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[RetroGamingUK]

It's been 12 months since Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, so what's changed?

It has been one year since Microsoft finally acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn, making history as the biggest company buyout in the video games industry

www.eurogamer.net

It has to be one of the most boneheaded moves in gaming history.

If Microsoft went in with the intention of making Activision games exclusive to Xbox they ended up with the most unimaginable opposite.

As soon as Xbox console sales started to plummet and they realised they wouldn’t be able to make CoD exclusive for a decade why on earth didn’t they back out?

 

[LordCBH]

The purchase that tilted MS into rapidly going third party. Horrible purchase really.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I voted PS owners as to recover some of that money games are making their way to PS that would have been/were MS exclusives

 

[BlackTron]

I voted PS owners as to recover some of that money games are making their way to PS that would have been/were MS exclusives

Oh the rich, rich irony.

 

[Schmendrick]

I voted PS owners as to recover some of that money games are making their way to PS that would have been/were MS exclusives

I actually didn`t think about it from that angle. you are perfectly right....

 

[RetroGamingUK]

I don’t even get the whole “they’re now one of the biggest publishers in gaming”

Isn’t that the total opposite of why they started the Xbox project to begin with?

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

It has to be one of the most boneheaded moves in gaming history.

Microsoft went in with the intention of making Activision games exclusive to Xbox.

As soon as Xbox console sales started to plummet and they realised they wouldn’t be able to make CoD exclusive for a decade why on earth didn’t they back out?

COD (and King) makes fucktons of money, guess where all that money goes now

 

[Akuji]

It has to be one of the most boneheaded moves in gaming history.

Microsoft went in with the intention of making Activision games exclusive to Xbox and ended up with the most unimaginable opposite.

As soon as Xbox console sales started to plummet and they realised they wouldn’t be able to make CoD exclusive for a decade why on earth didn’t they back out?

Phil couldnt backpaddle. What do you think he promised to get allocated that amount of money to buy Activision?

 

[Lith808]

It has to be one of the most boneheaded moves in gaming history.

Microsoft went in with the intention of making Activision games exclusive to Xbox.

As soon as Xbox console sales started to plummet and they realised they wouldn’t be able to make CoD exclusive for a decade why on earth didn’t they back out?

Iirc they would have had to pay $3B in penalties to Activision if they backed out of the deal. Still better than $70B they spent I guess.

 

[Gaiff]

So what changed?

 

[mansoor1980]

the real beneficiary

 

[Radical_3d]

As a PS owner:
- got 300€ and 11 miniatures painted selling my Series X.
- will still probably be able to play next Halo.
- still can get Indy if Machine Games delivers.
- still get Doom if id delivers.
- still can play Space Marine 2 with my Xbox Series friends.
- I no longer have a platform where to play Halo 4 and Guardians.
- still have access to what Bungie does.
- waiting like everybody else to Hi-Fi Rush to be physical.
- now I only need batteries for my hand blender.

 

[XXL]

 

[Atcha]

It's been 12 months since Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, so what's changed?

It has been one year since Microsoft finally acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn, making history as the biggest company buyout in the video games industry

www.eurogamer.net

It has to be one of the most boneheaded moves in gaming history.

Microsoft went in with the intention of making Activision games exclusive to Xbox and ended up with the most unimaginable opposite.

As soon as Xbox console sales started to plummet and they realised they wouldn’t be able to make CoD exclusive for a decade why on earth didn’t they back out?

Call of in the game Pass ?

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

They went in wanting to make games exclusive? News to me. Seems they’re doing the opposite.

The only change I cared about what getting an avalanche of ABK games on GamePass and I think only a few have come, so that’s weird.

The only other change is all the $$$$$ MS is making off the games now but that doesn’t mean anything for us.

 

[RodriGames40]

Literally two years of buyout summarized.

 

[The Cockatrice]

COD is on PC gamepass? Which ones? Would like to revisit the old ones but I doubt its those.

 

[Punished Miku]

Microsoft went in with the intention of making Activision games exclusive to Xbox

Bibliography

GamingUK, Retro. My Ass. Made Up Bullshit Publishing, 2024.

 

[clarky]

I voted all 4 cause we all win thanks to papa Phil.

Edit damn it. Apparently i can't vote for more than 2. What kind of poll is this?

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Bobby and Lulu took the bag and ran. Thousands lost their jobs. Tens of IPs are getting buried.
And the only answer from MS is to make sure PS5 Pro plays their games the best, smh . . .

