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

[Remarkableriots]

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick says Sony is 'not returning our calls' | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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In an interview on Fox Business, the chief executive said his company doesn't appear to be as valuable as Sony makes it out to be.

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

Sony has no reason to answer their calls. They won’t agree to anything, because that might convince regulatory agencies to just approve the purchase. And Activision on their own not only wasn’t going to remove titles from PlayStations, but would continue to let Sony buy exclusive content. 
 

Returning their calls just to say “no” is also

a waste of time. Sony kicked off the debate, which may or may not have influenced any regulatory agencies. But either way all Sony needs to do now is just sit back and watch. Let the regulators force concessions or deny the acquisition all together.  

[SuperSpreader]

11 minutes ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

Sony has no reason to answer their calls. They won’t agree to anything, because that might convince regulatory agencies to just approve the purchase. And Activision on their own not only wasn’t going to remove titles from PlayStations, but would continue to let Sony buy exclusive content. 
 

Returning their calls just to say “no” is also

a waste of time. Sony kicked off the debate, which may or may not have influenced any regulatory agencies. But either way all Sony needs to do now is just sit back and watch. Let the regulators force concessions or deny the acquisition all together.  

 

Game industry leaders are children and Bobby is trying to egg Sony into saying something stupid that allows the purchase to go through so he and the rest of the C Suite can get bailed out of burning dozens of franchises and being on its last untenable grasp. 

 

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

21 minutes ago, SuperSpreader said:

 

Game industry leaders are children and Bobby is trying to egg Sony into saying something stupid that allows the purchase to go through so he and the rest of the C Suite can get bailed out of burning dozens of franchises and being on its last untenable grasp. 

 

 

yeah, he’s trying to paint Sony as being unreadable and unwilling to negotiate terms. The thing is Sony doesn’t have to just yet. 
 

if the deal goes through and MS has to make no concessions then Sony is a little screwed, because while MS basically pinky-swore they’d still put COD on PlayStation, they control the terms of the arrangement. They can make Sony have to pay a lot for it. 
 

I think the thing is too, depending on what MS and Activision are willing to offer, Sony doesn’t want to be “on record” saying no if it’s something their customers would absolutely love. Like being able to have it day and date on their subscription service, discounted MSRP on PlayStation, early access and extended demos/betas, etc. 

 

As long as it looks like the deal might not go through or MS will be forced to make concessions up to and including divestiture of COD, Sony has no reason to even hear the offers.
 

there is a large part of me hoping it blows up in their face though. 

[SuperSpreader]

I 100% hope it all blows up in Activision's face, I see this just as buddies bailing out other buddies after Kotick took heat a few years back due to the sexual misconduct issues there. Do you think Phil Spencer gives af about spending billions of MS dollars to save his buddies ass? Nah. 

[crispy4000]

14 hours ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

Sony has no reason to answer their calls. They won’t agree to anything, because that might convince regulatory agencies to just approve the purchase. And Activision on their own not only wasn’t going to remove titles from PlayStations, but would continue to let Sony buy exclusive content. 
 

Returning their calls just to say “no” is also

a waste of time. Sony kicked off the debate, which may or may not have influenced any regulatory agencies. But either way all Sony needs to do now is just sit back and watch. Let the regulators force concessions or deny the acquisition all together.  

 

Agreed, except the regulatory tides have been turning against big tech conglomerates well before Sony objected.  They provided a convenient objection to a large, bold and aggressive acquisition by a tech giant.

 

I don’t think Sony’s objection would have mattered for much if the wind wasn’t already blowing this way.  After all, Microsoft has upheld a better reputation than the FAANG companies proper.  They had good reason to think this deal would go smoothly in spite of any objection from Sony, which they would have anticipated and expected.

[AbsolutSurgen]

This isn't a negotiation.  Anything that Sony says to ActiLizzard is more likely to hurt their case than help it.  It's best to not talk to them about it.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

7 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

This isn't a negotiation.  Anything that Sony says to ActiLizzard is more likely to hurt their case than help it.  It's best to not talk to them about it.

 

We have a winner!

 

There's zero doubt that Sony's attorneys have advised them to not say a word to either MS or ABK unless compelled to do so via subpoena.

[SuperSpreader]

Activision Blizzard planning to end full remote work

WWW.GAMEDEVELOPER.COM

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Activision Blizzard is reportedly planning to end its remote work period previously put in place in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

[Remarkableriots]

Blizzard Company-Wide Meeting Reportedly Made Employees Feel "Extremely Unimportant And Unsupported" - GameSpot

WWW.GAMESPOT.COM

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Next week is the hearing in front of the EU Competition Commission.

 

Per the MLex:

 

Quote

 

- Top executives from Microsoft, Activision Blizzard and Sony, as well as representatives from Nvidia, Electronic Arts and Valve, are expected to appear at a closed-door hearing in Brussels on Tuesday 21st.

 

- Microsoft is calling up its president, Brad Smith, and the chief executive of its gaming division, Phil Spencer. From Activision, Bobby Kotick is also likely to appear.

 

- Jim Ryan, chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, will also be in Brussels to underline Sony's position that the deal will harm competition.

