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[MScarpa]

All the games they bought are pretty shit though. Activision and Blizzard have been a dump for the last 5 years.

Let me guess, Bethesda sucks too? And EA, and Ubisoft?

 

[TLZ]

FAIR? It's BUSINESS!! There is no FAIR! What are you 12? Welcome to the real world kiddo. Fuckin talking about fair? GTFO with that kiddie shit.

He's not completely wrong. There's always a line drawn so as to avoid monopolies. You can't end up buying everyone in the end. Just like how NVIDIA was stopped from buying ARM.

 

[Little Chicken]

I think its interesting what they say here



They said Microsoft made this acquisition now to get out in front of other Big Tech companies. They said Amazon, Netflix, Google, Facebook, etc, are all going to be competing in the future to make purchases for some of the last remaining major publishers to build out their own "metaverses".

CDPR, Roblox, EA, and Take Two were all mentioned as being potential acquisitions.

So its not to take away games from playstation but to prevent the storm of Facebook, amazon, apple,netflix, google, tencent snapping up all the publishers.

Which is a pretty dark future where each platform only has its exclusives and 3ed party content becomes a thing of the past.

I'm surprised Microsoft haven't acquired ROBLOX, which is weirdly one of the biggest games in the world.

 

[SteadyEvo]

Anyone ever seriously think sometimes about just using Nintendo as their primary system?

The never ending battle between Sony and MS is a bit shit and tiresome to be honest. CoD timed exclusivity during the 360 and then PS4 years, timed exclusives like Titanfall, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy and multiplatform devs making established IP exclusive to one platform of the other like Street Fighter.

Wish Nintendo would strive to have hardware at least capable of getting decent third party support e.g Elden Ring. If the Switch ever got an Xcloud app I think I’d use that to play every major MS game. I’d just keep my Series S for Halo online and my PS for exclusives/From.

By the time they match the specs of the competition Sony and MS will have bought all the 3rd parties.

 

[MScarpa]

Ultimately this will be seen as a poor move as bold as it may sound.

The thing here is that now Sony will put a new emphasis on creating their own Call of Duty competitor even with a smaller purchase of a company like Bungie. If Sony's Call of Duty competitor can sell even half of what CoD does, the return on their investment will be far greater than Microsoft's.

Microsoft obviously has deeper pockets than Sony, but these moves just aren't smarter moves. Insomniac for example for 229 million dollars... Think about that. That is the equivalent of buying Insomniac 305 times over...

Create their own COD, damn why didn't anyone else ever think of that for the last uhhh 15 years Got to be joking man. You don't just "make another COD" You did make me laugh tho, thank you.

 

[Corndog]

This move doesn’t make sense to me

 

[SteadyEvo]

FAIR? It's BUSINESS!! There is no FAIR! What are you 12? Welcome to the real world kiddo. Fuckin talking about fair? GTFO with that kiddie shit.

Fair meaning building teams to match Sonys quality? I agree but they’re getting closer.

 

[MScarpa]

Fair meaning building teams to match Sonys quality? I agree but they’re getting closer.

Quit talking about FAIR. NOTHING IS FAIR. Move on. It's what it is.

 

[Twinblade]

You think MS would let Sony buy Take 2?

Sony can't afford it.

 

[MScarpa]

MS is doing exactly what their only option is.....and that is to buy up everything in order to compete. The question is when will the FTC say something about this potential monopolizing that MS is clearly trying to do lol.

You got a long ways to go till this becomes an issue.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

Just checking in to see how's everyone holding up from this megaton of a megaton announcement.

I still can't pee straight but hey it aint about me.

 

[MScarpa]

There’s a line between competition and monopoly! And it’s been crossed! If you think this is good for the gaming industry… you are putting a lot of faith on a single corporation.

I would say the same thing if it was Sony or Nintendo.

this is bad, people can spin it as much as they want.

Serious question. You REALLY THINK this makes MS a monopoly?

 

[quickwhips]

thelastword are you ok? Come....in... for a hug...

 

[HoofHearted]

Poor taste for sure.

Agreed … it could be really offensive to some…

 

[nowhat]

I still can't pee straight but hey it aint about me.

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You go girl!

 

[Hawking Radiation]

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You go girl!

Fuck you I'll get a $2 Walmart funnel thank you very much.

 

[GigaBowser]

As long as the games are there, I'll still be there at the end of the day.

Sony's first party is pretty much an instabuy for all their consoles for me.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

Yep, they need lots of very talented developers to create decent metaverse.

The way I see it, if Microsoft had a metaverse there would be a metaverse world, and you would be able to fly or beam to planet DOOM, or Halo zeta, or go swimming in the sea of thieves, after that you can go to pizza hut and make apizza. And have it delivered in reality.

The metaverses with strongest i.p and best games will be the best metaverses.

Not even sure how to feel about this potential future.