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Nothing changed.

Maybe its on gamepass and I will finally play a COD, thats about it.

I think thats best case scenario.

It could go Bungie or Firesprite way.

 

[clarky]

Nothing changed.

Maybe its on gamepass and I will finally play a COD, thats about it.

I think thats best case scenario.

It could go Bungie or Firesprite way.

Bungie will be fine as long as marathon hits.

Firesprite not so much

 

[RetroGamingUK]

I voted all 4 cause we all win thanks to papa Phil.

Edit damn it. Apparently i can't vote for more than 2. What kind of poll is this?

The poll is who benefitted most

 

[Topher]

Bobby Kotick and ABK stockholders benefitted the most.

 

[mayham2199]

I voted PS. I know you would think Bobby but IMO he already had more money than he needed. IMO he would have preferred staying the CEO for the prestige/power.

 

[clarky]

The poll is who benefitted most

And my vote goes to all 4 equally. There should be a 5th option.

When everyone plays we all win.

 

[LordCBH]

Bobby Kotick and ABK stockholders benefitted the most.

I also voted Bobby kotick in this. He gets even richer, and now doesn’t have to do shit in his life anymore. He won the grand prize lol

 

[Radical_3d]

Maybe its on gamepass and I will finally play a COD, thats about it.

*Not all GamePass tiers. Conditions apply.

Xbox users won a downgrade to one of the tiers of GamePass, but they’ll still defend the brand smh my head.

 

[clarky]

I also voted Bobby kotick in this. He gets even richer, and now doesn’t have to do shit in his life anymore. He won the grand prize lol

He earned imo, ATVI was almost worthless when he took over.

 

[A.Romero]

They never intended to make them exclusive to Xbox. Not even Sony/Nintendo have an install base that could justify that expense.

Microsoft is playing the long game with game pass.

 

[Tajaz2426]

I did a seance with the people I game with last night. They told me that PlayStation users benefited the most. Sorry I don’t have the chat log as it is hard to game and use the ouija board at the same time.

I voted the PS users because of them and their insider info as they have the best seats looking down.

 

[PeteBull]

phil's experience after buying acti-blizz

 

[clarky]

They never intended to make them exclusive to Xbox. Not even Sony/Nintendo have an install base that could justify that expense.

Microsoft is playing the long game with game pass.

They absolutely did. Its the only way it made sense, until their base collapsed.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Many people were fired. Me amongst them.

 

[Seider]

Microsoft is out of console market.

That is what changed.

 

[Arachnid]

Starfield came out and Tango died

That's about it

10/10

 

[clarky]

Many people were fired. Me amongst them.

I prefer the term "Let go".

Did you land on your feet?

 

[Saber]

A change I know for sure is that there was a lot of layoffs.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

phil's experience after buying acti-blizz

I don't even listen to rap, but I'd buy that album.

 

[clarky]

Starfield came out and Tango died

That's about it

10/10

None of which has anything to do with the ABK purchase.

10/10

 

[A.Romero]

They absolutely did. Its the only way it made sense, until their base collapsed.

With their growth there was no reason to project to grow more than their competition.

 

[Topher]

The poll is who benefitted most

Should have made the poll single choice

 

[clarky]

With their growth there was no reason to project to grow more than their competition.

If they where at 60 mill xboxs right now +pc i think things would be very different. Thats where the deluded folk at xbox thought they would be i bet.

Maybe no exclusive COD right now but certainly on the horizon.

 

[clarky]

I did a seance with the people I game with last night. They told me that PlayStation users benefited the most. Sorry I don’t have the chat log as it is hard to game and use the ouija board at the same time.

I voted the PS users because of them and their insider info as they have the best seats looking down.

Lay off the drugs mate, at least for a day.

 

[RoboFu]

It all seems like an underwear gnome plan really.

 

[Tajaz2426]

Lay off the drugs mate, at least for a day.

No levity allowed, Roger that, boss. It’s gaming website, let me know when I am supposed to be serious and not. Thank you in advance.

 

[mdkirby]

The number of staff

 

[RetroGamingUK]

It all seems like an underwear gnome plan really.

Step 1: collect underpants

Step 2: ???

Step 3: profit

 

[DenchDeckard]

I'd say it's a mix between all of the voting points.

 

[rodrigolfp]

None of those.

PC owners.