Breaking: Microsoft to acquire Activision-Blizzard in near 70$ billion deal

StreetsofBeige said:
In terms of MP shooters, Apex and Fortnite and BF are still available on PS. Activision shooters are too, but MS does have the ability to cut them off if they wanted to.

Since Sony doesn't invest in MP games, MS cutting access to the key shooter franchises could literally leave it like this:

Xbox
- COD
- Destiny
- Overwatch
- Halo
- Gears
- Rainbow Six
- BF
- Fortnite
- Apex
- PUBG

PS
- Rainbow Six
- BF
- Fortnite
- Apex
- PUBG
Click to expand...
Destiny needs to be added to the PS side, I would also add the deviation game as a small bullet point despite me thinking its coming to pc on launch.
 
Chittagong said:
MicrosoftGamingGLT_118.jpg


The org chart has fucking pronouns in it. Jfc

EDIT: and no They/Them or Xey/Xir in the team, damn bigots
Click to expand...
Lori Wright looking good.
 
Dave_at_Home said:
If Microsoft allows COD on PlayStation, I could see them keeping DLC locked for a certain time period on Xbox before it hits Sony's platform. I don't agree on the second class citizen thing though.
Click to expand...
this what was said after the 7.5b acquisition of Bethesda

"Tim Stuart has offered additional clues on Microsoft's future strategy, suggesting Bethesda's games will be "either first or better or best" on its platforms."
from eurogamer

After this we saw the exclusivity of starfield and psychonauts 2 be a PS4 port on PS5 and instead having enhancements like 120fps mode +res,VRR, hdr on xsx.
I repeat there is no reality that will see the rival platform being treated as its own, and honestly it is naive to think that this will happen. I think that that cod mainline will not be released on PlayStation...and if it ever will, it will have some deficits compared to the Xbox version
 
Last edited:
COD has been all downhill since Black Ops 2. Dunno about Overwatch and StarCraft, never played them. Hope it works out well for all involved.

Can't wait for all CODs to drop on Gamepass for the campaign achievements. No interest in the multiplayer.
 
Raven117 said:
What are you talking about? Certainly its against Sony, but its also a move against Apple. Microsoft is fighting a different war than Sony is.
Click to expand...

They are all fighting a similar war. One against each other. And another against companies like Apple, Netflix, and Facebook. To think Sony isn't in a smaller war with Facebook and the likes is crazy.
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
Gotta love these false equivalency crocodile tears

"Oh, this game was exclusive for a year" is somehow the same as buying over 80B in the largest gaming publishers in existence just so Sony can't have them at all, forever
Click to expand...
if you do it every year with multiple games you make the rival platform so inferior that it is not taken into consideration most of the time. Let's be clear Sony has always used teeth and nails to keep their marketshare and above all to dry up the opponent's market to constantly gain it . Rest assured that if Sony had the financial capabilities it would have thrown ms out of the market immediately .... in all this there is no good or bad simply Ms did not invest in all its capabilities in the gaming market until now. With the complete change of leadership this is another Microsoft and things have changed .. the acquisition of Activision at 70b is practically half of the entire Sony market cap ... what ppl was Ms expecting to do? To limit their market potential to make competition more enjoyable for fans? Ms and Sony are not two companies on the same level ... and the people who thought that had absolutely no idea of what they were saying.
 
Last edited:
From a human standpoint I don't particularly like this trend of big money company throwing big money at existing developers rather than taking the time to build their own inhouse teams and new IP. It stinks of monopoly. I also feel for anyone working for Activison at the moment with all the troubles and many people probably wondering and worrying how his will affect their livelihood and jobs.

From a gamer who owns a pretty high end PC and has recently been using game pass to play forza horizon 5 I like the idea of having more games available for cheap on the Xbox Game Pass. I don't love the feeling of not owning the games I'm playing and Microsoft holding ownership of my save files in my Xbox account but it feels pretty inevitable to me that ill be playing most games on PC using game pass.

From a consumer who has basically boycott anything from Activision Blizz for years because of their predatory and money grubbing ways and slow drop in quality I actually think the Microsoft oversight and drive for good quality games to make Gamepass appealing I think this is actually a good thing.