 

- Further representatives from Google, Nvidia, Electronic Arts and Valve will also be present at the hearing.

 

- The European Games Developer Federation will be in attendance too.

 

- MLex understands that the Statement of Objections maintains the bulk of its concerns from November.

 

- Microsoft will face the commission's case team at the hearing, which is also attended by a broader audience of commission officials and representatives from the bloc's national competition watchdogs.

 

- Other rivals and customers could be there too.

 

 

[Keyser_Soze]

2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

Other rivals and customers could be there too.

 

Those five gamers that filed the lawsuit?

[SuperSpreader]

3 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Those five gamers that filed the lawsuit?

[crispy4000]

5 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Those five gamers that filed the lawsuit?

“Customers” aside, the competitors might be cloud gaming curious companies, based on the document.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

My wish is all the major companies in attendance are told that not only will the merger not be approved, but they’re all being broken up. 

[Keyser_Soze]

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

3 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

"We've entered into a binding 10-year legal agreement for something that doesn't actually exist yet."

[Bacon]

"Sugondese, Sony."

- Microsoft

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

Nintendo should have snuck in a provision for parity in performance too, just to really fuck with MS and stir the pot. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

For the record, MS offered Valve the identical 10-year agreement, but Valve declined as it didn't believe that it was necessary:

 

Quote

 

We’re happy that Microsoft wants to continue using Steam to reach customers with Call of Duty when their Activision acquisition closes. Microsoft has been on Steam for a long time and we take it as a signal that they are happy with gamers reception to that and the work we are doing. Our job is to keep building valuable features for not only Microsoft but all Steam customers and partners.

 

Microsoft offered and even sent us a draft agreement for a long-term Call of Duty commitment but it wasn’t necessary for us because a) we’re not believers in requiring any partner to have an agreement that locks them to shipping games on Steam into the distant future b) Phil and the games team at Microsoft have always followed through on what they told us they would do so we trust their intentions and c) we think Microsoft has all the motivation they need to be on the platforms and devices where Call of Duty customers want to be.

 

 

Translation:

 

"We here at Valve have done quite well financially without any games on Steam for quite a few years from Activision.  Or EA.  Or Ubisoft.  Therefore, we really don't feel the need to commit ourselves legally in any way, shape, or form, far less for an entire decade.  So, please feel free put your games on Steam.  Or not.  It really doesn't matter to us because just look at our giant piles of money."

[Keyser_Soze]

27 minutes ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

Nintendo should have snuck in a provision for parity in performance too, just to really fuck with MS and stir the pot. 

 

It wouldn't matter. People would buy COD no matter how it runs or looks.

[AbsolutSurgen]

1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

"We've entered into a binding 10-year legal agreement for something that doesn't actually exist yet."

I can't imagine anyone signing this agreement that doesn't already have CoD.  Their preference would be for MS not to own AB.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

6 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I can't imagine anyone signing this agreement that doesn't already have CoD.  Their preference would be for MS not to own AB.

 

The agreement was offered to three parties:

 

Sony - outright rejection

Nintendo - signed because why the hell not? 

Valve - politely declined to sign because it really doesn't matter to them

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

If google had held out just a little longer they might have offered the deal for Stadia too. lol 

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

The agreement was offered to three parties:

 

Sony - outright rejection

Nintendo - signed because why the hell not? 

Valve - politely declined to sign because it really doesn't matter to them

 

Nintendo is signing because they know from experience how fickle 3rd parties as a whole are with them, especially when they launch new hardware.

 

They’d probably also sign a GTA contract if they could.

[Brian]

Playdate should request a port. 

[stepee]

12 minutes ago, Brian said:

Playdate should request a port. 

 

I do love to crank it to some war porn

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

53 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

Nintendo is signing because they know from experience how fickle 3rd parties as a whole are with them, especially when they launch new hardware.

 

They’d probably also sign a GTA contract if they could.

 

Absolutely!

 

There is zero down side for Nintendo signing this type of agreement.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

And now it's Nvidia's turn:

 

[XxEvil AshxX]

Microsoft making deals that would make their acquisition even more lucrative while at the same time painting Sony into a corner. 

 

This whole drama making reality TV look boring.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

51 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

And now it's Nvidia's turn:

 

GeForce Now is a competitor in the streaming space, which is exactly where MS says they are competing. They’re willing to make a deal with Sony their “perceived” competitor by the public. 
 

lol They are really laying on the “we’re definitely evil” schtick pretty thick here. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

MS:  "Do you see how what bad shape we're in?  We NEED this deal to compete!"

 

 

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

It’s a good thing MS raised the price of the Series X in Japan. That will help them compete. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

4 minutes ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

It’s a good thing MS raised the price of the Series X in Japan. That will help them compete. 

 

They just increased the price in Sweden as well.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

The agreement with Nvidia is the same 10-year one that was offered to Nintendo, Sony, and Valve:

 

Quote

We have signed a 10 year agreement with NVIDIA that will allow GeForce NOW players to stream Xbox PC games as well as Activision Blizzard PC titles, including COD, following the acquisition. We´re committed to bringing more games to more people – however they choose to play.