Microsoft buys Activision-Blizzard

[Peppermint Lounge]

I didn't know Activision could even be bought. You don't see AUD100bn acquisitions every day let alone among gaming organisations. I was on board for Game Pass and game release parity between XBox and PC but a two trillion dollar megacorp buying everything to put it on their Netflix for gaming service is a lot to take in. Curse you Mattrick for fucking up XBox One so badly and putting MS on this upheaval path to redemption. Would've much preferred a couple of well-resourced console hardware companies competitively duking it out the old fashioned way.

[Ambrose Burnside]

The acquisition still leaves MS in third place behind Tencent and Sony as a publisher, and they remain in third place behind Nintendo and Sony in consoleland. This will help them somewhat in mobileland, but they're coming from a base position of jack shit.

Without these moves I reckon Nadella would have wound up the Xbox division. Honestly surprised he didn't when he took over.

[Froggy]

You don't spend 100billion AUD on a company to not have their games as exclusives and recoup your investment. When Microsoft says on a game by game basis they really mean between decisions on console + PC not competitors. It's like the people deluding themselves that after buying Bestheda they were gonna not make their games exclusive lol.

I think this also gives some weight to those SEGA + Microsoft talks. If they want into the Japanese market, having a SEGA branded xbox and game library lines up with this, they can then push game pass to Jap via that.

[Mavy]

Does Japan really care about Sega as a hardware manufacture since the mega drive and DC weren't that popular and the Saturn was quickly over taken by the PlayStation. Or is it more a cultural thing where if they're gonna buy a console it needs to be Japanese?

[unfnknblvbl]

Somebody pointed out that this is a way of Microsoft shoring themselves up against in incoming recession. High inflation means that having money sitting in the bank is basically lost money. Spend it all on some resources and assets now, and spin it all off when times git gud.

I fully expect that they'll jettison some of these labels as soon as they think they're in an unassailable position, like they did with Bungie and Bizarre

[Froggy]

Does Japan really care about Sega as a hardware manufacture since the mega drive and DC weren't that popular and the Saturn was quickly over taken by the PlayStation. Or is it more a cultural thing where if they're gonna buy a console it needs to be Japanese?

Cultural and they care about Sega. Microsoft isn't looking to dominate Japan but it costs them far less to establish a foothold that drives sales and then Japanese development content for the non japanese base as exclusives. It adds something different and they have collaborated closely in the past. Just wouldn't shock me as it shores up another hole they have and it forces Sony to also have to invest to keep their ground there too not just from Nintendo.

[Froggy]

Somebody pointed out that this is a way of Microsoft shoring themselves up against in incoming recession. High inflation means that having money sitting in the bank is basically lost money. Spend it all on some resources and assets now, and spin it all off when times git gud.

I fully expect that they'll jettison some of these labels as soon as they think they're in an unassailable position, like they did with Bungie and Bizarre

Yeah they'll spin things off for sure but that's always the way with massive ones like this. Then they'll absorb some others and shut them down and turf a bunch of others.

[Mavy]

[
Cultural and they care about Sega.

Do you think it would still work if MS owned Sega?

[Froggy]

[
Cultural and they care about Sega.

Do you think it would still work if MS owned Sega?

Yep, costs microsoft nothing to whack the name on the console and package it and then its on sega\sammy to smash out some Jap specific games. Can go Arcadey and you go Yakuza, Persona stuff etc. It's seems a cheap risk as having exclusives on what are now big games like Persona\Yakuza in the west you're gonna recoup that money over time anyway, they just worked real hard to get the Yakuza back catalog on Game Pass for example. What I imagine would happens if it does happen is a JV instead to see how it goes. To me it makes sense as a planned step on the Xbox road map, it doesn't have to be Sega but some other Japanese brand, just Sega makes the most sense.

[Mavy]

They must be holding out though cause why wouldn't they have bought them by now? MS could buy Sega with change they find in their couch.

