Current Events > Microsoft is buying Activision-Blizzard

(+) Yeah! (+)

If this means that CoD is no longer gonna be multiplat, then this is huge in the game space. I'm happy for the potential of cleaning out the muck plaguing ActiBlizz internally though.

Mr_Karate_II posted...

M$ consumer friendly? LOL

gamepass is the best deal in gaming and will be until Nintendo gets their head out of their ass and offers their whole classic library for DL(so, never).

plus they just give Windows away now

thronedfire2 posted...

gamepass is the best deal in gaming and will be until Nintendo gets their head out of their ass and offers their whole classic library for DL(so, never).

plus they just give Windows away now

Yeah, Game Pass is excellent, to the point where even Sony is considering something similar.

DepreceV2 posted...

https://twitter.com/wsj/status/1483494849944997889?s=21

Oh please be true

thronedfire2 posted...

gamepass is the best deal in gaming and will be until Nintendo gets their head out of their ass and offers their whole classic library for DL(so, never).

plus they just give Windows away now

Don't get me wrong, I have it, and it is a good deal, but considering Sony already has a service that does exactly the same thing, all they have to do is merge PSNow and PS+ and increase the modern game selection, and they've basically matched microsoft. The infrastructure is already there. They were already doing XCloud a full console generation before XCloud, so that's done too.

But I will say, even though PS now clearly isn't as good as game pass, it's also like 1/3rd the price (often $50/yr instead of $180ish for GP).

So if Sony is willing to amp up the price to match microsoft, I'm sure they'll amp up the game selection as well.

I just realized, Crash is an Activision title. The posterboy for PS1 will now be Xbox exclusive in future games?

Get your golden parachute ready. Bobby's going to fly.

Alucard188 posted...

Get your golden parachute ready. Bobby's going to fly.

Yeah of course he'll make off with another $100 million

Small price to pay to purge the pestilence.

DarkRoast posted...

So if Sony is willing to amp up the price to match microsoft, I'm sure they'll amp up the game selection as well.

There's more to it than just game selection. Microsoft is committed to simultaneous or very short release windows between console and PC. Sony's games maybe probably come to PC years later but only if they feel like it.

They also offer most games on steam as well

I really don't like this trend of megacorps buying up everything and hoarding them under very few umbrellas. I know it's inevitable but I'll never like it.

Everyone's all smiles because they like Phil but what happens when he's gone? He's not going to be there forever.

Alucard188 posted...

Small price to pay to purge the pestilence.

Agreed

https://twitter.com/KazHiraiCEO/status/1483438540453289985

Lmao

Smashingpmkns posted...

https://twitter.com/KazHiraiCEO/status/1483438540453289985

Lmao

LMAO

Sayoria posted...

I just realized, Crash is an Activision title. The posterboy for PS1 will now be Xbox exclusive in future games?

Let's be real the only people who even recognize him as the face of playstation are 30+ years old. Outside of that no one will even notice

Sayoria posted...

I just realized, Crash is an Activision title. The posterboy for PS1 will now be Xbox exclusive in future games?

Revenge for KOTOR remake being a PS exclusive.

Smashingpmkns posted...

https://twitter.com/KazHiraiCEO/status/1483438540453289985

Lmao

Wait what?

VipaGTS posted...

Wait what?

It's a joke.

Oh.

I remember when MS bought Rare for a rumoured half a billion dollars, and people thought THAT was a lot, and now MS buy Activision-Blizzard for 70 billion dollars. Crazy. I suppose the video game industry has expanded a lot in 20 years, however. Right?

Sunhawk posted...

I remember when MS bought Rare for a rumoured half a billion dollars, and people thought THAT was a lot, and now MS buy Activision-Blizzard for 70 billion dollars. Crazy. I suppose the video game industry has expanded a lot in 20 years, however. Right?

Yep

Sunhawk posted...

I remember when MS bought Rare for a rumoured half a billion dollars, and people thought THAT was a lot, and now MS buy Activision-Blizzard for 70 billion dollars. Crazy. I suppose the video game industry has expanded a lot in 20 years, however. Right?

Less than a year ago, MS buying Bethesda for a mere 7 billion dollars seemed like an unbelievable amount of money to drop.

All prior joking aside, this is probably the best thing that could happen with Activision-Blizzard. Kotick is most likely kicked tf out, not every game has to be some multi billion dollar success now, and the devs will probably have a little more freedom. Time will tell I guess.

Wow, this is a fucking huge story. First Bethesda and now Activision-Blizzard.

masterpug53 posted...

Less than a year ago, MS buying Bethesda for a mere 7 billion dollars seemed like a crazy amount of money to drop.

Right and Disney buying MARVEL and SW for a few billions each seemed like a lot as well.

JuanCarlos1 posted...

