Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

news.microsoft.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

631–640 of 1001 posts

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#631

Post by skohan »

ho_schi wrote: post #519

Competition oversight? Probably dead since Regan? After they stopped controlling AT&T the UNIX-Wars happened, impcompatiblity, lawsuits, closed-source has become a normal thing and proprietary software locked users in and competitors out. What platform will Microsoft support? Likely not: * Linux * BSD * MacOS * Nintendo * Sony Does anyone miss id Software? Native ports on Linux, incredible source-code and impressive…

I honestly think behind climate change, the current state of anti-trust enforcement is one of the biggest issues facing Americans right now. It's disappointing that it's not even expected for anti-trust action to happen anymore.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#632

Post by phendrenad2 »

nixass wrote: post #626
Server6 wrote: post #588

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sony spent 20+ years building up and planning their 1st party studios. Microsoft could do that too, but it would take 20 more years. They don't have the time for that and acquisition is really their only option. I don't like it either, but that's the reality of it.

Yeah for MS is easier to dump cash (you don't have to be creative for that) and outright buy whole studios with their IPs, rather than using brains and actually create something new. Sony is way ahead in that regard, so sad to see money dumping on the other side

Why is it sad? Presumably you work as a software developer. Are you sad that your boss didn't do the programming his or her self, and instead "dumped money" into your bank account?

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#633

Post by awill »

skohan wrote: post #620
mdoms wrote: post #603

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Seeing a bunch of excellent third-party cross-platform games become xbox-exclusive is really sad for gamers What are you talking about? Microsoft is embracing PC and cross play more than ever.

They will be MS exclusive. It's fine if you're a windows gamer, but this is bad news for anyone who plays games on Playstation, Linux/Steam/Proton, or Nintendo platforms. It also really should be the target of anti-trust action if that was a thing anymore. It's going to be a reality fairly soon that anyone who wants to play all the latest AAA titles will have to own at least two gaming devices. That's not only annoyi…

>>That's not only annoying from a consumer perspective, but it's counter-productive from the perspective of how much redundant hardware it means in the midst of a chip shortage.

This is an excellent point. You can argue that the Switch is so different, it can make sense to own a Switch plus a PS5. But the PS5 and Xbox Series X are so similar it is wasteful to be arbitrarily requiring you to buy both if you want 2 sets of exclusives.

That's ultimately why Microsoft did this. Previously it made sense to just get a PS4/PS5. You get the excellent Sony exclusives, and all the cross-platform games. You missed out on very few good Xbox exclusives. Not anymore.

I'm hopeful this stuff will still come to steam. I'm done having multiple consoles. I have a PS5 and a PC. I'm hopeful that's enough to not miss out on too much.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#634

Post by tyfon »

awill wrote: post #604
Server6 wrote: post #588

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sony spent 20+ years building up and planning their 1st party studios. Microsoft could do that too, but it would take 20 more years. They don't have the time for that and acquisition is really their only option. I don't like it either, but that's the reality of it.

Agree. If I were in charge at MS, I might have done this too. I can't blame them. But I imagine Sony execs are struggling to comprehend what's going on. They've done so much right in the last few years. They've built some of the best studios in the world. They've delivered the best exclusive AAA content. Just in the last few years: The Last of us Part 2, Ghosts of Tsushima, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted...…

I don't think microsoft will be successful here.

First, the price they are paying is insane. The investors will be demanding the results eventually.

Also, buying studios won't fix the culture in Microsoft. They've had so many years and still can't make consistently good games. There are some gems in between but they are usually form partnerships or newly bought studios. Their in-house development seems like actual hell (Halo).

I also suspect that game pass will make them focus on GAS games (service games) with microtransactions, optimised for profit instead of fun.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#635

Post by reducesuffering »

zymhan wrote: post #421
aeortiz wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They still don't own the graphics cards and displays (monitors &/or googles)

Those are very much a commodity.

Nvidia and AMD, of $650B and $160B market caps, make commodities?!

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#636

Post by haunter »

simlevesque wrote: post #541
ho_schi wrote: post #519

Competition oversight? Probably dead since Regan? After they stopped controlling AT&T the UNIX-Wars happened, impcompatiblity, lawsuits, closed-source has become a normal thing and proprietary software locked users in and competitors out. What platform will Microsoft support? Likely not: * Linux * BSD * MacOS * Nintendo * Sony Does anyone miss id Software? Native ports on Linux, incredible source-code and impressive…

What platform does Nintendo support ? It has always been like that.

iOS and Android, they have some gacha games there

https://www.nintendo.com/sg/games/smartphone/index.html

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#637

Post by [deleted] »

awill wrote: post #572

Microsoft is not building the future of gaming, they're buying it. Seeing a bunch of excellent third-party cross-platform games become xbox-exclusive is really sad for gamers. Microsoft has not been making money on xbox. They're not investing money made with xbox. They're using Office/Windows/Azure funds to boost Xbox, and it's not a fair fight. Sony and Nintendo don't have that kind of money. I get Sony has acquired…

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#639

Post by k12sosse »

rdudek wrote: post #535
kungito wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are still missing a mobile platform and that's why I believe they will retry within the next few years

This will be interesting to see. If Steam Deck becomes a successful device, I believe the Xbox division will release a mobile device to compete with Nintendo.

I mean if your controllers already support Bluetooth and you already have an Android-based dual-screen form factor device and you already have cloud gaming infrastructure.. do you really need an entire new device? Or do you need a bundle at point of sales
Post reply on HN