Microsoft buys Activision-Blizzard

No doubt a deal this size warranted scrutiny. That was always expected but in the two cases where there were attempts to block it the reasoning was ridiculous.

The FTC case was clear that they were protecting Sony and not consumers. The judge said pretty much in court and the case was lost.

Hearings revealed how much Sony relied on COD and also their practices in getting exclusivity, stopping Xbox getting access and how Sony is anti consumer.

The more time went on the clearer it became that the merger was better for consumers as they'd have more access to games than at present but FTC ploughed on.

Same with CMA. Blocking a deal based on potential for nascent market and ignoring all other factors and not actually having the consumers interests at heart.

I've very curious now what they do with the new restructured deal as I just can't see how they can find a reason to block it.

There's the official statement to back up your post.

All but a formality now, deal will close in October. Brad Smith from MS already responded on Twitter (Can't say "X" yet")

It's the rights to cloud gaming only and it's worldwide not UK as Microsoft have amended the entire acquisitoin.

Game pass not affected so Activision/Blizzard games will still be going to Gamepass.

So you may not have access to Activision/Blizzard games on the cloud but I'm sure there's bound to be an agreement between Ubisoft and Microsoft for that.

No, Microsoft have already those rights withe the merger so future Activision cloud game rights will be owned by Ubisoft.

Just remember too at present COD etc is not on streaming services so the games are going to be available in more places.

Have you seen what revealed about Sony during this case?

Paying developers to not put games on Gamepass , demanding fees if they go on Gamepass etc.

How are practices like this not anti consumer?

Not all consolidations are bad for consumers and this deal has recieved widespread support from developers and people across the industry as they say gamepass is good for developers and brings their games to more consumers.

It's Sony who has stood out as the only company trying to block the deal and deny access to cheaper games to consumers.

Hmmmm. I don't need an Xbox to play their acquired games... Let me just boot up Starfield on my PlaySt..... Oh wait.

And listen, I don't agree when Sony do it either but this is the biggest example of making a play for exclusiveness, which you've already said that when Sony tried to do it by restricting games on Gamepass it was bad and anti-consumer. So which is it? If someone with a PlayStation wants to play Starfield or a Bethesda game now, they need to buy an XBox or a PC, yet you're telling me its at a cheaper price for consumers....

And also, they're available to more consumers now? Last I checked they would have been available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation but now its just PC and XBox, how is that more consumers?

All I hear is 'Good when Microsoft do it, Bad when Sony do it' which is fine and the usual console-wars shtick (irrespective of which player does it or what way around that statement is).

And yes industry consolidation is bad when its on a large scale. Less variety in games being made, less decision-makers, less studios with an independent vision, less freedom to approach games differently, less companies dictating prices/costs.

I would say the EXACT same thing if Sony were doing this.

That's always been my take on it too. Companies buying smaller studios and growing them into first-party studios and making exclusives for their own platform, I think that's entirely reasonable. Companies buying large studios to make the big games/franchises which would have been multi-platform exclusive to their own platform, that's something I disgaree with.

Sony are certainly not innocent of sketchy stuff in many other regards; buying exclusive content for multiplatform games (eg. Spider-Man in Marvel's Avengers), timed exclusivity (eg Deathloop, which became an even weirder situation when MS bought Bethesda just before it), paying devs not to put their games on Gamepass instead of just f*cking paying to put it on PS+.

I don't think MS buying Bethesda or Acti-Blizz are good overall, simply because there's a huge difference between making exclusive games for your platform, and making games exclusive to your platform.