Microsoft buys Activision-Blizzard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496770#Comment_118496770

I've always said I'm not so sure what I'll do when the 3 year gold to GP conversion is gone. Everyone saying GP is an absolute steal are on this deal. I think we're close to them pulling the plug on Gold and you do have to wonder how many people will still be singing its praises at €15 p.m. The Activision catalog certainly makes it better value and I suppose that's the ultimate goal. Netflix of gaming, where its just not worth the bother cancelling as there's always something to watch (in this case, play).

Capt'n Midnight

One piece of good new is that Microsoft still have a tonne of cash lying around even after this so shouldn't need to squeeze punters to pay off destabilising loans.

cash on hand for the quarter ending September 30, 2021 was $130.615B

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496770#Comment_118496770

This makes me laugh. Calling people delusional whilst believing that Sony are some heroes who developed games just for the sake of gamers. They didn’t. They bought studios.

They created exclusives and restricted access to games for many gamers

Even with this generation they increased prices of games, made backwards compatibility difficult and upgrade of games to next gen versions very difficult.

In the mean time , Xbox developed and released Game Pass. Made it affordable to many. New Triple A games released on the platform on day one feel free to consumers but somehow this is a bad thing?

The model works and developers love the model too as it gives them cash flow during development , enabling them to put more into games and they are finding that they make more money as it turns out Game Pass players spend more on in game transactions and also often buy the game.

Also after this deal Xbox will still be only the third largest gaming company in the world. Behind Ten Cent and guess who, well Sony, but somehow Xbox are bad for competition.

Finally anybody thinking that after this closes that CoD won’t be Xbox exclusive are just PlayStation fans that are in denial. Look at what happened with Bethesda where people were saying the exact same thing.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496887#Comment_118496887

It's only €13 if you get Ultimate or €10 for either PC or Console on its own.

So even at full price it's only double the price of PS Plus from Sony if you're only picking the Xbox option.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496956#Comment_118496956

If you do MS rewards quests and ambassador programme you practically get game pass for free.

Either way full annual sub is the price of just over 2 full price PlayStation games so I do not see how it cannot be seen as good value.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496887#Comment_118496887

I pay the €15 per month currently. For anyone who earns more than minimum wage it's a pittance for what you get in return.

super_furry

Sony as the light and bright force for gaming good, who only make games for the love of the craft is a new one on me.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496974#Comment_118496974

A PS5 exclusive game will set you back €80 now on the PlayStation store.

Smyth's are normally a small bit cheaper.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496887#Comment_118496887

They could literally double the monthly cost of Game Pass and it would still be great value.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496770#Comment_118496770

As if Sony didn't buy studios. As if Nintendo didn't abuse their position as market leader in the 80s and 90s. No, both are total angels on earth.

You must have started playing games a few years ago.

piplip87

Any chance they could buy Stadia from Google ? A brilliant cloud gaming experience apart from lack of games lol 😛😛😛😛

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497010#Comment_118497010

For me it does have its lulls. Definitely scope in there for cancelling for 2-3 months. I guess that's going to get harder and harder to say.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496943#Comment_118496943

Also good luck buying digital PS games anywhere other than the PS Store. Way more restricted and locked down than Xbox.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497031#Comment_118497031

Even if it were €30 a month, and therefore €360 for a year, that represents about 5 PS5 games. So if you are someone who would otherwise buy more than 5 games a year you would still be winning in terms of value for money.

At the current pricing there's just no comparison to be made.

I must have tried out about thirty games by now, completing or having a good play of a good chunk of those.

It's handy that you can risk trying a game you might not have done if you had to buy it outright.

Like was said already, even double the price would be a great deal.

B.A._Baracus

Great news. More games added to gamepass. Win win.

johnny_ultimate

No big company is in this game out of some pure ideological or creative vision. They’re all out to make money and dominate the market, and they can shite out all the ‘for the gamers’ insincere marketing gibberish they want but none of it comes for a pure-hearted place and it’s naive in the extreme to suggest otherwise.

GamePass is great value. Of course it is, although the jury’s very much still out on subscription services’ impact on the wider gaming ecosystem (especially its impact on indie releases). The problem is when power is disproportionately in the hands of a few conglomerates. We’ve seen this with Disney who’ve had an increasingly detrimental and outsized impact on the quality and plurality of mainstream film and television, and also Microsoft within the PC OS space (thoughts with everyone who has to use Microsoft Teams over the vastly superior alternatives). Microsoft so far haven’t had the same impact on their acquired game studios as Disney has, thank god, but it’s IMO important to be at least a little skeptical and concerned about the future if there’s less and less competition out there. We’ve seen Sony get unspeakably arrogant in the leading position, and we’ve seen Microsoft also make some appalling decisions that they’re still recovering from almost a decade later. Platform holders do and will again **** people over if they think it’s in their business interests.

