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[feynoob]

Its too bad they didnt just buy square outright back then :/

At least they are not dumb like MS.

MS had a clear chance to buy Sega on early Xbox life cycle. They went ahead and bought rare.

 

[M16]

I feel sick reading this

Xbox Fans Spam Every FTC Post After Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Loss

Xbox fans spam the FTC and send abuse to its commissioner following the acquisition lawsuit.

www.thegamer.com

some of the replies are fuckin hilarious tho

 

[Goblinlinguitic]

MS will close the deal and piss on the UK CMA.
Glory to the US.

/S

I doubt it
CMA is the only highly respectful and professional regulator left in the game
Oh and highly independent

 

[Basil King]

Has cma ever allowed companies to merge after blocking them in their final report, surely they have to wait another 3 months right.

CMA didn’t do their final report yet

 

[Varteras]

It's a God eat God world.

I'm down.

Spoiler: Hungry

 

[balls of snow]

If MS actually try subvert the CMA's decision and close the acquisition against it I genuinely hope the subsequent fines, asset seizures, financial sanctions, and other assorted responses deployed by the UK government are so severe that MS execs are forced to shutter the Xbox divsion and beg on their collective knees for a reprieve before their shareholders have them executed.

You have too much faith in people.

 

[adamsapple]

I'm down.

Spoiler: Hungry

Need to know the name of this scientific paper, for research of course.

 

[Varteras]

Need to know the name of this scientific paper, for research of course.

Enjoy your research!

 

[DaGwaphics]

It's funny that the CMA and FTC met 26 times and instead of following the CMA's lead about cloud and not focusing on CoD, which the CMA subsequently dropped months ago, they decided to go rogue and completely make an ass out of themselves in one of the biggest cases they'll ever face.

US laws are different in this area and are much more fact based in the here and now. Prognosticating about one possible outcome of a future market while overstating MS position in this future market won't fly in the US. The FTC had no case here from the start and they admitted as much themselves by trying to play the timing game. If they had any angle they thought they could win from they would have scheduled the legal proceedings safely within the large window of time they already had. Instead they decided to try running out the clock in hopes of ending the deal without due process.

 

[Clear]

Pretty much. The music industry shrunk to about half its size when streaming became dominant and has never recovered. I bet that half is dominated by the biggest, mainstream appointed pop stars. With video games, there's basically no way out if streaming/subscription becomes dominant except betting on big GaaS type games like Genshin Impact or having a model similar to GTA V.

The key difference is that for gaming streaming is not an equal replacement delivery mechanism. Its inferior. Period.

Al-a-carte service offerings have additional shortcomings and caveats due to the pattern of user consumption being entirely different. Something that makes things like transitioning to multi-tier offers like ad-free/ad-supported harder to manage. Similarly there are more in the way of perverse incentives such as wanting to offer content for sale parallel with the service.

The reality is that the perfect Gamepass title for profitability looks like Fortnite. A F2P title laden GaaS with MTX except that initial buy-in is gated behind the service or charged externally at premium.

This is what makes me think that the more content MS try to funnel into the platform the more deleterious it will be to quality overall as they will absolutely seek towards the most lucrative format for content but that in turn will be corrosive to the interests of those who seek to offer more traditional fare as they will be forced to compete (and justify their "value" as inclusions) on a monetarily level playing-field.

 

[Basil King]

If MS actually try subvert the CMA's decision and close the acquisition against it I genuinely hope the subsequent fines, asset seizures, financial sanctions, and other assorted responses deployed by the UK government are so severe that MS execs are forced to shutter the Xbox divsion and beg on their collective knees for a reprieve before their shareholders have them executed.

That’s some next level touch grass moment
Having that much hatred for the opposing team is extremely unhealthy.

