive is fine.

The Last of Us being exclusive to Sony is fine. God of War is fine. Horizon is fine.

Platforms will always have their exclusive titles. But all of the above were created for those platforms, by studios who mostly make exclusives for that platform. With the likes of COD/Fallout, those games have always been multiplatform. Those games were available on all platforms, and without the acquisitions would have continued to be multiplatform. MS didn't buy the studios to have those games on their platform (as they would have been on Xbox anyway), or even to have them on Gamepass (which they could have done through a deal with the publishers). They largely paid to take those games away from their competitor. That's the key difference imo. People may have bought a PS5 for COD and Fallout etc, and now those games likely won't be coming to the platform any more. Nobody bought an Xbox for the new God of War.

Admittedly it doesn't affect me too much as I don't play COD and have never gotten into the likes of Fallout or Skyrim. The only game I might miss out on is Overwatch 2 but depending when the game is due to come out it might already be agreed that its coming out on PS5 anyway. Im probably going to pick up a Series X in a few months myself too.

But I think there's a reasonable difference in companies making exclusive games/franchises for their platform, and companies making existing and typically multiplatform games/franchises exclusive to a platform.

johnny_ultimate · 09-02-2022 5:43pm

Very interesting tidbit amid a Microsoft blog tellingly titled 'adapting ahead of regulation'.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/02/09/open-app-store-principles-activision-blizzard/

"We also recognize that regulators may well have other important questions as they review our acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We’re committed to addressing every potential question, and we want to address publicly at the outset two such questions here.

"First, some commentators have asked whether we will continue to make popular content like Activision’s Call of Duty available on competing platforms like Sony’s PlayStation. The obvious concern is that Microsoft could make this title available exclusively on the Xbox console, undermining opportunities for Sony PlayStation users.

"To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision. And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love. We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform. We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our business."

Seems a bit more definitive than Spencer's previously carefully worded statements, and definitely a change from their Bethesda comments. Very much trying to get in ahead of the FTC investigation.

It reads like good news on the surface, anyway.

09-02-2022 5:47pm

Is he talking about xCloud and Game Pass though?

It's still not clear.

CatInABox · 09-02-2022 6:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606629#Comment_118606629

No, it reads to me that whatever they release will be native apps. It still doesn't answer whether it's all Activision Blizzard games, or if it's just going to be the Free To Play ones (like COD Warzone).

Publishing these principles are a really smart move in my opinion, as it not only lets them get out in front of the regulatory process for the Activision acquisition, but it also is clearly meant as a first draft of future regulations on App stores on Apple and Google devices. The Windows store is an also ran, with very few users, but MS are paying Apple and Google a fair wedge for every Office 365 user that signs up through their devices. Very clear to me that they'd like regulations to get rid of that, in the name of competition.

As I said previously, MS are pretty good at dealing with regulators.

johnny_ultimate · 09-02-2022 6:02pm

It's corporate-speak so you can never read too much into it, but it definitely doesn't read like 'they can have these games but only if they put GamePass on their platform' to me. Sounds like the games are going to be on PS and (maybe) Switch regardless.

I still don't doubt there'll be some sort of Xbox exclusivity in the future, though - maybe new series entirely, or exclusive launch windows / DLC dealies.

09-02-2022 6:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606699#Comment_118606699

Right, but the comment about Nintendo makes me think it's xCloud, I think streaming to the Switch is more achievable and less hassle than porting modern AAA games to a tablet device.

The Switch could barely handle The Outer Worlds, and it's going to get harder to support increasingly resource intensive games.

CatInABox · 09-02-2022 6:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606709#Comment_118606709

If MS are going to bring games to Switch, I'd say that they'd operate the same as the rest of the "Cloud Version" of games, like Hitman 3 (and others) does. A stand alone product, running on xCloud, but with no need for Game Pass.

Retr0gamer · 09-02-2022 6:21pm

You forget that MS has franchises like crash and Spyro that would be a good fit for Nintendo.

09-02-2022 7:21pm

Something is going to change, its not clear what. You're not going to be able to buy COD on a PS5 disc in game stop, that just makes no sense at all.

"open app markets" would suggest to me PS gamers will be buying COD through an xbox/windows store integrated into the PS store. Look at EA games on xbox and PC.

09-02-2022 7:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606817#Comment_118606817

I think xCloud would be great for the switch. Not just for the cartoon titles.

09-02-2022 7:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118607136#Comment_118607136

Yes such a shame they couldnt get a deal to bring it to the switch.