 

[captainraincoat]

Apple still is the dark horse in the race..they have a device that can pretty much interface with many devices in the home and they have more money than any company in the world to spend

It’s just a matter of time before they get serious about gaming

 

[Mr1999]

I still play WoW and have been since Fileplanet BETA and I feel this is a good thing overall. I feel WoW has been neglected throughout the years, for $15 a month, compare it to what you get with Microsoft and their pass, this is a game changer in the making right here because this game might actually come back to life, WoW desperately needs a revival. No one should pay $15 a month and get the same thing over and over, it's not like they would have to put that much effort into it.

 

[MScarpa]

And Bethesda wasn't really a good buy. They basically spent 7 billion on Skyrim.

These seem like panic buys. Sony won't be worried about this because they have a history of releasing good games.

This dude said "panic buys" shit that takes YEARS to put together and JIMBO over here talkin bout "PANIC BUYS" GTFO here with that nonsense.

 

[Beechos]

I posted like 10 times today, just search my posts. I had good fun in today's threads I must say. I already said multiple times I have a PC and no money problem if upgrades are needed. I play Wasteland 3 right now, a PC (Gamepass) game, and Quest 2 with my friend. But Sony games will be fine too.

Now I'm not sure it's a good thing for us all if MS starts buying every major publisher, I'm actually pretty sure it's bad on the long run. Ultimately, we're the ones who'll pay with higher subscription prices or lower game quality if there are less corporations in gaming.

Im afraid thats prob whats going to happen always does, but if not ms then who the industry is heading toward consolidation. Tencent? Apple? Google? Facebook or some other investment group. Taking a look at the other avail potential options id rather ms.

 

[PlaystationFan5349]

70 billion??? Ok, Microsoft seriously believes in gaming if true.

On gaming as a service of course they do.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

if any of them wanted to make a big move to counter what MS has been doing it would be to buy Sony then

also don't forget Apple on that list, I'd say they're more likely to do something than Netflix

Japanese government would probably have something to say about that.

 

[nowhat]

Not even sure how to feel about this potential future.

Personally, I'm quite satisfied with playing games IRL and ordering a pizza via my phone at the same time. Instead of this shit:

 

[Halo is Back]

 

[snatcherjunker]

MS should buy Sega next.

That's one sure-fucking-fire way to get Persona 6 on Xbox

As a PlayStation 5 owner, I hope not!

 

[SegaManAU]

 

[Hawking Radiation]

Farking hell

 

[abcdrstuv]

1. How much gravity does COD (or Starfield/ES/Fallout) have to pull customers away from Sony? It's a new selling point, but are they going to cut into Sony's user base?

2. Other than COD - and Candy Crush - these aren't mind-blowing IP - Blizzard has been slumping for years, and a franchise like Crash Bandicoot can turn stale fast. More Yogi Bear than Mickey Mouse.. a few nostalgic remasters don't tell you anything about a property's future.

2b. Rockstar, Sega, Capcom, Square Enix - are the big fish like Bethesda. Sega would be a major get.

3. Buying Obsidian, Double Fine was a way to give more resources and security to smaller studios, an investment in their improvement. I see getting Blizzard and the rest of Activision the same way, except they're investments in the improvement of struggling studios. It's also easy to say you love studio cultures and won't meddle - I believe it - but Double Fine and Obsidian have unique voices and output good games. Can you afford to stay hands-off if Diablo 4 busts, Blizzard spirals into dysfunction, and you can't count on them for Starcraft 3?

 

[abcdrstuv]

The whole thing's bad for consumers - I'm in Microsoft's ecosystem so I'm fine with it, but I'd be disappointed by an "arms race" where Sony ends up with Rockstar, Capcom, and Square Enix making single-platform blockbusters.

 

[NeonGhost]

We all know how Sony can strike back at Microsoft.…… VRR on PS5

 

[swarley64]

Whoa, pitfall and river raid gonna be Xbox exclusive

 

[Memorabilia]

Fair meaning building teams to match Sonys quality? I agree but they’re getting closer.

Just about every company in the tech sector - including gaming - exercises a mixture of fostering “internal talent” along with acquiring/head hunting talent from competitors, whether thru individual hires or large scale mergers. This is nothing new.

The idea that Sony has done it differently is a myth. They’ve made acquisitions over the years too, it’s just that they simply haven’t ever had the massive resources necessary to make purchases anywhere near this level. As a substitute, Sony essentially pioneered the “pay to win” console exclusive strategy (along with Nintendo utilizing non-compete clauses with various devs). Strictly speaking, all of these are “anti-competitive”. Sony has wielded the “PlayStation Exclusive” as a cudgel to beat competitors (helping drive Sega out of the hardware biz) for decades. The question governments are always concerned with is if & when certain strategies actually constitute a “monopoly”.

Altho ActiBlizz is a massive acquisition, it is far from pushing Xbox into a monopoly stature & no one looking at this rationally would make that assessment. In fact, it could be effectively argued that acquiring ActiBlizz is in fact a rational defensive move against much larger competition like Tencent. ActiBlizz was for sale. Someone was 100% going to acquire them. From a gamer perspective, much better it be acquired by MS/Xbox than Tencent.

 

[Y0ssarian]

Exciting times. Also, microsoft:

 

[MScarpa]

This is smelling more and more like a monopoly...

Sounds like you got covid buddy cause your sense of smell is not working properly.