As someone who's favorite games are the Sony and Nintendo first party games I can't really see this having much impact on all that except that this is going to potentially kneecap Sony and I really don't want to see them fall since they make so many of my favorite games. But I'd be happy enough if Sony games were to have day 1 releases on PC.

I thought about this on the other thread but I actually feel like because of the juggernaut size of Microsoft now it might make sense for Nintendo and Sony to merge. Nintendo becomes the handheld arm but then both benefit from having their IPs shared across both platforms. This really seems to me the best way that S&N can continue to stay relevant against the juggernaut that MS is trying to use their big money to become.

I think it's pretty obvious MS will be going after Rockstar next, and if they're willing to pay 70 bil who knows how far they'll go for R*
 
Last edited:
TintoConCasera said:
He gets the same games, but he gets them day 1 on Game Pass.

Not only that, but MS now owns a lot of IPs that weren't being used by Activision, which could actually mean having more games.
Click to expand...
70 billions that could help buy, grow studios and create new franchises but no it is so better to have call of duty day one on game pass and some old ips
 
Megatron said:
Lol @MS starting this. I think I will relax by playing Final Fantasy 7 remastered on my Series X.

Oh wait.
Click to expand...
Getting a timed exclusive of one game isn't something anybody has had a problem with. They didn't buy square. Hell Nintendo had exclusive RE4 for awhile. No problem on a single game deal and timed
 
Roronoa Zoro said:
Getting a timed exclusive of one game isn't something anybody has had a problem with. They didn't buy square. Hell Nintendo had exclusive RE4 for awhile. No problem on a single game deal and timed
Click to expand...
It was definitely problem when Xbox did it.

Do you remember the Tomb Raider cries?
 
MonarchJT said:
this what was said after the 7.5b acquisition of Bethesda

"Tim Stuart has offered additional clues on Microsoft's future strategy, suggesting Bethesda's games will be "either first or better or best" on its platforms."
from eurogamer

After this we saw the exclusivity of starfield and psychonauts 2 be a PS4 port on PS5 and instead having enhancements like 120fps mode +res,VRR, hdr on xsx.
I repeat there is no reality that will see the rival platform being treated as its own, and honestly it is naive to think that this will happen. I think that that cod mainline will not be released on PlayStation...and if it ever will, it will have some deficits compared to the Xbox version
Click to expand...
I get what you're saying but you cannot compare COD to literally any other franchise on the market. COD is the juggernaut. Best selling series year after year with the vast majority of players on PlayStation. I'm sure Xbox has crunched the numbers and knows what they would be leaving on the table if they cut Sony out completely. Granted, Microsoft has true "fuck you money" so they could pull the rug out from under them. Time will tell, but it would surprise me if Microsoft keeps COD to themselves. Game Pass subscribers get COD and all of its DLC day one, while Sony owners pay full retail. That's how I'm leaning.
 
GametimeUK said:
I'm not thrilled by the news, but I don't care about what plastic box wins the war of sales. None of these Activision / Blizzard games appeal to me to the same extent as Sony's IP's. Nothing of value would be lost if sequels to these Activision games appear only on Xbox. It still wouldn't be enough to make me buy an Xbox if I only owned a Playstation.

Now if they bought someone I love like Fromsoft that would be something else entirely.
Click to expand...
Sekiro is activision.
 
Dave_at_Home said:
Way to be reductive. Call of Duty, is literally, the best selling game year after year. Even on a downward trend it's still number one. The vast majority of the player base is on PlayStation. That's called leaving money on the table. I suppose your example of God of War would make a lot more sense if it came out every year selling tens of millions of copies every time...
Click to expand...
A lot of prospective console purchasers will no doubt be thinking about the potential of this when deciding the platform that they buy. COD is a system seller. An exclusive COD would entice lots of people away from Playstation.
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
Gotta love these false equivalency crocodile tears

"Oh, this game was exclusive for a year" is somehow the same as buying over 80B in the largest gaming publishers in existence just so Sony can't have them at all, forever
Click to expand...

Seth Meyers Whatever GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers


Xbox never got SFV or the latest FF games. That's the way the ball bounces.

