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

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AbsolutSurgen

AbsolutSurgen

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, crispy4000 said:

tweet_1674173368646485pd8z.png

 

Only reason he’s saying this is because he’s running a subscription based on Microsoft properties.
 

Also, what of Nintendo?  They’ve been doing this exclusive thing much longer than Sony, and still are making hardware because of it.

Exclusivity was started by Sony. Sega and Nintendo never did it. Neither did Atari or Colecovision. 

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chakoo

chakoo

Posted
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16 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Your sarcasm detector is weak. 
Exclusives were the norm for a long time. 

 

Your statement didn't come off as sarcasm and more general internet revision history which is so abundant as the years roll on. *shrug*

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SuperSpreader

SuperSpreader

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37 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

tweet_1674173368646485pd8z.png

 

Only reason he’s saying this is because he’s running a subscription based on Microsoft properties.
 

Also, what of Nintendo?  They’ve been doing this exclusive thing much longer than Sony, and still are making hardware because of it.

They should break up Microsoft for saying such a stupid thing. If that's true install all web browsers by default Microsoft. 

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Ghost_MH

Ghost_MH

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20 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said:
51601827.0.jpg

 

 

Nintendo is only a competitor if they're pulling dollars away from Microsoft and Sony. It has nothing to do with demographics. I don't think even Nintendo views themselves as direct competitors. Otherwise, they wouldn't have scheduled Mario Wonder for the same release date as Spider-Man 2.

 

twitter_Ubo8HGQ.jpg?width=1200&height=60

GamesIndustry.biz presents… The Year in Numbers 2020

WWW.GAMESINDUSTRY.BIZ
Christmas looms like a slightly obscured beacon of relief in the murky fog that is 2020, and here to guide you along th…

 

Seems the vast majority of Switch owners also own another console and there's nothing in there about what percentage own a having PC. These numbers were out tougher before Sony and Microsoft launched new consoles which likely tipped those numbers even further.

 

I'm Switch/PC and i know quite a few folks in that same boat.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said:
51601827.0.jpg

 

 

Yes they are.  Sony can't bring themselves to admit it - they're not reaching a broad enough audience with their exclusives to monopolize in the way the PS2 once did.  Microsoft meanwhile is purely arguing this out of convenience, after formerly dawning the Wii60 hat.

 

The problem with Microsoft's argument to the FTC they have yet to taste true failure in the console market in the way that Nintendo has.  Their brand has always been viable, even when popularly shunned.  Not even bundling Kinect into a console launch could run their operation into the ground.

 

But look at us, the little 3rd place megacorp underdog, who never sold less than 20 million units in a generation.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

Posted
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17 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

 

Nintendo is only a competitor if they're pulling dollars away from Microsoft and Sony. It has nothing to do with demographics. I don't think even Nintendo views themselves as direct competitors. Otherwise, they wouldn't have scheduled Mario Wonder for the same release date as Spider-Man 2.

 

twitter_Ubo8HGQ.jpg?width=1200&height=60

GamesIndustry.biz presents… The Year in Numbers 2020

WWW.GAMESINDUSTRY.BIZ
Christmas looms like a slightly obscured beacon of relief in the murky fog that is 2020, and here to guide you along th…

 

Seems the vast majority of Switch owners also own another console and there's nothing in there about what percentage own a having PC. These numbers were out tougher before Sony and Microsoft launched new consoles which likely tipped those numbers even further.

 

I'm Switch/PC and i know quite a few folks in that same boat.

 

Look at it the other way around from Sony's leaks today:  Half of all PS5 owners have a Switch, whereas 1/5 own a Series console.

 

Clearly Nintendo is eating into a greater potion of Sony's mindshare if their base is so easily pulled away.  Same goes vice versa.

 

Either way, there's little to say that Spider-Man 2 would materially hurt Mario Wonder sales.  People will buy both if they want both.  That's the way the biggest releases tend to work.

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

Nintendo is only a competitor if they're pulling dollars away from Microsoft and Sony.


I was starting to think the same thing with the 50% of PS5 owners owning a Switch thing. The real figure to know is how many switch owners own a modern Xbox or PS. If Switch owners are very likely to own another console then the Switch isn’t really a competitor. Because with the Switch it’s not a case of “the switch or somebody else”. You can look at it as either the Switch is a companion platform or more likely due to market share, the PS or Xbox is a companion platform to the Switch. And so Sony and MS are competing against each other to be a Switch owner’s other console. 
 

but if only like 30% of switch owners own another console, they are very much competing against Sony and MS too. Because a clear choice of just 1 is being made for the majority of consumers. 

