Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard Discussion Thread |OT2| The NeverEnding Acquisition

There may be justice in this world.

Now OtherEra clowns are hoping the CMA blocks later :rofl:

I dont think EU and UK have a Clayton Act of clause where they can try to undo something theyve approved

Like OK, you gonna give MS back their $70B?

Yeah no…even the FTC cant do it without going to court, theyve been try to get Meta to sell Instagram and Whatsapp and thatsnnever going to happen with how entwined they are with Facebook

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Idas:

If I‘m not mistaken, the last time that the CMA revised its provisional findings was in February 2020, with Bauer Media Group. Bauer was also the last time were behavioural remedies were accepted :stuck_out_tongue:

This bit from the addendum published today is also very interesting:

In addition, any interested person is invited to provide the Inquiry Group with their views in writing as to the impact of these addendum provisional findings on the appropriateness of the remedies proposed in the Notice of Possible Remedies published on the case page on 8 February 2023.

The CMA wants feedback about the possible impact of this change on the remedies originally proposed. :s

Yes, not doubt that today is a major turning point for this case.

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Highest since July 2021

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Man if MS really managed to pull this off when everything was against them… :hot_face: :hot_face: :hot_face: (and it will be far more satisfactory than when the deal was announced :grin: )

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Has anybody spoke about the elephant in the room?

Patcher was RIGHT?

Armchair analysts in shambles

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I feel like Pachter will be a great misunderstood mind that we’ll only realise years later. Like the Galileo of gaming trends.

/s

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Nvm I Chatgpt and CMA can try to force divestures but its HARD and its something that needs to be taken to court

Its basically the UK version of the Sherman and Clayton act, they can try to force divesture or at least conditions but its basically nigh impossible especially when a business is so entwined with the company.

Regulators have been trying to break IG and Whatsapp from Meta for years and can’t ever make progress because Meta is so entwined with them that no court is ever going to side with regulators

I’d love Candy Crush on Xbox. Not F2P though just make it a paid game.

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The FTC is irelevent, the deal can close without them

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I think it’s funny that Sony has lost all credibility on Europe and have to provide a shit ton of documents to MS about their dealings and whatnot. Those are some big Ls to take !

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He cant swoop in to cape for Sony on this one. This is an industry changing move and their is nothing they can do about it.

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Also by refusing to sign a deal and not returning calls from MS, Xbox can now do whatever the hell they want with Sony.

Id have Sony sign a deal that if they want COD no more timed 3rd party exclusive deals. Every Sony 3rd party timed exclusive deal means COD is delayed 6 months on Playstation.

Dont like thise terms Sony? Well to bad bitch should have signed the 10 year deal when you had the chance.

He has but he’s sneaky about it. He released an article on crunch at Naughty Dog almost exactly a month before the game released. Then as far as I can tell didn’t mention it again for a very long time.

I couldn’t find anything on Insomniac. Which to me is far more shifty. Lots of places expect people to work long hours and have a culture to encourage that. It’s not nice but it’s not evil. The sexual harassment at Insomniac that was never dealt with as far as I can tell, and goes largely unmentioned these days, is definitely evil.

Basically his need to posture and be moralistic seems to be timed to not disrupt Sony’s hype cycles.

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I’m sure Microsoft will sign an agreement with Sony anyway even if they are not obligated to do so. PR and future acquisitions may depend on it (be consistent with what they say).

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Always has been. Hoeg was always right too but he was hedging his bets (as lawyers do). Good to see gamers learning that professionals are professionals for a reason.

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Foss looking like the goat here.

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For a 10 year deal, yes. Optics and all that.

The whole “parity” deal, other ABK games, etc are off the table.

Sony backed themselves into a corner, and all they got for being massive hypocrites are now having to give Microsoft the past 4 years of information regarding their exclusivity deals and a bigger eye on their own anti-competitive practices.

In other words:

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As everyone have pointed out already. It is a really good sign that the CMA “corrected” their findings after the PF so that would lead cloud gaming as the only SLC right?

What do you think MS should do to appease them in this aspect if (IF, dont kill me) what they have done is not enough yet? More deals with more cloud providers? I think a divesture is far too extreme only to “protect” that market let alone a block, even more so when:

  1. No cloud competitor have complained in all this process (or the ones who did seems to be pleased already due to contracts)

  2. Sony, the only one against the deal mind you, has been completely ignored so that let us with…noone complaining really.

  3. MS will put all of their games (or was it just COD? dont remember) on other cloud providers.

  4. Consumers are in favor of the deal.

  5. MS has been extremely cooperative and constructive during all this process proposing remedies that goes far and beyond what anyone would have asked.

  6. Far more people (and I mean FAR MORE) will have access to at least COD than even before.

  7. Multiple organizations are in favor of the deal and the deal will be good for workers.

  8. MS has never done anything of what SONY accused them to.

Again, a divesture would be too extreme for this.

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I think it’s only a timing thing. And a monitoring thing. CMA see cloud as a nascent market that therefore in their eyes needs more protection.

So it’s whether they are happy with ten years and are also confident in any ongoing monitoring.

My guess is that it’s easier for them to align with EU on this remedy.