 

[Timberwolf25]

I doubt it
CMA is the only highly respectful and professional regulator left in the game
Oh and highly independent

Most of the world's regulator's have passed approval of the deal (and most without restrictions) or chose not to contest it, but the CMA is the respectful and professional regulator...lol
So what happens if the the CMA concedes approval with some concessions? Are they no longer respectful, professional or independent.

 

[Solidus_T]

The key difference is that for gaming streaming is not an equal replacement delivery mechanism. Its inferior. Period.

Al-a-carte service offerings have additional shortcomings and caveats due to the pattern of user consumption being entirely different. Something that makes things like transitioning to multi-tier offers like ad-free/ad-supported harder to manage. Similarly there are more in the way of perverse incentives such as wanting to offer content for sale parallel with the service.

The reality is that the perfect Gamepass title for profitability looks like Fortnite. A F2P title laden GaaS with MTX except that initial buy-in is gated behind the service or charged externally at premium.

This is what makes me think that the more content MS try to funnel into the platform the more deleterious it will be to quality overall as they will absolutely seek towards the most lucrative format for content but that in turn will be corrosive to the interests of those who seek to offer more traditional fare as they will be forced to compete (and justify their "value" as inclusions) on a monetarily level playing-field.

Yeah that is sort of what I was trying to say with that post, especially what I bolded. You've clarified even further. I hope people are aware of what this means for all of their favorite IP's owned by ABK (most of which ABK have left to die).

Hey, the execs get their payout and they've convinced a lot of people on Twitter (btw who don't really play any video games) that this is good for them too.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Most of the world's regulator's have passed approval of the deal (and most without restrictions) or chose not to contest it, but the CMA is the respectful and professional regulator...lol
So what happens if the the CMA concedes approval with some concessions? Are they no longer respectful, professional or independent.

Because Xbox doesn't have presence in those "most of the countries" so of course there is no anti-competitive concerns there. How could Korea or China or Japan block this acquisition when Xbox has virtually 0 presence there?

America is Xbox's biggest market = FTC opposed the acquisition.
UK is Xbox's 2nd biggest market = CMA opposed the acquisition.

It's really simple to understand, to be honest.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Most of the world's regulator's have passed approval of the deal (and most without restrictions) or chose not to contest it, but the CMA is the respectful and professional regulator...lol
So what happens if the the CMA concedes approval with some concessions? Are they no longer respectful, professional or independent.

"Buh gawd King, the fix is in, the fix is in!"

 

[Varteras]

The key difference is that for gaming streaming is not an equal replacement delivery mechanism. Its inferior. Period.

Al-a-carte service offerings have additional shortcomings and caveats due to the pattern of user consumption being entirely different. Something that makes things like transitioning to multi-tier offers like ad-free/ad-supported harder to manage. Similarly there are more in the way of perverse incentives such as wanting to offer content for sale parallel with the service.

The reality is that the perfect Gamepass title for profitability looks like Fortnite. A F2P title laden GaaS with MTX except that initial buy-in is gated behind the service or charged externally at premium.

This is what makes me think that the more content MS try to funnel into the platform the more deleterious it will be to quality overall as they will absolutely seek towards the most lucrative format for content but that in turn will be corrosive to the interests of those who seek to offer more traditional fare as they will be forced to compete (and justify their "value" as inclusions) on a monetarily level playing-field.

I think I get what you mean. The idea being that, at some point, the value and draw of certain games on the service could very well lead to other developers finding their games being drowned out. Who is actually spending much time playing Exoprimal if Call of Duty is on that service? That about what you're aiming at?

 

[Thirty7ven]

US Tax payer pay the operating expenses of the FTC including the money they waste on these hope and prayer cases they've been launching recently.

Why do you fall for the political narrative so badly?

Actually rooting for companies that don’t pay their fair share of taxes, run by people that avoid taxes and instead use their money to lobby politicians to fuck up the system so that it doesn’t work. You realize that EC and EU are actually applying remedies, and even though U.S is MS’s home turf where Xbox is actually a thing, FTC won’t even manage to demand remedies because the system is that broken.

