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Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: The Deal Has Closed

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DPCyric

DPCyric

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Posted
8 hours ago, SuperSpreader said:

Imagine failing for 6 years, spending insane on acquisitions, having massive layoffs and still have armies of ppl defend you.

 

Are you serious? If you are let me break this down in easy to understand bullet points for you:

1. AAA Game development is on a 4-5 year development cycle right now.
2. Covid happened making development much harder increasing dev times.

3. Covid happened causing a boom in demand for stuff to do at home like oh say playing video games.
4. Increased demand and more difficult development created a boom in the industry making companies hire a lot more people than they normally need.
5. Lockdowns ended, people went back outside and to work so the demand dropped and MS needed to scale back on employees.

Realistically we are just starting to see the real impact of what Phil Spencer is doing.

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

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14 hours ago, Remarkableriots said:

Jim Ryan, CEO of PlayStation, said: If Microsoft acquires Activision, Sony will not share PlayStation 6 information with Call of Duty creators | gagadget.com

GAGADGET.COM
The situation around Microsoft, ActivisionBlizzard, and Sony is not calming down. CharlieIntel, a Twitter account specialising in Call of Duty, published an interesting document in...

 

 

4 hours ago, crispy4000 said:


I don‘t blame him for it.  Trade secrets in exchange for next-gen CoD at launch is still a rough bargain any way you slice it.

 

Gotta wonder what Microsoft would be willing to do for MLB though.  I can’t imagine that sending out early Xbox Next dev kits for that to Sony is worth it.

It kind of feels like a “no duh” kind of statement by Jim Ryan. Why would we expect Sony to tell a company owned by their competitor what kind of hardware they’re going to be up against next console generation? What would be a bit more surprising is if Sony wouldn’t allow ABK to have PS6 dev kits after both PS6 and Xbox Platinum X are out on the market if they’re contractually expecting ABK to still make COD games for them. 

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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3 hours ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

 

It kind of feels like a “no duh” kind of statement by Jim Ryan. Why would we expect Sony to tell a company owned by their competitor what kind of hardware they’re going to be up against next console generation? What would be a bit more surprising is if Sony wouldn’t allow ABK to have PS6 dev kits after both PS6 and Xbox Platinum X are out on the market if they’re contractually expecting ABK to still make COD games for them. 


I’m sure they would after launch.  There’s incentives for them to do it.  We didn’t hear anything from Microsoft to say PS5 kits were still being withheld today.  Phil was very cautious about that when asked about Minecraft on PS5.

 

There’s another wrinkle here: Bungie.  Think they’ll get Xbox Next kits early?

 

We could be moving to a point where these aquired multi-platform studios can’t launch simultaneously if too close to a hardware launch.  That might even include mid-gen machines.

 

Even Nintendo could be dealing with this.  They also tend to hold things close to the chest in the beginning.  Then again, they did sign that CoD deal.

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

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21 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

We could be moving to a point where these aquired multi-platform studios can’t launch simultaneously if too close to a hardware launch.  That might even include mid-gen machines.


probably just going to be like this gen where it released current gen and then got a next gen update. Then further into the next gen we see next gen become the current gen and releases of current gen and last gen happen at the same time. Now we’re seeing last gen not get a release and it’s all current gen. I think this transitionary period won’t last as long as before, but I suspect we’ll see something like it again. 
 

And maybe for studios owned be Sony and MS that make multi platform titles we’ll see a Sony owned studio release a PS5/PS6 version along side only a Series version. While COD is the opposite with a PS5 version only and a PS6 upgrade later while the new Xbox version is ready day 1 of the majority of development took place prior to the consoles’s release. 

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Commissar SFLUFAN

Commissar SFLUFAN

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acastro_STK048_03.jpg

Microsoft considered acquiring Bungie and Sega, internal emails show - The Verge

WWW.THEVERGE.COM
Microsoft’s internal documents reveal gaming targets.

