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Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

news.microsoft.com

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Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#281

Post by Slartie »

bombcar wrote: post #201
parkingrift wrote: post #196

No acquisition of this size should ever be allowed. This is way too much consolidation. Microsoft is buying their way to becoming the #2 or #3 gaming company in the world. They should have to innovate and compete their way to the #2 or #3 gaming company in the world. Who is going to be able to compete with Xbox Game Pass?

Disney already owns some huge percentage of all entertainment, we just need to wait for them to buy Microsoft's gaming division now.

Based on current market valuations, it seems more likely for Microsoft to be able to buy Disney than the other way round.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#283

Post by panick21_ »

echelon wrote: post #164
koheripbal wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In our legal system, actions are legal unless there is a law making them illegal. If you are referring to anti-trust laws preventing this, then MS would need to be buying a huge number of companies to monopolize the gaming market, not just Activision, in order to be in violation of this law.

But they span ten or so different industries with a $2T market cap, and it's full of unhealthy monopolistic synergies. They can wield this power to force deals and push out competitors across their multiple business units. They can "ask" gaming companies to use Azure if they want to run on Windows or Xbox. They can ignore Mac and PlayStation as platforms. They can bundle software licenses, payment gateways, and desig…

Monopolistic synergies are not a legal reason for anything. This is what people imagine the law is, but it isn't.

> They can wield this power to force deals and push out competitors across their multiple business units.

The only way this would matter is if you can prove that they have some monopoly in any one market and use that monopoly position to drive up prices.

So if somehow could leverage their Windows OS as to sell games for 1000$ rather then 100$.

Microsoft does not have monopoly in any one market as far as I can tell.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#284

Post by Balero »

bombcar wrote: post #201
parkingrift wrote: post #196

No acquisition of this size should ever be allowed. This is way too much consolidation. Microsoft is buying their way to becoming the #2 or #3 gaming company in the world. They should have to innovate and compete their way to the #2 or #3 gaming company in the world. Who is going to be able to compete with Xbox Game Pass?

Disney already owns some huge percentage of all entertainment, we just need to wait for them to buy Microsoft's gaming division now.

Or Microsoft to buy Disney, which is probably more likely.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#285

Post by cuham_1754 »

animanoir wrote: post #274
MrJagil wrote: post #63

The old Blizzard always seemed much closer to Apple than Microsoft in culture. An incredible attention to detail and the onboarding experience, clean, fun and friendly design and a slightly rebellious attitude expressed through their willingness to enter new markets. The "new" Microsoft though, really is different than the old and might actually do quite well in stewarding this supposedly sinking ship into fairer wat…

The Apple of gaming is Rockstar Games.

Ever heard of EA?

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#288

Post by sovnade »

_ph_ wrote: post #267

I wonder what this means for the classic IPs of Blizzard, like WarCraft, StarCraft and Diablo. Especially StarCraft could use an update - I would immediately buy a SC III for the Mac. Unfortunately, there was no update since SC II was ported to Metal some years ago.

There's not likely to be any more mac x86 development from anyone going forward, and I think M1 is enough of a branch that it makes it difficult to justify it.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#289

Post by MangoCoffee »

parkingrift wrote: post #196

No acquisition of this size should ever be allowed. This is way too much consolidation. Microsoft is buying their way to becoming the #2 or #3 gaming company in the world. They should have to innovate and compete their way to the #2 or #3 gaming company in the world. Who is going to be able to compete with Xbox Game Pass?

Disney? it own all the media and franchise IPs like Star Wars, Marvel...etc.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#290

Post by ptntl »

4e530344963049 wrote: post #249
s3r3nity wrote: post #16

Congratulations to Phil Spencer, who started out leading an upstart team at Microsoft for a new game console called "Xbox" and is now "CEO of Microsoft Gaming" - a Microsoft Senior Leadership position. Oh, and he now leads the third biggest gaming company on the planet: > When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. It will be interes…

Does CoD become an Xbox/Windows exclusive?

No chance. COD has consistently been a huge money maker on PS and Vanguard was #1 last year. They would lose out on way too much revenue, not to mention that massive negative sentiment that would bring towards Xbox and big game / console manufacturers. I think certain games like Halo and maybe some Bethesda will stay (ones that have previously been exclusive). But acquiring a AAA company and then cutting off half of your customer base seems like a big mistep.
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