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Ghost_MH

Ghost_MH

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:


I was starting to think the same thing with the 50% of PS5 owners owning a Switch thing. The real figure to know is how many switch owners own a modern Xbox or PS. If Switch owners are very likely to own another console then the Switch isn’t really a competitor. Because with the Switch it’s not a case of “the switch or somebody else”. You can look at it as either the Switch is a companion platform or more likely due to market share, the PS or Xbox is a companion platform to the Switch. And so Sony and MS are competing against each other to be a Switch owner’s other console. 
 

but if only like 30% of switch owners own another console, they are very much competing against Sony and MS too. Because a clear choice of just 1 is being made for the majority of consumers. 

 

The numbers I see say 71% of Switch owners own a second console with no details on how a gaming PC might skew those numbers. That really feeds into the Switch being a second console. Second console doesn't necessarily translate to gaming hours. The such might get more playtime or it might not, but it certainly seems Switch owners are more likely to own something else to fans on than either PS5 or XS owners.

 

19 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Look at it the other way around from Sony's leaks today:  Half of all PS5 owners have a Switch, whereas 1/5 own a Series console.

 

Clearly Nintendo is eating into a greater potion of Sony's mindshare if their base is so easily pulled away.  Same goes vice versa.

 

Either way, there's little to say that Spider-Man 2 would materially hurt Mario Wonder sales.  People will buy both if they want both.  That's the way the biggest releases tend to work.

 

That just tells me that gamers are more likely to view the Switch as a +1 console than an Xbox. That makes sense. If you own a PS5, the Switch is a better value proposition for games not available on the PS5 compared to the XS.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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1 hour ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:


I was starting to think the same thing with the 50% of PS5 owners owning a Switch thing. The real figure to know is how many switch owners own a modern Xbox or PS. If Switch owners are very likely to own another console then the Switch isn’t really a competitor. Because with the Switch it’s not a case of “the switch or somebody else”. You can look at it as either the Switch is a companion platform or more likely due to market share, the PS or Xbox is a companion platform to the Switch. And so Sony and MS are competing against each other to be a Switch owner’s other console. 
 

but if only like 30% of switch owners own another console, they are very much competing against Sony and MS too. Because a clear choice of just 1 is being made for the majority of consumers. 


I find this "companion platform" concept suspect today, at least in terms of dedicated gaming hardware.  I can't imagine many people segment their gaming budgets accordingly into what they'll spend on Switch vs Series X, etc.  It likely sways more with release calendars, discounts, etc.

 

Remember, there was a critically acclaimed, open world Zelda at launch.  People ate it up after largely ignoring the Wii U and 3DS (at least compared to DS).  Nintendo platforms get no automatic pass as something Microsoft/Sony buyers will inevitably pick up.  They've had to earn their keep, and successfully played "red ocean" this time.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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55 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

That just tells me that gamers are more likely to view the Switch as a +1 console than an Xbox. That makes sense. If you own a PS5, the Switch is a better value proposition for games not available on the PS5 compared to the XS.

 

I don't think you're wrong.  But I don't think that places them out of competition.

 

For example: the person who owns a Series X and PS5, would you say Microsoft and Sony aren't competing for their subscription money?  The same logic holds for retail releases.

 

They'd make more money if no one felt the need to buy another platform that wasn't theirs.  Nintendo's included.

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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6 hours ago, SuperSpreader said:

That's very speculative 


Not really.  Gaming money being spent elsewhere was one of the reasons Sony gave us for making the PS4 Pro.  Project Q is attempting to address the portability factor.  Even PSVR2 is trying to keep their audience from drifting too far from PlayStation.  PS Extra wouldn’t exist as it does if it wasn’t for Games Pass.  Etc.  The closer to the vest Sony’s consumer is, the better for their pocketbook.

 

Microsoft is less adamant about it, but they seldom ever release new Switch games anymore.  Allegedly because Nintendo doesn’t want to cozy up to Games Pass.  That’s their primary motivator, which also goes back to the money in the long run.


There’s also the thing I tend to rant on about for each of the big 3 now: a consumer firmly rooted in their ecosystem is more likely to remain subscribed to their multiplayer paywall.  It’s a more reliable stream of income if their console is all their consumer is tapped into.