 

Quote

 

Microsoft was looking at acquiring both Bungie and Sega, according to internal documents from the FTC v. Microsoft hearing. In an email seen by The Verge, Xbox chief Phil Spencer wrote to both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, requesting a strategy approval to approach Sega Sammy over a potential acquisition of its Sega gaming studios.

 

“We believe that Sega has built a well-balanced portfolio of games across segments with global geographic appeal, and will help us accelerate Xbox Game Pass both on and off-console,” said Spencer in the November 2020 email.

 

Microsoft believed a Sega acquisition would drive Xbox Game Pass subscriptions across PC, console, and cloud. “The global appeal of Sega’s beloved IP will help expand Xbox Game Pass’s reach to new audiences around the world, most notably in Asia, where localized content is critical to success,” said Spencer in his pitch to Nadella and Hood at the time. Sega would also offer game transactions value for monetization opportunities in the future.

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: MS internal documents reveal interest in acquiring IO Interactive, Sega, and Bungie (again!)
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: MS internal documents reveal interest in acquiring IO Interactive, SEGA, and Bungie (again!)
Commissar SFLUFAN

Commissar SFLUFAN

Posted
Posted
vpavic_4278_20201030_0292.jpg

Microsoft was ready to ‘go spend Sony out of business’ to strengthen Xbox - The Verge

WWW.THEVERGE.COM
A key email in the FTC v. Microsoft case

 

Quote

 

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios chief, Matt Booty, was encouraging Xbox CFO Tim Stuart to spend big money on acquiring game content in 2019 to set the company up to battle Sony in subscriptions. The revelation comes in an email thread that’s part of the FTC v. Microsoft hearing.

 

“We (Microsoft) are in a very unique position to be able to go spend Sony out of business,” said Booty, referencing spending $2 billion or $3 billion in 2020 to avoid competitors getting ahead in content at a later date.

 

“It is practically impossible for anyone to start a new video streaming service at scale at this point,” said Booty, referencing competitors like Google, Amazon, and Sony. Booty described content as a moat and that only Sony could really compete with Game Pass

 

 

BCLJI9I.png

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SaysWho?

SaysWho?

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vpavic_4278_20201030_0292.jpg

Microsoft was ready to ‘go spend Sony out of business’ to strengthen Xbox - The Verge

WWW.THEVERGE.COM
A key email in the FTC v. Microsoft case

 

The number of people who still either fool themselves into thinking massive corporate consolidation will help the industry remains the most hilarious take.

 

I realize some just selfishly want more games on Game Pass and not on other consoles, though, even if it screws up the industry.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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39 minutes ago, ShreddieMercury said:

Here's how it could go though.  MS buys SEGA and we get:

 

- Cleaned up, HDR enabled Jet Set Radio Future

- SEGA Arcade Racing collection with Daytona USA 2, SCUD Race, Sega Rally Championship 1 + 2

 

Would that happen?  Probably not, but it's our best shot.


Just like when Nintendo buys SquareEnix we’ll finally get that Super Mario RPG remake we’ve always wanted.

 

Don’t forget, Beyond Good & Evil 2 might actually release if Ubisoft gets bought by Sony.  It should happen.

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

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I remember there being a rumor that MS was in talks to buy Bungie back. Bungie emphatically denied it and then was bought by Sony less than a year later.
 

I always thought there was some truth to it. Even if Bungie was quick to turn them down. But I wondered if Bungie maybe ran to Sony with the idea to buy them first with several stipulations that would allow Bungie to keep more autonomy than most studios to be purchased. 

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silentbob

silentbob

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2 hours ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

I remember there being a rumor that MS was in talks to buy Bungie back. Bungie emphatically denied it and then was bought by Sony less than a year later.
 

I always thought there was some truth to it. Even if Bungie was quick to turn them down. But I wondered if Bungie maybe ran to Sony with the idea to buy them first with several stipulations that would allow Bungie to keep more autonomy than most studios to be purchased. 


