Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

[Couchpotato]

Not surprised as they believe Sony's hysteria, but it'll pass eventually. Microsoft will have a tough trial but ultimately have to make legal binding contracts instead of promises.

 

[Deleted member 18181]

Google and Nvidia Also Fear Microsoft's Merger With Activision

The finalization of a record-breaking gaming industry deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard could mean a „reshuffling” of the market and a time of great change. Google and Nvidia join the group of companies companies that voice concerns.

www.gamepressure.com

 

[Couchpotato]

The FTC sued Microsoft to stop the EU accepting a settlement over Activision deal, it’s claimed | VGC

The US regulator recently filed a lawsuit in a bid to block Microsoft'

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Deleted member 18181]

EU decision clearing $69 billion Microsoft, Activision deal expected May 15, sources say

EU antitrust regulators are set to approve Microsoft Corp's $69 billion acquisition of Activision next week, with May 15 as the likeliest date, people familiar with the matter said.

www.reuters.com

 

[Dasale]

What's weird is Sony is generating more money from video games or does it include hardware income?

The problem of Sony is they are console binded, it removes the potential openess from computer market even if totally owned by MS through Windows but it's still quite different and a quite more open market.

As soon as Gamepass has a serious PC Gamepass version, Sony is wrong here in matter of market openness so it's absurd they lead the complain.

 

[Couchpotato]

Microsoft Prevails in FTC Case - BluesNews

The United States District Court in the Northern District of California has rejected the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction to hold off Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The FTC sought extra time to complete its administrative review of the deal before it was consummated.This redacted court order explains why the judge did not grant this injunction. Lawyers love their words, so this runs over 50 pages that boil down to this.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been described as the largest in tech history. It deserves scrutiny. That scrutiny has paid off: Microsoft has committed in writing, in public, and in court to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years on parity with Xbox. It made an agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to Switch. And it entered several agreements to for the first time bring Activision’s content to several cloud gaming services.

This Court’s responsibility in this case is narrow. It is to decide if, notwithstanding these current circumstances, the merger should be halted—perhaps even terminated—pending resolution of the FTC administrative action. For the reasons explained, the Court finds the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger in this specific industry may substantially lessen competition. To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content. The motion for a preliminary injunction is therefore DENIED.

 

[Couchpotato]

What a surprise the UK is now ready to negotiate with Microsoft.

The UK — which blocked the Microsoft-Activison deal — is ready to negotiate. Here’s what happens next

Britain's competition regulator, the staunchest opponent of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, may be ready to negotiate.

www.cnbc.com

Probably more to do with the FTC losing it's case in the US.

 

[Couchpotato]

Deal has been approved after England, Europe, and US were against the sale.

Reuters reports that having finally cleared all the necessary regulatory hurdles, Microsoft's $69 billion merger with Activision Blizzard is now officially complete. It remains to be seen what this means to gamers, but for now, the focus is how this is good news for Microsoft.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick tells staff he will remain with the company through the end of this year. Eurogamer notes the move has drawn praise from the Communication Workers of America union.

There's a post about this from Phil Spenser on Xbox Wire talking about how such a major publisher falling under the control of one platform is about gaming for everyone.

 

[Redglyph]

That's been a difficult birth.

 

[JDR13]

I wish I had purchased some of their stock back in the day, but I suppose that goes for Microsoft's as well.

 

[Sanglon]

That's been a difficult birth.

It's bizarre how Sony achieved gain one year or two. If really there's no black deals under the table then it's showing more the level of incompetency of judges in knowing understand a domain.

Gamepass always been very far from being the Netflix of video games, and there's no need to be a genius to know how the context is different. And compare on that Sony and Microsoft and ignore everything else for video games was a terrible suspicious blindness.

If at least Sony had a good gamepass offering in result but it's still the same junk.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Time to move away from gaming a little bit more ... 2 giants merging ... that won't be great for game development creativity ... The end result will be - in my opinion - only the x-th kind of a game model that already sells ... GOG and Steam are the only ones left which deliver creativity to the masses ... imho.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

Yeah, concentration of the power and influence is never good. The only slight silver lining is that in the short term, MS is definitely a better steward of Blizzard properties than Activision was.
I'm curious if we'll see any positive initiatives with the acquiring of it. At the very least I'd expect to maybe see the Starcraft IP brought out from retirement.