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Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)

Do you believe the deal will be approved?

  • Yes, will be approved without changes.

    Votes: 221 24.9%

  • Yes, will be approved but with structural changes to ABK.

    Votes: 102 11.5%

  • Yes, will be approved but only with behavioral concessions.

    Votes: 262 29.6%

  • No, will not be approved.

    Votes: 301 34.0%
  • Total voters
    886
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
bitbydeath

bitbydeath

Gold Member
FoxMcChief said:
Except from this god.


random-phil-spencer-has-been-playing-some-call-of-duty-vanguard-on-xbox.large.jpg
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His off the cuff comments of Xbox leaving the console industry is what started all these rumours.
 
Pelta88

Pelta88

Member
ToadMan said:
Sony will probably do something similar with Bungie to be honest - but they’ll let the dust settle and do it quiet like. Cosmetics exclusive here, DLC there etc. not enough to remove the multiplat status but enough to get people to prefer a Sony platform.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm mis-remebering but Sony got all of that and a lot lot more. Even worse, most of the content stayed exclusive to PS.
 
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ToadMan

ToadMan

Member
Pelta88 said:
Maybe I'm mis-remebering but Sony got all of that and a lot lot more. Even worse, most of the content stayed exclusive to PS.
Click to expand...

I believe when they announced the bungie deal though, they said present and future content would be mutliplat despite the acquisition.

It’s that future content element I’m thinking of - Bungie’s rumored next game.

In the MS model that would be a full exclusive.

Presumably it’s a MP game so for Sony it will be multiplat but they didn’t concede anything specific, so they’re at liberty to nibble the edges of “multiplat” by taking some stuff exclusive or preferred on PS at least.
 
Pelta88

Pelta88

Member
ToadMan said:
I believe when they announced the bungie deal though, they said present and future content would be mutliplat despite the acquisition.

It’s that future content element I’m thinking of - Bungie’s rumored next game.

In the MS model that would be a full exclusive.

Presumably it’s a MP game so for Sony it will be multiplat but they didn’t concede anything specific, so they’re at liberty to nibble the edges of “multiplat” by taking some stuff exclusive or preferred on PS at least.
Click to expand...

I hear you and these are some solid point. I think Bungie's next game will have Beta on PS 3 months before it drops on XBOX. And it will snowball from there. I never knew how effective a devastating a marketing campaign was until

2645306-0729509838-454aa.jpg
 
ToadMan

ToadMan

Member
Pelta88 said:
I hear you and these are some solid point. I think Bungie's next game will have Beta on PS 3 months before it drops on XBOX. And it will snowball from there. I never knew how effective a devastating a marketing campaign was until

2645306-0729509838-454aa.jpg
Click to expand...

Hehe. Yeah there was that

But even those marketing deals for COD with maps a week early could sway gamers.

So it doesn’t need to be much.

Of course if MS end up with CoD exclusive somehow then whatever bungie are doing probably won’t be enough.
 
HoofHearted

HoofHearted

Member
sainraja said:
I mean, do you expect people to know how this thing will end?

Is it so wrong for people to share their reactions to something they have been tracking? Whichever way this goes, that is only natural. If it is approved, some will naturally be happy about it while others will naturally have some questions on the "how" and "why." I get where you are coming from, but I don't understand this pre-emptive need to dismiss or shut down things others might say based on something that by that time would have taken place. We all forget that we are on a discussion forum.

Like, what do you guys want? Do you want all discussion on this to end simply because it might be "uncomfortable" or "who cares" or "haha it's funny why do you care so much about these businesses"?
Yeah, I am also expecting childlike reactions from those wanting to see this go through and the reverse from those not wanting it to go through. But not everyone here is doing that anyway.

Also, do people on a discussion forum need to become lawyers in order for them to discuss this? Like, before playing a game, do you train to become a game developer?
Click to expand...
Nope - I don't expect anyone to fully know how this thing will end (other than those actually engaged in the process and have insider knowledge of what's happening that may influence the final end state of this deal).

That being said - there are several here that continually post here their "expectations" as (perceived) fact quite a bit ... and these are equally on both sides of the fence..

These perceptions also change drastically week to week (550 pages of them) because, well, this deal currently appears to be far from being fully negotiated and finalized ...
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
HoofHearted said:
Nope - I don't expect anyone to fully know how this thing will end (other than those actually engaged in the process and have insider knowledge of what's happening that may influence the final end state of this deal).

That being said - there are several here that continually post here their "expectations" as (perceived) fact quite a bit ... and these are equally on both sides of the fence..

These perceptions also change drastically week to week (550 pages of them) because, well, this deal currently appears to be far from being fully negotiated and finalized ...
Click to expand...

It is all speculation. All the information presented here is third hand. Anyone can have opinions on what has transpired or the arguments made, etc. But as you say, we are all just "armchair CEOs". Nothing wrong with that really. It is a good debate. But we do have some that think far too highly of their opinions.

Obviously the only one who knows what they are talking about is SenjutsuSage SenjutsuSage

Trying Not To Laugh Rooster Teeth GIF by Achievement Hunter
 
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Loxus

Loxus

Member
b6a6es said:
Literally the same 🤞*Journalist*🤞 who claimed :

*PlayStation exclusivity is holding back SquareEnix's ambitions of a more unified global publishing business*

While ignoring the shit-ton of SE’s switch exclusives Lmao

Click to expand...

