Microsoft buys Activision/Blizzard for $70B

[laggyteabag]

In what is probably going to be the biggest gaming news of the year, already:

Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard for Nearly $70 Billion for Xbox

Microsoft has acquired Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion, taking control of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, & Overwatch.

www.escapistmagazine.com

In comparison, Microsoft spent $7.5B to buy Bethesda.

Nobody is going to say that the Xbox doesn't have games anymore, because Microsoft is just going around buying all of the third-party developers.

An Xbox-exclusive Call of Duty is probably going to single-handedly cause a seismic shift in terms of console market share.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Jesus Christ. They're really smarting over the Xbone's failure huh? Personally don't really care about any Activision titles, but I do have to wonder what Sony is going to do to push back. I'm also hoping at the very least they get their shit together in regards to workplace issues.

 

[Gergar12]

If they buy Ubisoft, it's game over for Sony.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Jesus Christ. They're really smarting over the Xbone's failure huh? Personally don't really care about any Activision titles, but I do have to wonder what Sony is going to do to push back. I'm also hoping at the very least they get their shit together in regards to workplace issues.

They can’t, because their pockets aren’t that deep. All they can do is keep making high quality games without all the money grubbing riff-raff that the competition seems to value, and hope gamers keep appreciating it.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

They can’t, because their pockets aren’t that deep. All they can do is keep making high quality games without all the money grubbing riff-raff that the competition seems to value, and hope gamers keep appreciating it.

They could, at the very least, make PS+ something worth having and not a service that is essentially throwing your money into the fireplace.

 

[Casual Shinji]

If they buy Ubisoft, it's game over for Sony.

Even if they don't it kinda already is game over for Sony as they are now. They don't have the money to buy up third-party developers, and their games are likely too expensive for their current business model to survive without third-party support.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Even if they don't it kinda already is game over for Sony as they are now. They don't have the money to buy up third-party developers, and their games are likely too expensive for their current business model to survive without third-party support.

Sony currently owns 18 game studios all over the world. They practically own Square Enix on top of that. Microsoft with all their money and studio purchases have what to show for it? Playground games and 343 are the only studios that have put out anything in the last two years for them. I mean great Microsoft paid 70B for a studio filled with rapists and molesters who's structure is so fucked, the odds of a good product coming from that studio in the next three years is highly unlikley.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Sony currently owns 18 game studios all over the world. They practically own Square Enix on top of that. Microsoft with all their money and studio purchases have what to show for it? Playground games and 343 are the only studios that have put out anything in the last two years for them. I mean great Microsoft paid 70B for a studio filled with rapists and molesters who's structure is so fucked, the odds of a good product coming from that studio in the next three years is highly unlikley.

Doesn't change the fact that this a lot of third-party support Sony is no longer getting. Bethesda was already a significant chuck. Activision/Blizzard? No matter how good or bad the games might be they make a shitton of money, a large portion of which Sony is no longer getting.

Microsoft can afford owning studios that don't have too high of an output. Something tells me it's going to be way tougher for Sony to afford losing all of that third-party support. Add to that that Microsoft is ahead of Sony in the streaming space, which is were the industry is headed.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Doesn't change the fact that this a lot of third-party support Sony is no longer getting. Bethesda was already a significant chuck. Activision/Blizzard? No matter how good or bad the games might be they make a shitton of money, a large portion of which Sony is no longer getting.

Microsoft can afford owning studios that don't have too high of an output. Something tells me it's going to be way tougher for Sony to afford losing all of that third-party support. Add to that that Microsoft is ahead of Sony in the streaming space, which is were the industry is headed.

Microsoft has come out and said that they will still be publishing games on Playstation console from some of their developers. But who know's how long that will last.

 

[laggyteabag]

Microsoft has come out and said that they will still be publishing games on Playstation console from some of their developers. But who know's how long that will last.

From what I can tell, MS will only continue to update currently existing multiplatform games, ie, Minecraft, or uphold currently established deals, ie, Deathloop.

