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

Bacon

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

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4 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:
philspencerhappyhour1280jpg-f479e1-160w-

Xbox's Phil Spencer Seemingly Decided to Make All ZeniMax Games Exclusives in 2021 Meeting - IGN

WWW.IGN.COM
Phil Spencer apparently made a "big decision" to make all ZeniMax games Xbox exclusive in a November 2021 meeting.


For reference, the Bethesda deal was completed in March 2021.  This might be the FTC's best shot.


im sure he’s older, wiser, and more liberal minded all these years later. It’s fine. 

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Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

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Canada now chiming in

 

OHFTMXN43VNCHLOGNEZFUNKRQM.jpg

Canada says Microsoft deal to buy Activision likely to lessen competition

WWW.REUTERS.COM
Canada's Department of Justice has concluded that Microsoft's deal to buy "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard "is likely to" lead to less competition in some aspects of gaming, according to a court...


MS basically responds by saying Canada waited to long and their period for saying shit has expired. :lol:
 

 

I gotta admit. With this whole ordeal MS has delivered more entertainment than the last 10 years of first party exclusives. 

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Commissar SFLUFAN

Commissar SFLUFAN

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The FTC knew about this potential COI involving the judge from the very outset of the hearing and declined to file any motions for a change so perhaps it's not that big of an issue?

 

Or the FTC is really just that dumb.

 

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Watchdog Demands Recusal of Judge Overseeing Activision Case Because Her Son Works for Microsoft

GIZMODO.COM
The Revolving Door Project says the judge's son's employment poses a clear conflict of interest.

 

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An industry watchdog group says the judge tasked with ultimately determining the fate of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion bid to acquire Activision Blizzard should recuse herself because her son works at Microsoft. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley revealed the family connection during a pre-hearing conference last week. Though Corley said her son works outside of the gaming division, the watchdog group says that proximity to the company still poses a clear conflict of interest.

 

In a letter on Thursday, first obtained by The Washington Post, The Revolving Door Project said Corley’s son’s employment at Microsoft may violate multiple rules laid out in the Code of Conduct for US Judges including one advising judges to “avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities.” The group warns this alleged conflict of interest risks influencing a judge’s objectivity and could even degrade public trust in courts.

 

“The public could rightfully become concerned about a judge being improperly biased if the judge’s child is employed by a corporation whose case the judge is overseeing,” The Revolving Door Project wrote. “It is common sense that a parent would want to support the financial success of their child’s employer in order to support their child’s financial stability and professional prestige.”

 

Judge Corley and The Northwest District of California did not respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.

 

 

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Commissar SFLUFAN

Commissar SFLUFAN

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Meanwhile in the UK, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) blocked a request by the CMA to delay the start of the appeal proceedings until October:

 

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UK court blocks request to delay CMA and Microsoft trial

WWW.GAMESINDUSTRY.BIZ
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox A court has blocked the UK's Competition a…

 

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A court has blocked the UK's Competition and Markets Authority's request to delay its hearing with Microsoft.

 

The regulator proposed a new trial date for October, but Competition Appeal Tribunal said the proceedings will still begin on July 28.

 

As per Seeking Alpha, the tribunal explained that the case is significant to many and should proceed as scheduled.

 

The court said in a filing, "The matter is significant and there is a large amount of material for any new counsel to digest, but we anticipate that a month allows ample time for that to happen – provided the CMA selects counsel with appropriate availability to prepare, especially given the support available from within the CMA and from its existing counsel team."

 

"The question answers itself: this is a team that should have sufficient time to ensure that the CMA's defence to the application is appropriately conducted."

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: new developments involving FTC preliminary injunction (US) and CMA appeal (UK)
Spawn_of_Apathy

Spawn_of_Apathy

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

The FTC knew about this potential COI involving the judge from the very outset of the hearing and declined to file any motions for a change so perhaps it's not that big of an issue?

 

Or the FTC is really just that dumb.

 

54d6fd76e764cec9774ba709a516f188.jpg

Watchdog Demands Recusal of Judge Overseeing Activision Case Because Her Son Works for Microsoft

GIZMODO.COM
The Revolving Door Project says the judge's son's employment poses a clear conflict of interest.

 

 


maybe they were holding on to it as a reason to try an appeal a decision that didn’t go their way. Treat this like a trial run. lol

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: new developments involving FTC preliminary injunction hearing (US) and CMA appeal (UK)
Commissar SFLUFAN

Commissar SFLUFAN

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Posted
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The biggest takeaways from Microsoft's courtroom showdown with the FTC over Activision Blizzard

WWW.CNBC.COM
Many internal Microsoft documents have come up in conversations with executives or have been released as part of a hearing over its Activision Blizzard deal.

 

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Microsoft and its current major acquisition target, video game publisher Activision Blizzard, have wrapped up their five days in court in San Francisco as the Federal Trade Commission sought to stop the deal from closing, but not without several fascinating facts coming to light.