You wonder if Halo is what Microsoft really wanted back to the forefront. No better way then to buy and force the company who started the series, into making more. I thought I remember hearing something about MS even offering more money than Sony for the acquisition. Plus that Sega thing was going for ages with all them random hints with the sonic blue controller release, Dreamcast in background of MS interviews, and sly winks with Twitter responses.

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DPCyric

DPCyric

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3 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:
vpavic_4278_20201030_0292.jpg

Microsoft was ready to ‘go spend Sony out of business’ to strengthen Xbox - The Verge

WWW.THEVERGE.COM
A key email in the FTC v. Microsoft case

 

 

BCLJI9I.png

 

Wow that is a big slip up on their part I thought things were looking good for them but saying they are able to spend Sony out of business is a BAD look for them.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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That comment also puts the 10 CoD year thing in it’s proper context.  They don’t care as much about the here and now.  They care more about the long term trajectory of their subscription library vs any competitor’s.


Maybe in 10 years, almost no one buys games anymore, and CoD is mostly a subscription driver.

 

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legend

legend

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Acquisitions of small players can sometimes be okay because it can better fund them provided the suits don't start dictating design and game choice. For example MS acquiring Obsidian is probably for the best, because they were struggling and we wouldn't get interesting passion projects like Pentiment from them without that security. On the other hand, if the suits are stupid (and they often are) it can be destructive, like MS demanding Lionhead make a game they never wanted to make, and then dismantling them when it turned out no one wanted it, and then them greenlighting the game Lionhead actually wanted to make after destroying them. MS re-acquiring Bungie would also be the stupidest shit. That clearly wasn't a good match and Bungie sacrificed a lot to get out to begin with.

 

Acquisition of larger studios (e.g., Bethesda and Activision) is always awful. The best I can say for those kinds of things is maybe that at least prevents Tencent from buying them because I don't want Tencent owning anything.

 

 

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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6 minutes ago, legend said:

Acquisition of larger studios (e.g., Bethesda and Activision) is always awful. The best I can say for those kinds of things is maybe that at least prevents Tencent from buying them because I don't want Tencent owning anything.

 

Don’t forget Saudi royalty.

 

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Keyser_Soze

Keyser_Soze

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8 hours ago, ShreddieMercury said:

Here's how it could go though.  MS buys SEGA and we get:

 

- Cleaned up, HDR enabled Jet Set Radio Future

- SEGA Arcade Racing collection with Daytona USA 2, SCUD Race, Sega Rally Championship 1 + 2

 

Would that happen?  Probably not, but it's our best shot.

 

Gunvalkyrie 2

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Remarkableriots

Remarkableriots

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Quote

First shared by Axios reporter Stephen Totilo via Twitter, the email begins with Hines stating he was "confused" by Microsoft representatives stating that the company is "committed to Sony" and "will make them [Call of Duty and other popular Activision games] available on PlayStation" in 2022 blog post. He then asked, "Is the below not the opposite of what we were just asked (told) to do with our own titles? What's the difference?"

 

"Did anyone at Xbox think about giving us a heads-up on this? Todd's going to DICE in a couple weeks, you don't think a journo might find him and press him on why the below is ok for COD or any Activision Blizzard games, but not for TES6 [The Elder Scrolls 6] or Starfield?"

In addition to Hines' grievances regarding Bethesda being "told" what to do with its titles, the email also holds another compelling bit of information: If what Hines states is true, The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox and PC exclusive. While not particularly surprising, this does seem to go against Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's testimony last week, in which he stated the company had yet to decide if The Elder Scrolls 6 would be available on PlayStation.

 

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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Posted
12 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:


What if Sony buys them and we just keep getting terrible Sonic games?

:pratt:

 

Virtual Fighter 6, read between the lines!

 

6 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

What if Intellivision buys them and we get a new ChuChu Rocket!?!

 

 

hockey kid GIF by Carolina Hurricanes

 

 


What if Nintendo buys them so we get a new Samba de Amigo?  It’s our best shot.

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