Who are you rooting for? If the FTC can’t even get a break with a videogame case, what do you think is going to happen when it’s about something that involves a whole lot more lobbying power?

 

[Varteras]

"Buh gawd King, the fix is in, the fix is in!"

 

[Mozza]

Thats a shitty attitude tbh, the post shows valid concerns about the future of this industry.

No, it shows valid concerns about Sony's future in the industry. The wider issues are merely distractions.

 

[Mozza]

Can someone actually explain WHY this deal is "great for the industry and gamers as a whole" instead of ABK just remaining 3rd party. Are we going to pretend that COD on a new nintendo system wouldnt have happened anyway and Bobby wouldnt have chased all that $$$.

Hate to burst your bubble, bur console gaming is only a very small part of the overall market. This is going to increase competition in the Console sector, hopefully creating a more even market. It will increase competition in Mobile gaming which is currently extremely closed off. It should help XBox become a closer competitor to Steam and Epic in PC Gaming. Cloud Gaming is the only real concern and it’s doubtful just how big and how significant that Sector will ever really become. The FTC handled the case badly but the main issue was they didn’t have one. There were arguments to be made that this was bad for consumers but they were weak ones many of which have already had remedies offered. However the FTC concentrated too much on why it would be bad for the market leader.

 

[Topher]

Most of the world's regulator's have passed approval of the deal (and most without restrictions) or chose not to contest it, but the CMA is the respectful and professional regulator...lol
So what happens if the the CMA concedes approval with some concessions? Are they no longer respectful, professional or independent.

In my mind, CMA's reputation is on the line due to the fact that they have already laid out plainly why this acquisition should be prohibited. If CMA acquiesces and allows the acquisition then their independence is rightfully going to be called into question especially if the accepted remedies appear to be largely inconsequential.

 

[Topher]

Hate to burst your bubble, bur console gaming is only a very small part of the overall market.

Console gaming is 29% of the entire market. It is the largest segment of the non-mobile gaming market.

 

[xHunter]

No, it shows valid concerns about Sony's future in the industry. The wider issues are merely distractions.

No it doesnt. But i guess expecting someone to read the whole post before replying to it with a warrior like remark is too much.

 

[Punished Miku]

Shocking development.

 

[jroc74]

Always going to happen though, people pick sides, enough people have on here, and were delighted when it looked like the deal was going to be blocked.

Yeah, I guess its normal to act unhinged about your fav plastic box, amirite?

Picking sides is one thing, doing what those Xbox fanboys are doing is.....something.

 

[Varteras]

In my mind, CMA's reputation is on the line due to the fact that they have already laid out plainly why this acquisition should be prohibited. If CMA acquiesces and allows the acquisition then their independence is rightfully going to be called into question especially if the accepted remedies appear to be largely inconsequential.

Hard to disagree. Having many months to go over the data and deciding on hard stances towards this, only to back down in the closing hours? Especially if, as you say, the proposed solution is rather light compared to their original suggestions. It sets a tough precedent for them going forward.

 

[Mozza]

Console gaming is 29% of the entire market. It is the largest segment of the non-mobile gaming market.

So you agree then, still pretty small... I know most hate mobile games, but it's still the biggest sector.

 

[Mozza]

No it doesnt. But i guess expecting someone to read the whole post before replying to it with a warrior like remark is too much.

I read your post, but did not simply agree with it.

 

[xHunter]

I read your post, but did not simply agree with it.

That wasnt my post.

 

[Mozza]

Yeah, I guess its normal to act unhinged about your fav plastic box, amirite?

Picking sides is one thing, doing what those Xbox fanboys are doing is.....something.

It's a small very vocal minority that do it, but they are very present on gaming forums.