Right and Disney buying MARVEL and SW for a few billions each seemed like a lot as well.

That is a lot for Disney. Microsoft could buy Disney at full price and still be worth more than 10 Disneys.

Sunhawk posted...

I remember when MS bought Rare for a rumoured half a billion dollars, and people thought THAT was a lot, and now MS buy Activision-Blizzard for 70 billion dollars. Crazy. I suppose the video game industry has expanded a lot in 20 years, however. Right?

As a Nintendo fan, that Rare purchase was traumatising.

Call of Duty as an annual addition to Game Pass is absolutely massive alone. Like there literally isn't a better franchise you could get for it. It's the most popular franchise in the West and it releases every single year.

What FPS games are even left for PlayStation? They gonna dust off Resistance and Killzone? Lol

DepreceV2 posted...

https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1483436623660466178?s=21

Hes mental if he thinks Microsoft hasnt already had their legal team in contact with the DOJ to approve this.

Teh_Dr_Phil posted...

Hes mental if he thinks Microsoft hasnt already had their legal team in contact with the DOJ to approve this.

It still doesn't even come close to the control Disney has when they bought Fox.

Hell I think if Microsoft bought Sony they still would get approved. The entire console industry doesn't even take up half of the video game market and there's a shitload of competition left.

I think people who think this will lead to anti-trust anything are in denial and thinking solely about their own bubble.

Teh_Dr_Phil posted...

Hes mental if he thinks Microsoft hasnt already had their legal team in contact with the DOJ to approve this.

Would it even be considered Horizontal?

Like Microsoft buying Sony would be. But Activision will barely raise eyebrows Id imagine

https://twitter.com/inafried/status/1483517428684529664

Xerun posted...

Would it even be considered Horizontal?

Like Microsoft buying Sony would be. But Activision will barely raise eyebrows Id imagine

I think the official bar for a horizontal in America is over 80% which it demonstrably fails. Even if it bought Sony it would likely still fall due to Nintendo and DIY PCs.

Hmm this is interesting.

This should mean COD on Gamepass yes?

Cause whilst i enjoy playing through the campaign, its always a bit too short to justify the high price.. but with gamepass... hehehe.

BeyondWalls posted...

Good. The PS4 and PS5 were anti-consumer trash boxes and a huge step back from the PS3. Now Sonys lazy ass will be forced to actually innovate in an effort to win customers over.

As a PC player who ditched Sony five years ago, I couldnt be more excited by this news.

lmao what

the PS3 is absolutely the shittiest of the three

This is pretty cool imo, we're probably gonna see actual console wars again

unlike the last 2 decades where everything was p much the same except for a small handful of exclusives

So does this mean no CoD on PS5? That and FIFA are the only games I play

Not too sure how to feel about this. I guess if we can get a Starcraft III and Overwatch 2 I'll be happy.

VigorouslySwish posted...

This is pretty cool imo, we're probably gonna see actual console wars again

unlike the last 2 decades where everything was p much the same except for a small handful of exclusives

I dunno. Seems more likely Microsoft will just keep buying studios until there is no console wars just Xbox and Gamepass. At a much less fair price then it is now

Babidi123 posted...

So does this mean no CoD on PS5? That and FIFA are the only games I play

Most likely that's exactly what it means.

Babidi123 posted...

So does this mean no CoD on PS5? That and FIFA are the only games I play

It's to be determined (the one later this year should still be on PS5) but if those are the only games you play then I wouldn't be getting a PS5 until it is confirmed.

This is the new battle of East v West

Punished_Blinx posted...

It's to be determined (the one later this year should still be on PS5) but if those are the only games you play then I wouldn't be getting a PS5 until it is confirmed.

I'm waiting until GTA6 is announced before I buy any next gen console. So looks like I got some time lol

Combined with their stance towards Japanese studios & games in pursuit of Western audiences, this would be a total death knell to Sony if CoD becomes Xbox/PC exclusive.

The only games I care about are Crash and Spryo.
Hopefully if any games from Activision would be multiplat it'd be two platformers that would better sell on PS and Nintendo platforms
CoD is definitely staying exclusive.

AngelicRadiance posted...

Yeah of course he'll make off with another $100 million

Actually its estimated he'll get $400 million

Dark_twisted posted...

Actually its estimated he'll get $400 million

I would pay him a billion dollars to fuck off, so this is basically a discount.

That $297 million is his stock so theyre not really losing anything by buying him out

I'm curious. In company buyouts like this, where does the money actually go to? Like who gets it? Or is it more complicated to answer?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/9/9/AACT2jAAC0kP.jpg

Damn Spencer and Nadella must have been licking their lips after all of those claims were made against Activision. Makes me wonder if they pulled any strings to get it to really snowball.