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SuperSpreader

SuperSpreader

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1 hour ago, crispy4000 said:


Not really.  Gaming money being spent elsewhere was one of the reasons Sony gave us for making the PS4 Pro.  Project Q is attempting to address the portability factor.  Even PSVR2 is trying to keep their audience from drifting too far from PlayStation.  PS Extra wouldn’t exist as it does if it wasn’t for Games Pass.  Etc.  The closer to the vest Sony’s consumer is, the better for their pocketbook.

 

Microsoft is less adamant about it, but they seldom ever release new Switch games anymore.  Allegedly because Nintendo doesn’t want to cozy up to Games Pass.  That’s their primary motivator, which also goes back to the money in the long run.


There’s also the thing I tend to rant on about for each of the big 3 now: a consumer firmly rooted in their ecosystem is more likely to remain subscribed to their multiplayer paywall.  It’s a more reliable stream of income if their console is all their consumer is tapped into.

 

Some people just don't like Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft games and would never buy that console. Just because someone spent money doesn't mean it could have belonged to another manufacturer, that's a very capitalist point of view and one that will lead companies like Microsoft to making big mistakes. 

 

The reason every big tech company has failed at game development (meta, google) is because they lack killer apps to sell their hardware. Microsoft being incapable of tapping their current IP library and needing ABK isn't a sign that they're gonna do great things with those licenses. They'll run into the capitalist problems of needing endless integration of competitors as they kill one franchise after another until no one buys in anymore. 

 

Insert Bill Gates Borg image. 

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crispy4000

crispy4000

Posted
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45 minutes ago, SuperSpreader said:

 

Some people just don't like Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft games and would never buy that console. Just because someone spent money doesn't mean it could have belonged to another manufacturer, that's a very capitalist point of view and one that will lead companies like Microsoft to making big mistakes.

 

Yes, but for those who do own multiple consoles, they're often picking and choosing where to play and what to buy.  And it's naive to think that people dropping money on (nearly) full price Nintendo games doesn't affect Sony and Microsoft's bottom line at all.

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BloodyHell

BloodyHell

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

Yes, but for those who do own multiple consoles, they're often picking and choosing where to play and where to buy.  And it's naive to think that people dropping money on (nearly) full price Nintendo games doesn't affect Sony and Microsoft's bottom line at all.

Agreed.

The whole idea of Nintendo not being a competitor is complete nonsense.

 

Look at the pandemic, people were screaming for consoles, and more than a few bought a switch because they couldn’t get PS5’s/Series X’s, and also because Animal Crossing became such a hit. Of course not every sale is one that would have gone to Sony/MS, but it’s completely false to say a lot of that wouldn’t have gone elsewhere had stock not been an issue. 
 

Of course it’s not dollar for dollar, nobody is actually making that argument except SuperSpreader. But it’s absolutely a large dollar number. A lot of people can’t afford to splurge on 500$ consoles and multiple 70$ games a month like a lot of us do, so they pick and choose. 
 

It’s naive to pretend Nintendo isn’t a competitor and that they aren’t taking money out of MS/Sony’s market share. Its the kind of argument a desperate Sony would make to stop a merger that isn’t in their best interests. 

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

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I’m sure there are some people on limited budgets that if a big Nintendo game releases too close to a big release on another platform will only get 1 right now. But with plans to get the other later. 
 

now on metric that has come into play within the last 10 years or so is time. And I’m regards to this every game on every platform is competing with one another. Heck now they’re competing with movies and tv shows, or even the fucking news cycles. Most of those things are just a flash in the pan compared to something like COD or Fortnite, but another game that you could sink hundreds of hours into, like Elden Ring or Tears of the Kingdom is competing for your time. 

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BloodyHell

BloodyHell

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Destin Legarie (IGN) does great breakdowns of the trial daily. The one for yesterday is double the length of previous ones, I’m only half way through now, but he does a decent job of just going through the trial, and not speculating or giving too many personal opinions.

 

 

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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Quote
Xbox Game Pass would need to grow by 2 million subs a year to help offset CoD exclusivity.

We’re still hearing parts of emails about Microsoft offsetting shifts in revenues and the FTC just messed up and revealed Xbox Game Pass would need to grow by two million subscribers a year to help offset any Call of Duty exclusivity or reduced royalties from that decision.

It’s still not clear how much revenue Microsoft would lose in this scenario though, but it’s a surprise piece of data we weren’t expecting to hear today.

 

I'm sure it would push more than 2 million gamers in their direction to the console, at the least.  Gotta think larger picture.

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