According to an email from Bobby Kotick, Activision/Blizzard will remain autonomous until the deal is completed on/before June 2023, so I would expect any currently planned multiplatform game to make it over to PS, ie, at least 1 more CoD, Overwatch 2, Diablo 4. After that, all bets are off. Hopefully that also includes Bobby's position as CEO.

I don't think anyone realistically believes that Microsoft dropped $70B to keep on making games for their main competitor for longer than they need to.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I don't think anyone realistically believes that Microsoft dropped $70B to keep on making games for their main competitor for longer than they need to.

I mean game sales are game sales, and if you are playing a microsoft game on playstation you are still feeding the microsoft machine. It all depends on how much they care about exclusives, which considering all their shit comes out on PC too, they may not care so much.

Kinda of like how Sega doesn't make consoles anymore but has thriven in the game's industry by simply making games for everyone else.

 

[laggyteabag]

I mean game sales are game sales, and if you are playing a microsoft game on playstation you are still feeding the microsoft machine. It all depends on how much they care about exclusives, which considering all their shit comes out on PC too, they may not care so much.

Kinda of like how Sega doesn't make consoles anymore but has thriven in the game's industry by simply making games for everyone else.

Ha! "Game Sales".

All Microsoft cares about these days is Game Pass. Perpetual income.

25 million people fork out for a Gamepass sub every month. They want to convert as many PS gamers into Gamepass subscribers as they can. That'll earn them a whole lot more dough than the occasional release.

 

[CriticalGaming]

All Microsoft cares about these days is Game Pass. Perpetual income.

25 million people fork out for a Gamepass sub every month. They want to convert as many PS gamers into Gamepass subscribers as they can. That'll earn them a whole lot more dough than the occasional release.

And they don't even have to make new games for it. Or buy studios. Microsoft's strategy is very strange tbh.

 

[bluegate]

To reiterate; Fuck Microsoft.

Ha! "Game Sales".

All Microsoft cares about these days is Game Pass. Perpetual income.

25 million people fork out for a Gamepass sub every month. They want to convert as many PS gamers into Gamepass subscribers as they can. That'll earn them a whole lot more dough than the occasional release.

Only problem for Microsoft at the moment is that all those sales are heavily subsidized by themselves.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

They could, at the very least, make PS+ something worth having and not a service that is essentially throwing your money into the fireplace.

Eye of the beholder ‘n all. I’ve gotten a lot of hours out of the monthly games offered over the years, and the “pay to play online” thing is just a collateral damage trend that Microsoft started.

Xbox Games with Gold 2021 or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bargain Bin

A 49-game catalog fit for a Soviet bread line

www.polygon.com

PlayStation Plus’ free games in 2021: A bargain at any suggested retail price

PS Plus subscribers got access to 40 games, worth $35 apiece

www.polygon.com

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Eye of the beholder ‘n all. I’ve gotten a lot of hours out of the monthly games offered over the years, and the “pay to play online” thing is just a collateral damage trend that

As a slight aside, you've just reminded me that I bought the Eye of the Beholder series on GOG a while back and never played it. Some good has come out of this after all.

 

[BrawlMan]

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[Worgen]

Holy shit. Well, they couldn't run things any worse then Bobby boy did. I hope he gets removed. I also hope MS will still publishing games on various platforms and they don't use this opportunity to make battle.net the new xbox live or something shitty like that.

 

[gorfias]

How much will this matter if they don't end the chip shortage? I have never waited this long to get a next gen console. Typically they're readilly available 6 months after launch. We're closer to 16 now. And the end of the shortage is not in site.

ITMT: How does Nintendo do it? If they can, I'd think Sony can.

Even they still have about double Xbox sales in Gen 9.

Heck, I hope Atari and Sega get back into the console game to give us even more choices.

 

[BrawlMan]

Heck, I hope Atari and Sega get back into the console game to give us even more choices.

Don't hold your breath. Atari has no idea what they're doing anymore. The current executive said they planned on "changing things", but I have no idea what that even means. Sega's happy right where they are. The best you're going to get from them is either a Sega 🪐 Mini or a Dreamcast Mini.