 

And not only about games. Information on Microsoft’s business ambitions, its process for okaying acquisitions, and its most critical rivals in cybersecurity was revealed as part of the hearing process, thanks to documents and testimony from executives. Large releases like this don’t happen every day, and in the past several years Microsoft has avoided prominent trials that can result in several notable disclosures at once.

 

The FTC had originally planned to bring its case against the deal before an administrative law judge in August but then opted to seek a preliminary injunction in federal court as the agency became worried that Microsoft would try to close, even though some jurisdictions had not cleared the purchase.

 

In addition to regulators in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, Sony also opposes the deal. Its PlayStation 5 console competes with the Xbox Series S and X consoles, and the company has said that anticompetitive effects would arise if Microsoft were to take control of Activision Blizzard.

 

Here’s a rundown of notable facts that have trickled out in recent days and are still lingering after both parties presented their closing arguments on Thursday.

 

 

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Remarkableriots

Remarkableriots

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The next big Call of Duty game is launching on November 10, according to a federal judge who seemingly leaked the release date during the US Federal Trade Commission's hearing on Microsoft's Activision Blizzard purchase.

 

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Xbob42

Xbob42

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On 7/1/2023 at 1:25 PM, Remarkableriots said:

The most shocking news to be revealed from Microsoft's lawyer is that Elder Scrolls XVI is coming out in three years - 2026!

Damn, they're really in a hurry to catch up to Final Fantasy!

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BloodyHell

BloodyHell

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On 7/1/2023 at 5:25 PM, Remarkableriots said:

The most shocking news to be revealed from Microsoft's lawyer is that Elder Scrolls XVI is coming out in three years - 2026!

Lol this is funny for two reasons, the second being Phil said on the stand that ES6 is at least 5 years away on the stand.

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Remarkableriots

Remarkableriots

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Jim Ryan's counter-proposal To Phil Spencer to allow Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard: - Ensure that all existing and future Activision Blizzard games are still available on PlayStation & have parity with Xbox. - Don't make PlayStation Activision Blizzard games more expensive than Xbox. - Treat all Activision Blizzard games equally on subscription services of Xbox and Playstation. - Upon completion of the acquisition of Activision, discard all contracts for financial and marketing support that Sony is due to pay Activision in the future. - Agree to start discussions to treat Bethesda games equally on both PlayStation and Xbox. Naturally, Phil Spencer rejected this offer from Jim Ryan.

This offer was turned down and yet they continue to say they don't care about exclusives. 

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Spork3245

Spork3245

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10 hours ago, Remarkableriots said:

This offer was turned down and yet they continue to say they don't care about exclusives. 


That’s a god awful “deal” making them beholden to Sony on a company MSFT owns. They absolutely shouldn’t accept that and should have probably laughed in Jim Ryan’s face. 

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crispy4000

crispy4000

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3 hours ago, Spork3245 said:


That’s a god awful “deal” making them beholden to Sony on a company MSFT owns. They absolutely shouldn’t accept that and should have probably laughed in Jim Ryan’s face. 


The reasons for it being ridiculous point to why it’s advantageous for Microsoft not to shy away from their leverage.

 

Microsoft will probably win here, and the CMA’s issue largely isn’t with the console space anymore.  In the long run, they’ll get to pursue what they feel makes the best business sense, like with Bethesda after it was acquired.

 

Not all of Jim’s big fear list will happen. Some of it?  It’s probable.  Depends on when Phil puts his foot down.

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Spork3245

Spork3245

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16 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:


The reasons for it being ridiculous point to why it’s advantageous for Microsoft not to shy away from their leverage.

 

Microsoft will probably win here, and the CMA’s issue largely isn’t with the console space anymore.  In the long run, they’ll get to pursue what they feel makes the best business sense, like with Bethesda after it was acquired.

 

Not all of Jim’s big fear list will happen. Some of it?  It’s probable.  Depends on when Phil puts his foot down.


Just re-release the Series consoles with nVidia GPUs, giving free exchanges to all current owners, then make all games use heavy RT and shrug when they run like ass on PS5

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  • Bacon changed the title to Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
DPCyric

DPCyric

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Firewithin said:
logo-og.jpg

UK antitrust regulator ready to consider revisions to Microsoft's Activision purchase | Financial News

WWW.LSE.CO.UK
UK antitrust regulator ready to consider revisions to Microsoft's Activision purchase | Financial News

 

uk gonna cave so its basically gonna be done it seems 

 

It's done they would just pull Gamepass out of the UK if they had to.

 

I'm ready for Forza Horizon Blur expansion :twothumbsup:

 

Edit: also give me Heroes of the Storm with M$ characters. 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Acquisition - Information Thread, update: Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard, UK CMA & MSFT pause litigation to work towards agreement
TwinIon

TwinIon

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Posted

While I continue to think that this won't have a serious effect on the industry, I won't consider it a good thing. At least we got a bunch of emails and other documents.

 

It'll be interesting to see what acquisitions this deal kicks off. Sony will definitely respond, but will we see consolidation outside of the console manufacturers? Does EA or Ubisoft feel a need to build up their own "content moat"? Is there any real possibility that other tech giants start buying up gaming studios? I'm dubious that much will change, but maybe the market does shift in response.

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