None of this is to say Activision Blizzard was some perfect entity - exactly the opposite. The company basically needs to be completely rebuilt (especially in leadership) to remove the foul stench, and maybe Microsoft can achieve that. Still, though, a megacorp brute-forcing their way to success will always make me feel uneasy, especially when the biggest winners here are the likes of Bobby Kotick and their obscene paydays.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497012#Comment_118497012

I must have started playing games a few years ago. Welp that's hilarious, is that the best you've got?

Buying a studio and buying the studio that produces the best selling games on your competitor to choke them out is not the same. I don't agree with exclusivity at all from either side but increasing levels of aggression in that practice which could eventually lead to losing one competitor from the market is not good. The best thing for Sony is Microsoft and vice versa because it drives the industry. One horse races don't benefit anyone in the long run.

And I never said others didn't buy studios. This isn't about being a fan boy of either, I want both platforms to succeed and thrive but if one ousts the other by buying and sealing off most of the market (if the massive purchases continue), its not a good thing.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497127#Comment_118497127

"Sony and Nintendo didn't brute force their way into being industry leaders, they made great games and let the gamers choose. "

😂

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497127#Comment_118497127

It was a one horse race until Microsoft switched Xbox to a cloud business model. It was mentioned earlier in this thread and I'm surprised its been glosed over and not a bigger part of the debate, Sony dominated last gen so much and choked the competition (xbox) so much with acquisitions and exclusivity that it was at one point looking unlikely that Xbox would continue.

It was impossible for them to survive by doing anything other than make some massive acquisitions. Do you expect them to just start making games with now with a handful of studios and wait 7 years for these games to hit the market? A whole other generation with "xbox has no games".

Everything you've just said could be aimed at Sony. More so in my mind. Xbox is fighting back, but they're still only in 3rd place.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497240#Comment_118497240

I don't agree with either being choked. It's possible to disagree with things both companies do.

This is the problem with trying to have a nuanced conversation about console gaming. The fanboys (not necessarily you) turn it into a console war.

EoinMcLovin

https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1483561871366148102?t=gciepkzFQQHsTxsbxNQJDA&s=19

McFly85

I think that MS needed acquisitions to compete. But that just highlights the almost complete failure of Xbox Games Studios over the last decade. Sony didn’t choke them at all, they consistently released well received console exclusive games.

Forza Horizon I love, haven’t played Halo as it’s not my thing but it was well received. But I struggle to think of any other AAA exclusive they’ve had in the 5 years I’ve had an Xbox. Considering the studios they own in that time it’s an incredibly poor return.

So I have no faith in Phil Spencer or MS in general to run all of these studios in a way that will see us get interesting new IP or games. I suspect the goal will be a constant churn of content to advertise gamepass with these studios just doing whatever sequel to whatever games they’ve done before.

Gamepass is a great thing. MS buying publishers and studios that own popular IP and putting them under people who’s struggled to manage they studios they already had effectively, is not imo.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497119#Comment_118497119

Xbox and PC gamers are big winners here and there's no point pretending otherwise. And all of this "brute forcing their way to success" stuff is a bizarre read to be honest.

I don't think the jury is out on subscription either. It's the future. The only question still out there is what are Sony going to do to compete.

Grumpypants

He will leave about 6 months after the deal closes. It is pretty standard to not rock the boat during the last stages of the deal and rather slink out the back after hours.

Sadly he will leave with bucket loads of cash, and now also, likely bucket loads of MS shares too.

I can't see MS making COD exclusive. Biggest market for warzone is PS4. Also if they stick COD on PS5 at €80 and free on Gamepass it only helps sell the benefits of Gamepass.

ironictoaster

Anyone considering jumping ship? I mainly play multiplayer games on PC and single player games on PC. However, I feel like I am missing out not having game pass.

Game pass is brutal for PC!

Dante

I'm praying they revive the Starcraft franchise, slim chance of that though sadly.

The most I expect to see is fixing the many bugs in COD at the moment.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497608#Comment_118497608

Bobby Kotick is in line for a several hundred million dollar payout from his deal, mere weeks after facing a mass employee revolt after he was directly implicated in a sexual harassment and toxic workplace scandal. I think it's more than fair to call him (regrettably) a bigger winner than those who'll get Call of Duty on Game Pass on release day, much like it's fair to call spending an unprecedented $70bn to gain a competitive advantage 'brute force' :)

el Fenomeno

Would MS buying EA (and making their games exclusive along with Activision and Bethesda) be enough to kill off the PlayStation? Surely losing COD, FIFA and Madden would be too much?

EltonJohn69

Microsoft bought rare and destroyed it…