 

[onnextflix5]

US laws are different in this area and are much more fact based in the here and now. Prognosticating about one possible outcome of a future market while overstating MS position in this future market won't fly in the US. The FTC had no case here from the start and they admitted as much themselves by trying to play the timing game. If they had any angle they thought they could win from they would have scheduled the legal proceedings safely within the large window of time they already had. Instead they decided to try running out the clock in hopes of ending the deal without due process.

Plus courts are not involved in the uk, so the cma can do whatever the the fuck they want.

 

[Basil King]

In my mind, CMA's reputation is on the line due to the fact that they have already laid out plainly why this acquisition should be prohibited. If CMA acquiesces and allows the acquisition then their independence is rightfully going to be called into question especially if the accepted remedies appear to be largely inconsequential.

Their reasoning makes no sense so nothing was laid out plainly.

They know they fucked up more than once
(Console market math, getting emotional over EU’s decision, Sony talking points, The Cloud reasoning, working in tandem with a FTC that was basing their logic on ideologies)

They are just trying to save face at this point.

 

[Mozza]

That wasnt my post.

"Thats a shitty attitude tbh, the post shows valid concerns about the future of this industry."

This was your reply to me.

 

[Basil King]

Stop. Stop. Nintendo will get one COD game. Xbox will argue it's not financially viable to release on Nintendo. It doesn't matter the sales figures, they will likely charge 100 special edition so to minimise sales on Nintendo. They will have fulfilled their Nintendo obligation. Completed under 10 years.

Sony will only have CoD to 2 years prior to launch of the new console generation. The year before the new console launch will be a gap year and then COD on Xbox next gen only. Completed under 10 years, Sony will not sign the 10 year deal so no recourse.

Steam will be the longest. The sooner MS makes a PC store that doesn't fucking suck, the sooner MS/Bethesda/ABK games will be removed from Steam.

Nvidia games will be removed as the contract allows MS many options to cancel the deal. I sure MS lawyers can slap some makeup on one to seem credible.

The shitty companies that signed the 10 year deals will probably be bought well before the 10 years are up if they don't go under first.

Yet they did nothing of the sort with Minecraft
Microsoft is not going to turn off the faucet dumping money into their pockets.

They will release master chief and doom skins in COD and guess what, people on PlayStation and Nintendo are going to gobble them up

 

[jroc74]

Tom Warren's takes change dramatically hourly it seems. All eyes on CAT because it might reveal where CMA's going with all this. That's the big question really. Is CMA using this as a delay tactic? Using it to back out of their block? Hard to get a handle on it for me.

BEFORE:

NOW:

Exactly, lol.

 

[Topher]

So you agree then, still pretty small... I know most hate mobile games, but it's still the biggest sector.

No. The fact that mobile is the largest segment doesn't make a $52 billion dollar industry small by any means.

Their reasoning makes no sense so nothing was laid out plainly.

They know they fucked up more than once
(Console market math, getting emotional over EU’s decision, Sony talking points, The Cloud reasoning, working in tandem with a FTC that was basing their logic on ideologies)

They are just trying to save face at this point.

Well, that's why the report was called "provisional" and not "final". They recognized the mistakes and threw out the theories of harm related to them. You can disagree with their final report, but the fact that they fixed their mistakes adds to the reports credibility. I don't get this notion people have that if the provisional report wasn't flawless then none of the reasoning is valid. Makes absolutely no sense.

 

[Bernardougf]

So......FTC lost?

seriously.......been saying that was going to happen for months.

Most of us ... since the beginning really.. it all stops at CMA

 

[Topher]

Most of us ... since the beginning really.. it all stops at CMA

This is the gif I used months ago to demonstrate how Microsoft would deal with the FTC....

 

[Bernardougf]

This is the gif I used months ago to demonstrate how Microsoft would deal with the FTC....

By the way.. expecting your meltdown anytime now please

 

[Mozza]

No. The fact that mobile is the largest segment doesn't make a $52 billion dollar industry small by any means.



