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Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
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Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#392Earlier quoted context omitted.
You just repeat Microsoft's arguments, that's flawed and biased A little reminder: https://twitter.com/shinobi602/status/1712869694833643528 Since 2018: - Sony: 10 acquisitions - Microsoft: 15 acquisitions + 12 with this one, total: 27 How many 1st party games Microsoft have released this gen? How many for Sony? Yeah right.. Don't you think that's where the problem lies? Is "Sony cocky", or is Microsoft lazy and inco…
The internet discourse around this topic has been awful since it naturally attracts the console wars crowd, and people with an axe to grind against one of the console makers. Personally, I think the entire "console" industry is just a bunch of predatory anti consumer bullshit, and all 3 of those companies should be forced to end a huge list of harmful business practices. The part that always confuses me is why the he…
I think there's a reasonable case to be made that consoles (and the vertically integrated business structure that they represent) inherently encourage more diverse kinds of games development while also attracting new buyers. Their business practices aren't ideal, granted. But it's not entirely clear to me that a walled garden constitutes a true monopoly. That is to say that the console makers aren't using their control over their own systems to force their way into adjacent, unrelated markets.
Also, the standard for what constitutes anti-competitive behaviour is different in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The US uses higher pricing as the prime signal, whereas the EU uses a lack of viable competitiors.
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#393Earlier quoted context omitted.
Age of Empires, for one. Thoughtful updates and remastered versions that aren’t priced like new games. Then new games that are actually worth the update. Can’t wait for that same ethos to be applied to Warcraft.
I love SC2 and think it is one of the best esport games. However it is considered a "classic game" for Blizzard and they have a skeleton crew maintaining it. Funding for professional events has been decreasing consistently and especially reduced in 2023. There was a recent controversial balance patch that highlighted problems with community interaction and communication -- and no one knows how soon until a new patch…
I’m not sure what Blizzard’s strategy with esports is (or now Microsoft’s), but they basically imploded the official Overwatch league by being extremely ambiguous about whether or not it would continue, buying out franchise contracts to leave the league, and leaving Twitch for YouTube.
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#394Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is the purpose of copyright, explicitly, to incentivize creative work with the promise of monopoly power over its distribution. So it's a bit disingenuous to assert that microsoft is not a monopoly because other game companies exist. Tech companies have long understood, and in fact may be entirely predicated upon the understanding that you can leverage one monpoly to create another. If I make a game that can only…
All consoles have console exclusives. Nintendo has Mario/Zelda/Metroid/Pokemon, Sony has The Last of Us, and God of War Ragnarok, and others.
If you think I was arguing that Nintendo and sony do not have monopolies, then I believe you misread my argument. This is why I named Microsoft et al.
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#395I keep my fingers crossed for the revival of the StarCraft franchise. I grew up with the game, and it's kinda sad to see the current state of SC2: old bugs, new bugs, community trying to take over the processes but having a very bumpy ride, opaque decision making (de-facto spokespersons/community figures under muddy NDAs), and unfortunately all our 2010 fears (no local/LAN play!) coming true, when server outages are…
I rediscovered Brood War during Covid (free to play). 99% of matchups I lost. But there was one 4+ hour 1v1 marathon on a huge map. Lost that one too but what an incredible game. So many comebacks on both sides. So close. Matching skills is key to a GG.
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#396Earlier quoted context omitted.
> meaning we get these for essentially free. There is no such thing as "free". We will pay for it later.
I'm paying now. Like $15/mo or so. And I download $300/mo worth of titles. So what's the concern?
That’s called a bait-and-switch. Once physical games are no longer a thing, I would expect to see the GamePass library shrink, the subscription get more expensive, or some other unanticipated switch that drives up the cost. Companies don’t operate at a loss[0] for the benefit of their customers. They’re conditioning players to later extract more value later.
0 - https://www.thegamer.com/microsoft-xbox-game-pass-negatively...
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#397This must be terrible for people that work in gaming. What if you don't work at one studio, and then there are only 3 others you can realistically go to and make enough $ to earn a living? Will that number just continue to decrease over time?
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#398Earlier quoted context omitted.
All consoles have console exclusives. Nintendo has Mario/Zelda/Metroid/Pokemon, Sony has The Last of Us, and God of War Ragnarok, and others.
If you think I was arguing that Nintendo and sony do not have monopolies, then I believe you misread my argument. This is why I named Microsoft et al.
What I'm trying to say is that games that are differentiators between consoles are common, and this cannot be a basis of blocking such a deal. Indeed, it's no different than applications running only on ARM or x86, or requiring ray-tracing, or a specific Vulkan version support.
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#399This must be terrible for people that work in gaming. What if you don't work at one studio, and then there are only 3 others you can realistically go to and make enough $ to earn a living? Will that number just continue to decrease over time?
There are like 20 game publishers that are worth over a billion dollars. Gaming is much, much bigger than you think, this is just rearranging the deck chairs.
Re: Microsoft completes $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard
#400I keep my fingers crossed for the revival of the StarCraft franchise. I grew up with the game, and it's kinda sad to see the current state of SC2: old bugs, new bugs, community trying to take over the processes but having a very bumpy ride, opaque decision making (de-facto spokespersons/community figures under muddy NDAs), and unfortunately all our 2010 fears (no local/LAN play!) coming true, when server outages are…
Age of Empires has been very well maintained, even restored. It has a pretty large player base 20 years after release. It would be cool to see the same happen with Starcraft