He's not completely wrong. There's always a line drawn so as to avoid monopolies. You can't end up buying everyone in the end. Just like how NVIDIA was stopped from buying ARM.

And this isn't one of those times. This is BUSINESS. Deal with it. MS may buy EA or Ubisoft next and guess what, STILL wouldn't be a monopoly so move on. Nobody cares about what's fair.

 

[Sosokrates]

Not even sure how to feel about this potential future.

Its a long way off,

But something like ready player one/matrix is like gamings final form.

 

[Memorabilia]

The whole thing's bad for consumers - I'm in Microsoft's ecosystem so I'm fine with it, but I'd be disappointed by an "arms race" where Sony ends up with Rockstar, Capcom, and Square Enix making single-platform blockbusters.

Sony doesn’t have the resources to compete at this level. MS is making moves to secure position against much bigger threats like Amazon & especially Tencent.

 

[clarky]

To put this in perspective for around half (!!) that money they could have snagged all these ( market caps).

-Take Two: $18B
-Ubisoft: $7B
-Konami: $6B
-Square Enix: $5.6B
-Capcom: $4.9B
-Sega: $3.6B

And after today i'd say they will buy at least 2 of the above. NUTS.

 

[Bodom78]

More games on GamePass is the only takeaway I care about. Exciting times for one of the best subscriptions I have.

 

[ReBurn]

That's awesome

 

[abcdrstuv]

To put this in perspective for around half (!!) that money they could have snagged all these ( market caps).

-Take Two: $18B
-Ubisoft: $7B
-Konami: $6B
-Square Enix: $5.6B
-Capcom: $4.9B
-Sega: $3.6B

And after today i'd say they will buy at least 2 of the above. NUTS.

What's EA's valuation?

I buy the idea that the acquisition was about competition in the digital entertainment space, not with Sony specifically. You get in front of Amazon, Google, Apple, Chinese buyers. Still feels like being a Yankees fan - Microsoft the evil empire..

 

[clarky]

What's EA's valuation?

I buy the idea that the acquisition was about competition in the digital entertainment space, not with Sony specifically. You get in front of Amazon, Google, Apple, Chinese buyers. Still feels like being a Yankees fan - Microsoft the evil empire..

$38 big ones I believe.

Although the only reason id see them buying EA would only be to stop others.

 

[Memorabilia]

To put this in perspective for around half (!!) that money they could have snagged all these ( market caps).

-Take Two: $18B
-Ubisoft: $7B
-Konami: $6B
-Square Enix: $5.6B
-Capcom: $4.9B
-Sega: $3.6B

And after today i'd say they will buy at least 2 of the above. NUTS.

Right but something has to be “for sale” in order to buy it. ActiBlizz was apparently actively shopping itself, I’m sure in no small part due to the cultural/employee morale/PR problems they’ve been experiencing. ActiBlizz decision makers likely saw this as the most lucrative option available that would also conveniently result in a serious house cleaning.

I think you’re right that a least a couple others on that list are on MS/Xbox’s radar.

I’m not a big fan of this level of industry consolidation but this is the direction things are going & MS is doing what is rational to secure their market against some pretty big potential competitors with equally endless amounts of cash (no, not Sony).

 

[gow3isben]

Don't worry boys Sony will be buying Ember Labs real soon.

That'll show 'em!

 

[RoadHazard]

FAIR? It's BUSINESS!! There is no FAIR! What are you 12? Welcome to the real world kiddo. Fuckin talking about fair? GTFO with that kiddie shit.

Obviously what I mean is on their own merit. They haven't been able (or cared) to build up a stable of good studios in the 20 years they've been in the game, and especially in the last decade Sony has been murdering them in 1st party output (and console sales). So now MS is all "fuck it, let's just buy everyone so Sony doesn't get those games". They're brute-forcing what they haven't been competent enough to build themselves. So yeah, I do kinda think that they're not competing "fairly". Which is a thing BTW. There are laws against monopolization and anti-competitiveness.

 

[Swift_Star]

This was probably Phil Spencer's reaction to Sony buying up a bunch of Square Enix exclusives.

It seems every time Sony goes out and pays a publisher to keep their games off Xbox Phil retaliates by buying up a publisher.

Last time Sony bought a couple of Bethesda exclusives a company that had long Xbox ties and this time Sony bought up SE exclusives.

That’s not how this works lol

 

[vj27]

Yeah, I think most people expect Warzone to stay on PS. I was talking about the annual COD releases. Those will be Xbox only.

That’s what I was talking about… not every thing is console wars man I’m just making educated guesses like everyone else lol.

 

[Swift_Star]

Let me guess, Bethesda sucks too? And EA, and Ubisoft?

Pretty much… yeah? Most big publishers nowadays rehash the same games over and over, specially the western ones… so, yeah…. Aside from It Takes Two, Crash 4 and Mass Effect I can’t remember any game I played from these publishers recently…

 

[vj27]

I'm surprised Microsoft haven't acquired ROBLOX, which is weirdly one of the biggest games in the world.

Probably because it’ll just end up competing with Minecraft. Like why spend billions on something you pretty much already have lol.