Well, that's why the report was called "provisional" and not "final". They recognized the mistakes and threw out the theories of harm related to them. You can disagree with their final report, but the fact that they fixed their mistakes adds to the reports credibility. I don't get this notion people have that if the provisional report wasn't flawless then none of the reasoning is valid. Makes absolutely no sense.

Smaller then.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

This is the gif I used months ago to demonstrate how Microsoft would deal with the FTC....

FTC was NEVER an obstacle, yup, and I don’t get the surprised pika faces over their failure.

 

[Lupin25]

And aside from Call of Duty, Playstation gamers soon won't.

This guy actually thinks the games are gonna be exclusive

 

[Kilau]

So you agree then, still pretty small... I know most hate mobile games, but it's still the biggest sector.

Mobile grew the gaming market exponentially, it’s not as simple as saying console gaming just got smaller.

 

[Mozza]

Mobile grew the gaming market exponentially, it’s not as simple as saying console gaming just got smaller.

Totally agree the core space has pretty much remained the same, so when some suggest it's grown, they are not taking into account Nintendo have gone in a different direction ever since the Wii and DS, so many of their customers would not buy core consoles anyway.

 

[Topher]

By the way.. expecting your meltdown anytime now please

Damn.....that's going to require a great deal of alcohol, but since so many here need these meltdowns......I'll do it for GAF.

 

[Nubulax]

Hate to burst your bubble, bur console gaming is only a very small part of the overall market. This is going to increase competition in the Console sector, hopefully creating a more even market. It will increase competition in Mobile gaming which is currently extremely closed off. It should help XBox become a closer competitor to Steam and Epic in PC Gaming. Cloud Gaming is the only real concern and it’s doubtful just how big and how significant that Sector will ever really become. The FTC handled the case badly but the main issue was they didn’t have one. There were arguments to be made that this was bad for consumers but they were weak ones many of which have already had remedies offered. However the FTC concentrated too much on why it would be bad for the market leader.

How does it help them vs steam when they are releasing every game on Steam...and its just a storefront anyway. I would say good luck in prying people away from Steam especially with the Steam Deck now being a thing.

 

[Norse]

I think its funny how the ftc put the Activision will give MS Playstation secrets into the appeal.....they do realize MLB the show is made by Sony for the XBox right? No worry about secrets there I guess. Oh and how many games has insomniac made for xbox since sony purchased them? MS wants to bring gamepass to everyone no matter what console/phone/etc you own. How is it any different than EA or Ubisofts services? Not to mention they want to challenge apple and google stores so I dont think there will be very many exclusives period. Goes against what they are really trying to do in the long run.

 

[Nubulax]

I think its funny how the ftc put the Activision will give MS Playstation secrets into the appeal.....they do realize MLB the show is made by Sony for the XBox right? No worry about secrets there I guess. Oh and how many games has insomniac made for xbox since sony purchased them? MS wants to bring gamepass to everyone no matter what console/phone/etc you own. How is it any different than EA or Ubisofts services? Not to mention they want to challenge apple and google stores so I dont think there will be very many exclusives period. Goes against what they are really trying to do in the long run.

If this was true they would go full 3rd party... but people dont want to have THAT discussion

 

[Topher]

I think its funny how the ftc put the Activision will give MS Playstation secrets into the appeal.....they do realize MLB the show is made by Sony for the XBox right? No worry about secrets there I guess. Oh and how many games has insomniac made for xbox since sony purchased them? MS wants to bring gamepass to everyone no matter what console/phone/etc you own. How is it any different than EA or Ubisofts services? Not to mention they want to challenge apple and google stores so I dont think there will be very many exclusives period. Goes against what they are really trying to do in the long run.

That argument didn't make any sense to me at all. Doesn't MS already get PS dev kits to make Minecraft? I don't understand the point of any of that.

 

[feynoob]

This will be my face, if this doesn't close on Monday.