Sometimes you throw a stone and a stone comes flying back your way a second later. Other times you throw a stone and get hit by an avalanche. Shit happens.
 
Last edited:
mckmas8808 said:
They are all fighting a similar war. One against each other. And another against companies like Apple, Netflix, and Facebook. To think Sony isn't in a smaller war with Facebook and the likes is crazy.
Click to expand...
Of course. Never insinuated otherwise.

Point being is to look at something like this less about video games and more about broader market position.
 
Kokoloko85 said:
Buy success is the MS way.

I think Nintendo and Playstation have to follow suit and buy IP's before MS buys them all lol
Click to expand...
Oh God no, not Nintendo. I don't want some beloved franchise having 3 generation old console graphics until the end of time.

The graphics on Switch are pretty much equivalent to 2010 graphics.. at best.

Let's just let Nintendo keep making amazing classic Nintendo IPs. They don't need to acquire anyone.
 
Few things I'm noticing around here that seem odd:

A. Why is everyone concerned about how MICROSOFT will recoup their money? Or how much they paid? Like, they're Microsoft, one of the most successful companies of all time - you're you. Who cares? Why does everyone think they know how this works. Sony is legit nothing compared to Microsoft financially.

B. People concerned about activision/blizzard being on a downswing or whatever - I mean… come on now. Even on a downswing they are still easily one of the most profitable publishers.

C. I don't like what Microsoft did. But I guess this is the way all industries are moving. Not that they were fair to begin with - but clearly Microsoft is investing in gaming now with a mind to the future. Reminds me of Facebook with oculus and now pushing this meta thing. The truth of it is, they are just not comparable corporations. If Microsoft really wants to they can buy out Sony entirely. Not that they would, but they could.
 
mckmas8808 said:
It BETTER be! Hell they've spent over $80 Billion over the last 3 years to do so. That money better mean they can sell more consoles and create more revenue and profit than Sony. If not now, then when? What will it take?
Click to expand...
It's a bit of a scummy practice what Microsoft is doing, since they're literally removing massive 3rd party titles from the shared punch bowl, but as a Switch/Xbox Series S primary gamer, can't wait for all the exclusives and Game Pass day one launches!
 
MS focusing on PC gamer goodwill with cross-platform releases years ago was brilliant. They can pretty much act like the Thanos of the industry and the majority of people are like yay! They built so much social credit across users in the industry.

A bit concerning that one company will have so much power but as a PC gamer, I guess I'm covered.

So, yay...for now.
 
That's a lot of money. I wonder what Take 2 would go for? GTA is the only thing in my mind that matches the draw of COD/TES.
 
It won't happen right away, and Microsoft will honor deals, but this will almost certainly lead to COD becoming exclusive at some stage, especially as it pertains to the COD competitive community. Microsoft may present Sony with an option... Game Pass on Playstation or no COD at all. But Sony may be trying to launch their own competitor? Interesting times indeed.

You're not spending $70 billion basically to not take advantage of the fact that you own the whole thing.
 
SenjutsuSage said:
It won't happen right away, and Microsoft will honor deals, but this will almost certainly lead to COD becoming exclusive at some stage, especially as it pertains to the COD competitive community. Microsoft may present Sony with an option... Game Pass on Playstation or no COD at all. But Sony may be trying to launch their own competitor? Interesting times indeed.

You're not spending $70 billion basically to not take advantage of the fact that you own the whole thing.
Click to expand...
That's like trying to launch a Pokemon competitor. It doesn't matter. COD is simply too big to fail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

My apologies to Ubisoft, Sony, Activision, EA, MS etc. for making a big deal out of $70 games
2 3 4
156
6K
MDSLKTR replied
Bobby Kotick sold Activision Blizzard because of China...
2 3
116
6K
Rubim replied
[Eurogamer] Microsoft's Activision Blizzard takeover sparked by both companies failing to buy TikTok, Kotick says
News 
24
1K
Varteras replied
Microsoft has settled its Antitrust Gamers Lawsuit Over $69B Activision Blizzard Buy.
News 
26
2K
DenchDeckard replied
It's been 12 months since Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, so what's changed?
Analysis 
7
844
Cornbread78 replied
Top Bottom