I always think of exclusive deals like funding or investment.

I give you extra funds to finish the game, while you make exclusive content / time exclusively or an investment to make an exclusive game for us.

Microsoft does this too, but in their own way by making deals to put games on GamePass.

It's the Developer/Publisher who should be getting the heat for excepting the deals in the first place.

I never understand this whole paying to keep a game off other platforms spin. Doing so could be costly. For example, a developer may not want to miss out on 3M+ copies sold ($210M+).

That should put in prospective how much paying to keep a game off other platforms could cost. Better of just making your own game or just aquire the studio in the first place like Microsoft did with Bethesda.
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
FoxMcChief said:
That one tweet was deleted from the last couple of pages. I can’t remember what it was.
Click to expand...

I believe that was the one from Andy Robinson stating that "pundits" were saying Microsoft might sell or spin off Xbox if the acquisition didn't go through. Suddenly a bunch of articles have been written on the internet using him as the source on this. So yeah.....
 
sainraja

sainraja

Member
HoofHearted said:
Nope - I don't expect anyone to fully know how this thing will end (other than those actually engaged in the process and have insider knowledge of what's happening that may influence the final end state of this deal).
Click to expand...
Yeah, exactly so people are mostly speculating on where the decision might go.

HoofHearted said:
That being said - there are several here that continually post here their "expectations" as (perceived) fact quite a bit ... and these are equally on both sides of the fence..
Click to expand...
I wish people wouldn't speak in absolutes either, but it is what it is, unfortunately. Things can swing either direction without warning.

HoofHearted said:
These perceptions also change drastically week to week (550 pages of them) because, well, this deal currently appears to be far from being fully negotiated and finalized ...
Click to expand...
Agreed, but I am simply saying that people are going to discuss it; they will speak of both outcomes — good/bad/inbetween — until this whole thing concludes.
 
PaintTinJr

PaintTinJr

Member
Little Chicken said:
Hmm yes, I was just thinking that Sony lean on very extravagant and expensive productions too much, whereas a series of smaller "AA" titles, if successful, could generate similar returns and future franchise opportunities.
Click to expand...
You mean those smaller AA titles that were all funded at the end of the PS2 gen - for the PS3 like Flower, Journey, etc - that stopped being replaced when Microsoft blindly bankrolled the super expensive 360 hardware to compete with a $500m Cell BE, after taking a big early 2year bath on the Xbox and still spent billions on the RoD, meaning that by the time PS3 survived their losses that generation all but Media molecule type AA titles were too risky to fund for the PS4 gen, and risk aversion was already showing lost diversity in the PlayStation funded portfolio at the start of the PS4 gen.

Even now we can't get a 3D dot Game Heroes port/sequel, or a new ModNation Racers because they are considered too niche. PlayStation losing large amounts of ATVI revenue - mostly from CoD - will wipeout - pun intended - even higher grade of less niche titles in all likelihood going by what was said IIRC,
 
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ChorizoPicozo

ChorizoPicozo

Member
Two weeks ago, I was tuning in to the XboxTwo podcast when the hosts had a full-on meltdown. I was expecting a torrent of tears, but instead, they went on a rant about how Xbox is always surrounded by negativity, doom, and gloom. They just had the Bethesda direct and Hi-Fi Rush. Although I can't even remember what they said. It was a real 'damn!' moment.

now this week's the drama continues with the controversy around SX/S performance, supply issues, and even the existence of Xbox if the deal gets blocked.

There was an Xbox YouTuber who had a meltdown around the release of Crackdown 3 and the cancellation of those games. He was so upset that he changed his YouTube banner from green to blue, and he's now a PlayStation YouTuber.

One of the biggest Mexican football teams is Cruz Azul, and I used to be a fan. They went 23 years without winning a championship, and even a verb was coined for their repeated failure: "cruzazulear," which means 'to fall just short of achieving a goal.' I don't even remember when I said 'fuck this shit' and stopped watching the sport altogether. I was so disappointed with their consistent mediocrity.

So, I guess i know how it feels. but there is a moment when you must say....enough ia enough Right?.
 
M

Moridianae

Member
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the "industry pundits" and their claim about Microsoft wanting to sell off Xbox if the deal gets kiboshed.

I said a couple of times in this thread that their buyouts of entire publishers felt like sour grapes, but that would literally be the most ridiculous thing ever.

"You mean I can't just bust out a checkbook and secure massive publishers with all their IPs for my path to the top?? I QUIT THEN"

...Really? Like---they have plenty to work with, it just feels everyone they fold in just..disappears into obscurity. Build your stuff up like Sony did...why is that so hard? Great IPs out there in so many things.
 
GHound

GHound

Member
Moridianae said:
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the "industry pundits" and their claim about Microsoft wanting to sell off Xbox if the deal gets kiboshed.

I said a couple of times in this thread that their buyouts of entire publishers felt like sour grapes, but that would literally be the most ridiculous thing ever.

"You mean I can't just bust out a checkbook and secure massive publishers with all their IPs for my path to the top?? I QUIT THEN"

...Really? Like---they have plenty to work with, it just feels everyone they fold in just..disappears into obscurity. Build your stuff up like Sony did...why is that so hard? Great IPs out there in so many things.
Click to expand...
Because they'd much rather buy it and have it come in a neatly wrapped package with a little bow on top and a "thank you for shopping with us, here's a coupon for your next game publisher purchase" card attached.
 
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