$4 Billion. It's a bargain! (yes MS buying a game company for $69 Billion has skewed my idea of a bargain).

[Peppermint Lounge]

Interpret as you will.

[Ambrose Burnside]

Heh. All existing agreements reeks of "Deathloop yes, but fuck off if you think you're getting Starfield. Or anything else."

[Froggy]

Interpret as you will.

lol. Yeah we don't officially absorb them for 12 months so we'll honour all current contractual obligations before we Deathloop everything to recoup our 67billion USD. Maybe they'll charge Sony a ridiculous price to license the games on their platform.

[Froggy]

They must be holding out though cause why wouldn't they have bought them by now? MS could buy Sega with change they find in their couch.

$4 Billion. It's a bargain! (yes MS buying a game company for $69 Billion has skewed my idea of a bargain).

Maybe Sega\Sammy don't want to sell, MS don't want to own the business? Why spend 4billion when you can do a JV for 500million.

[Ambrose Burnside]

Sony should bring back the SOCOM series or something.

Competition ya'll.

[t0mby]

Socom was no competition. It was only a big seller on the PS2 because they had nothing online while XBL was gaining momentum with dozens upon dozens of MP games hence the shoehorned network adaptor on the PS2.

[Froggy]

Interestingly blocked at the first hurdle by the UK regulators. I expect them to win on appeal and looks to me like a play from the UK regulator to win some concessions from MS. Be interesting how the other two regulators now go as first one to block gets the cookies on sweeteners usually. Their reasoning is a load of shit.

[Froggy]

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65407005

[Madmya]

Still remember when Sony paid for Tomb Raider 2 exclusivity. My hatred for Sony runs strong.

[Peppermint Lounge]

Still remember when Sony paid for Tomb Raider 2 exclusivity. My hatred for Sony runs strong.

Didn't the devs can Tomb Raider 2 on Saturn before signing with Sony?

[t0mby]

You don't spend 100billion AUD on a company to not have their games as exclusives and recoup your investment. When Microsoft says on a game by game basis they really mean between decisions on console + PC not competitors. It's like the people deluding themselves that after buying Bestheda they were gonna not make their games exclusive lol.

I think this also gives some weight to those SEGA + Microsoft talks. If they want into the Japanese market, having a SEGA branded xbox and game library lines up with this, they can then push game pass to Jap via that.

I dunno, why limit software sales to one platform? Imagine if Minecraft was Xbox exclusive, that game is printing money. MS could always do the DLC at a couple of dollars more on other platforms if they wanted.

[Froggy]

Still remember when Sony paid for Tomb Raider 2 exclusivity. My hatred for Sony runs strong.

Didn't the devs can Tomb Raider 2 on Saturn before signing with Sony?

Doubt it but I'm pretty sure Sony also money hatted Resident Evil 2 on Saturn as well.

[Froggy]

You don't spend 100billion AUD on a company to not have their games as exclusives and recoup your investment. When Microsoft says on a game by game basis they really mean between decisions on console + PC not competitors. It's like the people deluding themselves that after buying Bestheda they were gonna not make their games exclusive lol.

I think this also gives some weight to those SEGA + Microsoft talks. If they want into the Japanese market, having a SEGA branded xbox and game library lines up with this, they can then push game pass to Jap via that.

I dunno, why limit software sales to one platform? Imagine if Minecraft was Xbox exclusive, that game is printing money. MS could always do the DLC at a couple of dollars more on other platforms if they wanted.

You limit them on one platform to get more people on to it. Why make your competitors richer and help them out creating content that they then sel? Why doesn't Sony just release GOW on Xbox and Nintendo then?

Minecraft is a bit different but it was a good choice to drive Game Pass adoption.

[unfnknblvbl]

Not to mention Minecraft probably has some pre-existing agreements. Plus, I can't see the fanbase reacting well if Microsoft decided to limit it to XBox and the Windows Store..