Microsoft is trying to acquire Activision Blizzard (UPDATE: CMA not as concerned)..

[SuperCapes]

32 minutes ago, rafaqat said:

 

I'm loving how frightening the usual suspects are finding this deal.

frightening. 

 

We've still got all those Sony first party titles. No-ones coming near that quality for a good few years. Then there's that purchase of bluepoint. Best remaster studio in the business. I can't wait to see what gets revealed in 2022.

 

 

Do I take the suspect thing as a compliment? Maybe!

 

Outside of the fact that some very shady people getting big pay checks rather than police checks, the monopolisation is clear to be seen. 

 

But aye, my slither of optimism actually comes from Housemarque and Bluepoint being incredible in house studios meaning some competition, on top of the classics that have been delivering for a while.

 

So long as gaming continues to be as good as it is I am honestly not bothered. 

 

I do think it is normal to be concerned when one company is monopolising all the big entities that are reliable third party sources, creating decent content for everyone. If that makes me some sort of pessimistic side taker then so be it.

[Broker]

37 minutes ago, Ferine said:

Sorry if I missed the discussion on this aspect, but I do wonder how much weight we should give to Satya Nadella saying the deal, “will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms”. My inclination is that this is an empty, shareholder-pleasing statement with very little basis in reality, but do people think there might be more genuine intent to it?

 

As far as I can tell most people prattling on about the metaverse seem to have no concept of how it would work, or why anyone would want it. It's more of a nebulous promise of a virtual world of infinite capitalism. Still, do you expect to see the Xbox division making a genuine push towards this hellish future in the next few years?

The metaverse is a pre-rendered trailer for the whole tech industry. It isn’t real, and the people selling it know it isn’t possible, but they’re hoping it looks cool enough that people will get excited and their shares will rise.

[Sarlaccfood]

I think we’re forgetting the biggest winner in all of this are the sad bastards like me (and you) who get excited about videogame industry news and will now listen/watch/read dozens of hours of podcasts, videos and articles about this deal and what it means for the industry.
 

I was just thinking to myself we were due a big megaton or something as I was feeling a bit bored. I’ll be dining out on this for weeks!

 

 

….but then the hunger will return. The deep, insatiable hunger. 

[yashiro]

Would have been more fun if this megaton was dropped on stage. 

[Boozy The Clown]

3 hours ago, dizogg said:

It wasn’t about your post in particular no, but I would include it in that.

 

I have no idea what you’re on about with ‘the whole of the last generation’, but sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder about something not worth spending time thinking about.

 

It's not a chip, it's a fish supper. 

 

 

 

[deerokus]

Microsoft's version of Smash Brothers will be amazing.

[Mikes]

Whelp, this news helps me in deciding what console to get for the kids.

[Boozy The Clown]

 

[Mr. Gerbik]

 

 

 

 

[carlospie]

38 minutes ago, Boozy The Clown said:

 

 

Ps5 is getting a remaster of Syphon filter. £69.99.

[Isaac]

7 hours ago, Majora said:

I feel like Take Two would have been a far more cost-effective purchase. A fraction of the price of Activision and you get GTA 6 exclusive to your platform which is probably the most needle-moving acquisition you could ever make in the console market, the never-ending cash cow that is GTA:Online and a game that still ends up near the top of the yearly charts nearly 10 years after release. I don't think even Call of Duty can match that level of impact.

 

Take Two also have just way more IP I'm interested in in general so perhaps I'm biased but I'm not sure why Activision-Blizzard are valued so much higher. Is it all that lucrative Candy Crush revenue majorly bumping up the price?

 

GTA 6 is one game and is at least another two years away.

 

Call of Duty is an annual franchise and Candy Crush immediately gives them a massive slice of the mobile gaming market.

 

There is a chance they can sell game pass to candy crush owners, which is mad.

[alex3d]

17 hours ago, Alex W. said:

 

It puts Sony in a position not unlike Nintendo’s: they’re going to have to come up with a distinct product for an asymmetrical fight for a share of the pie. They’ve been waving that flag for a while in PR but they really do need to walk the walk now.

 

 

I think this will be a major consequence of Microsoft's buying spree. Sony need to innovate enormously (VR, Dual Sense etc.) in order to stay attractive for the mass market. Would help of course if they'd aquire EA. All Microsoft have to do going forward is not messing up Game Pass and releasing a capable, solid Xbox once every few years.

[Isaac]

2 minutes ago, alex3d said:

 

I think this will be a major consequence of Microsoft's buying spree. Sony need to innovate enormously (VR, Dual Sense etc.) in order to stay attractive for the mass market. Would help of course if they'd aquire EA. All Microsoft have to do going forward is not messing up Game Pass and releasing a capable, solid Xbox once every few years.

 

What would they get from acquiring EA though?

 

Exclusives and a content library through EA play, but as mentioned upthread none of the sports licence holders will let you put FIFA or Madden on a single platform.

[deerokus]

EA Play is on gamepass anyway. The main assets in such a deal would be DICE and Respawn I imagine.

[alex3d]

6 minutes ago, Isaac said:

 

What would they get from acquiring EA though?

 

Exclusives and a content library through EA play, but as mentioned upthread none of the sports licence holders will let you put FIFA or Madden on a single platform.

 

Maybe a defensive play? In case MS buy EA, it's really over (although competition authorities might veto it). 