Isn't it coming to steam deck? Will be interesting how popular it will be there.

McFly85 · 09-02-2022 7:39pm

COD will be on PlayStation because it’s not as valuable being an Xbox exclusive. Same as Sony with Bungie/Destiny.

Start restricting these and it opens up opportunities for competitors.

Grumpypants · 09-02-2022 7:47pm

They tried to bring Xcloud to Switch a while ago but it never made it for whatever reason. Something i feel Nintendo will kick themselves for once the Steam Deck comes out and they lose their place as the affordable handheld platform.

Steam deck will have Steam link, Geoforce now, Stadia and X Cloud on day one.

Never mind the list of compatible PC games it can install and run is already well over 100.

09-02-2022 8:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118607233#Comment_118607233

Nintendo has a sizeable portion of their fan base that basically refuses to contemplate playing a non Nintendo console. They'll be fine.

awec · 09-02-2022 8:54pm

Nintendo's strength is all about their exclusive games. Buying a Switch to play multi-platform games is a very expensive way to play.

solidasarock · 10-02-2022 10:14am

Even Microsoft isn’t rich enough to drop 70 billion on something and cut its revenue in half with exclusivity.

They can play around like that with Bethesda but this is another stratosphere.

Also COD has been on a slow decline. You don’t want to risk completely killing it. If I was in their shoes I would play the long game. I would use GamePass to try transition the user base over to MS platforms slowly and revisit exclusivity down the road. Maybe at the next gen transition.

Worst case is Microsoft is selling the single biggest selling game on PS5 for a few years which is kinda funny but also isn’t exactly a bad spot to be in. They can PR brag about it.

10-02-2022 10:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609361#Comment_118609361

Microsoft is moving towards Games as a Service, which will be available on all devices with a screen, thus side stepping consoles entirely. This is the long term plan, they are not cutting their revenue in half because they are looking past consoles (plus you're forgetting PC for some reason). This is something a lot of people here are struggling with.

10-02-2022 10:44am

Study this chart. They want all of the pie, not half of 25%.

solidasarock · 10-02-2022 11:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609474#Comment_118609474

If this was true they would have done the same with Bethesda and all the other things they have been buying. Despite hammering “for the gamers” messaging Xbox are still playing the exclusivity list war every console maker is playing since the dawn of time. Other then PC ports I don’t see them really changing their core strategy that they have had since the first Xbox.

But like the Bungie buyout on the PlayStation side. If they want these purchases to have any kind of financial viability they had to compromise on exclusivity. That’s just the consequence of the amount of money being tossed around right now

seraphimvc · 10-02-2022 11:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609482#Comment_118609482

I thought everyone seen this before. I think what you said is not conflicting to what solidasarock said there.

Essentially (what my long post mentioned a couple of page back), MS is not going to go crazy enough to "oh we will make XYZ exclusive to Xbox" - because thats literally losing money - more so PC/consoles are truly 'small' when compared to the king mobile market (so i am sure they would rather spend more resources to eat that mobile piece). Why take so much risk to literally lose huge chunk of money just to make the games exclusive to Xbox - just because thats what some minority fanboys wish for.

So ya, the only way MS could make it work is that make the games exclusive to their Gamepass and allows it to go to different platforms - in which honestly, at this stage, i think this is so hard for MS to do so. This will take so much time and resources from many parties (MS Sony etc) to reach some agreement.

10-02-2022 12:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609714#Comment_118609714

"I think what you said is not conflicting to what solidasarock said there"

He's literally saying what I said is not true.

20-02-2022 7:07am

@brainboru1104

I could understand why people might think Nintendo are Mom & Pop in a way, but would be baffled as to why anybody would consider Sony to be? They can be as bland as Microsoft for the most part. It was also the Playstation after all which reduced Nintendo to a company releasing second-rate hardware in order to carve out their niche...along with contributing to the reduction of Sega to a third party development company.

Even as an early PS1 user in hindsight, I consider the Nintendo vs. Sega years of the 90s to be a golden era. I personally wish it were still the case with both companies producing top quality hardware and maximizing their IPs. By comparison, Sony and Microsoft are boring with console gaming being merely one product / service among many others. But right now it's what were stuck with.

The Raging Bile Duct · 20-02-2022 3:34pm

How is it Sony's fault that Nintendo now produce, in your words, second rate consoles or that Sega completely botched the ability to capitalize on their success in the console market?

Also the golden era for me is the one where a game like The Return of the Obra Dinn is produced.

Microsoft buys Activision-Blizzard

Comments