[RubberJohnny]

Someone pointed out an angle I hadn’t considered, with inflation soaring companies kind of want to get rid of cash for assets. A lot of these companies are also ready to sell cause they may never be worth as much as they are right now.

 

Imagine how much an Apple, Amazon or Google would have available to spend if they got serious about gaming.

 

We’re peasants sat outside our shepherds huts trying to discern the motives of Gods at this point.

[dfq23]

Been waiting for this idiots reaction after his take on Bethesda

 

 

[monkeydog]

1 minute ago, alex3d said:

 

Maybe a defensive play? In case MS buy EA, it's really over (although competition authorities might veto it). 

 

It wouldn't just be defensive.  If they want more titles exclusive to Game Pass they need experienced teams, management and IP.  It's easier to buy those than build them.  It wouldn't matter if the kickyman games stayed multiplatform.

 

As you say, competition authorities would be all over it, especially post this Activision announcement (which they're likely to be all over anyway).

[SeanR]

10 hours ago, Boozy The Clown said:

 

All the posts talking about armchair business expertise are super boring.  It's not about cheerleading a corporation. It's about throwing some shit back at certain posters for the whole of the last generation. Maybe you're not talking about my post though I haven't read the thread. I know there's a few people lurking in here who are fucking seething at this and that is funny to me. That's all it is.... laughs.

Amazing.

 

Everyone knows exactly what you’d be like if it was Sony that bought them instead.

 

This changes nothing.
 

Sorry.

[Robo_1]

11 minutes ago, RubberJohnny said:

Imagine how much an Apple, Amazon or Google would have available to spend if they got serious about gaming.

 

That ship has pretty much sailed I think? MS have now locked up so many franchises, studios and talent, the task of matching that would require buying damn near every other third party publisher still left on the table.

 

The only way any of those companies could catch up quickly would be to purchase PlayStation or Nintendo. Nintendo would almost certainly brush off such an offer and I doubt Sony would be prepared to sell the jewel in their crown without an eye watering offer being put on the table.

 

At best I could see a "strategic partnership", where Google or Amazon offer Sony some sort of agreement for the use of their cloud streaming systems but then rather ironically, Sony have recently entered into a strategic partnership with Microsoft to use their Azure network for their forthcoming Spartacus service, which probably reveals more about Sony's thinking on their rivalry with Microsoft than anything. 😂

[dfq23]

Just saw someone mention that MS could release a COD "master chief collection" style pack with every game and map

 

 

 

[Rex Grossman]

10 hours ago, Boozy The Clown said:

It's about throwing some shit back at certain posters for the whole of the last generation. Maybe you're not talking about my post though I haven't read the thread. I know there's a few people lurking in here who are fucking seething at this and that is funny to me. That's all it is.... laughs.

it’s mad this is how adults think. Looking for payback because someone rubbed their noses in it when their favourite electronic toy had a cool exclusive. Petty playground shit.

 

And to make it worse it’s brought back to the previous generation. Grudges kept for the best part of a decade? Over consumer electronics?

 

I’ve not paid money for a Sony or MS console for about 20 years so I don’t have the financial investment to get hung up on but from the outside this is really cringe-worthy.

[Ry]

51 minutes ago, dfq23 said:

Been waiting for this idiots reaction after his take on Bethesda

 

 

 

Jesus fucking Christ...

[Robo_1]

3 minutes ago, Ry said:

 

Jesus fucking Christ...

 

Console wars, not even once....

[RubberJohnny]

I do get why people are laughing even if it is a bit immature, the complaint all through the last gen was Microsoft had no games, they bought some games and got a "meh, it's just indies", so they brought some AAAs and got a "meh" and so bought some more.

 

Like at no point can you say your complaint wasn't addressed, thoroughly even, it's just that y'know those complaints were coming from a fanboy perspective and they kind of didn't want them to be addressed, they just wanted the complaint as justification.

[footle]

I’m sure that guy enjoyed writing his script, and the various conflations, misconceptions, etc. are there for the clicks and nice advert money.

[LaveDisco]

31 minutes ago, dfq23 said:

Just saw someone mention that MS could release a COD "master chief collection" style pack with every game and map

 

 

 

That comes on it's own 10Tb array.

 

Seriously though, I feel activision could really gain from MS knowledge of the backend to reduce file sizes. Although I also believe that activision use file sizes as a way to literally push out the competition. That need will be removed. 

[Rex Grossman]

7 minutes ago, footle said:

I’m sure that guy enjoyed writing his script, and the various conflations, misconceptions, etc. are there for the clicks and nice advert money.

People watching and laughing at him are putting money in his pocket. He won. 

[Down by Law]

This is the equivelent of the Shenmue 1&2 budget 1000 times over. 

[Robo_1]

47 minutes ago, footle said:

I’m sure that guy enjoyed writing his script, and the various conflations, misconceptions, etc. are there for the clicks and nice advert money.

 

That's it isn't it, it's all so cynical these days. Everything, even the playground console wars have been monetised, so the incentive is always there to make the outrage ever more outlandish to fire up the base and keep them tuning in. I guess that would be all well and good if it wasn't also the same model used by US news media and people were actually voting in elections convinced the other side are literally drinking the blood of children in the basement of a pizza restaurant... but I digress!