Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard Discussion Thread (Part 1)

[Ace_Maverick]

@EldenDarkwraith

This deal is looking more and more unlikely, thanks to the CMA…

Oh well, it was a fun ride but the reality is I’ll need to buy Diablo 4 and the next CoD.

I can’t see Activision signing another exclusivity deal for any game with Playstation either after all this.

[ForwardPushing]

@TLLDOB

I guess Microsoft is out $3 billion when the deal collapses. Better than $67 billion IMHO. Microsoft needs to start delivering on their 23 studios, they don’t need ABK.

If Microsoft thinks that the CMA is going to be a road block for every future acquisition based on a precedent that developers that Microsoft acquires have to be included in their competitors service, there’s a strong possibility that Microsoft would pull their gaming business out of the UK. Microsoft clearly has long term plans with their gaming and if it’s determined that they can they have a better chance of achieving their goals by avoiding the UK as constant roadblock, they’d make the move for what’s in the best interest of their business. The fact that the CMA basically has unchecked power with M&A is problematic when they seem to be radical and less interested in data based analysis. We’ll see how this moves forward, but it’s quite alarming.

[TLLDOB]

That would be incredibly spiteful for Microsoft to stop doing business in the UK over this deal. Remember the UK government right now is pretty bad, things will turn around in 5 years and Microsoft doesn’t want to poison the well with whoever is running CMA then.

[ForwardPushing]

@TLLDOB

That would be incredibly spiteful for Microsoft to stop doing business in the UK over this deal. Remember the UK government right now is pretty bad, things will turn around in 5 years and Microsoft doesn’t want to poison the well with whoever is running CMA then.

It wouldn’t be Microsoft wanting to do so, their hands would be tied. Either let them compete or make continuous hypothetical arguments about why Microsoft can’t acquire companies. Saying craziness like contracts don’t matter and such shows that they aren’t dealing with a rational regulatory body. At some point, you have to think about what’s in the best interest of your future business.

[AllianceOfficer]

@ForwardPushing

It wouldn’t be Microsoft wanting to do so, their hands would be tied. Either let them compete or make continuous hypothetical arguments about why Microsoft can’t acquire companies. Saying craziness like contracts don’t matter and such shows that they aren’t dealing with a rational regulatory body. At some point, you have to think about what’s in the best interest of your future business.

Yeah, exactly this. In this hypothetical where the CMA continues their Phase 1 arguments and does not make rational decisions based on sound legal basis and legitimate data (not heresay, made up information or falsifying markets like excluding Nintendo from the console market). Microsoft has to protect their business. In fact they have a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders to do so.

Unfortunately, that would mean either continuing business in the UK and being annually fined 5% of their total global turnover (thats their law, I’m not familiar withe the term so I dont know how much that is) or they stop doing business in the UK.

I cant imagine that the people in the country would be thrilled with the CMA if they stopped getting Microsoft products and software support. That wouldnt bode well for the people at the CMA as they and politicians would be the ones drawing the ire of the people. I mean just imagine for a minute, no windows support, no security updates, no Microsoft office, no Teams or Skype, no Azure, no SQL Server support or patches, no Microaoft Gaming. I have to imagine there would be changes quickly to the CMA and the UK begging Microsoft to come back.

With that being said I think that the CMA will play hardball but accept concessions and move to pass the deal. I cant imagine they continue these absurd arguments or conplete lack of detail. I will also note that in the past two years the CMA has been fined more than 40 million and their total budget each year is only 100 million, which is not much. It could be that the entire CMA is wholly unequipped to even vet an acquisition like this. The FTC for instance talks about how underfunded they are and they receive a shade under 400 million per year.

[No-1HoloLens-Fan]

@MasterChief

… image1125×1654 144 KB

I don’t know if we are allowed to take screenshots from other forums but this worries me as well.

Imagine CMA forcing CoD on PS+ day and date… On a service where Sony doesn’t put there own games day and date.

It will be a decision of a monarch at that point… Not someone who is thinking about competitiveness.

Xbox is trying to provide the biggest game in the console industry at cheap price to mass consumers via gamepass and CMA is trying to stop it from happening.

These are sad events for gamers.

[MasterChief]

@No-1HoloLens-Fan

Imagine CMA forcing CoD on PS+ day and date… On a service where Sony doesn’t put there own games day and date.

It will be a decision of a monarch at that point… Not someone who is thinking about competitiveness.

Xbox is trying to provide the biggest game in the console industry at cheap price to mass consumers via gamepass and CMA is trying to stop it from happening.

These are sad events for gamers.

Hopefully the regulators in Phase 2 use actual common sense here because this has been a joke so far and what’s even worse is how much power the CMA has with very little oversight. (Also I kinda don’t like that a UK agency can stop an American company from acquiring another American company).

And yeah I know this deal getting blocked would affect a lot of people negatively, myself included, while the ones doing anti consumer practices get rewarded, I think I’d try my best to never spend another dollar on any Sony brand if this gets blocked, yeah they’re not the ones blocking it but they sure as hell seem to have influenced some of the regulators with their constant bitchin’ so why support a company that is constantly trying to make my experience on Xbox worse…?

[Mr_Sup3rNova]

Some say look at the big picture? And commented without emotions! The situation became provocative. Their hypocrisy reached the sky. I wish Microsoft slap r Street Fighter 5 and confine it to only one device in seven years in their faces , and it is considered the mother of fighting games plus withdrawing Spider-Man legacy games from stores. Yes CMA is corrupt and Jim Ryan has a secret hand in the matter

[pg2g]

@EldenDarkwraith

I wonder if this deal falls through, will Phil Spencer retire ? I doubt Satya will be happy

No, of course not. If Satya is unhappy it’ll be at regulators.

[Infamy]

@EldenDarkwraith

This deal is looking more and more unlikely, thanks to the CMA…

Oh well, it was a fun ride but the reality is I’ll need to buy Diablo 4 and the next CoD.

@EldenDarkwraith

I wonder if this deal falls through, will Phil Spencer retire ? I doubt Satya will be happy

You really need to stop posting. You don’t seem to understand what you’re talking about.

[pg2g]

@Infamy

You really need to stop posting. You don’t seem to understand what you’re talking about.

You mean it’s not customary for the head of Xbox to perform seppuku if the deal falls through?

[TheBrightestSun]

@pg2g

You mean it’s not customary for the head of Xbox to perform seppuku if the deal falls through?

Microsoft just shot themselves in the foot. I don’t know how much the rest of you know about acquisition culture (I’m an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. It’s not like it is in moneyhatting where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw someone over in acquisiton, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance. What this means is the Twitter public, after hearing about this, is not going to want to purchase COD for either system, nor will they purchase any of Microsoft games. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Microsoft has alienated an entire market with this move. Microsoft, publicly apologize and cancel the acquisition or you can kiss your business goodbye.

[pg2g]

@TheBrightestSun

Well played lol

[LeeLayfield (Lee)]

@TheBrightestSun

I wonder how many people got some white hairs due to that deal It is like Twitter basically - not everybody will survive living there

No joke I got my first white hair about a month ago lol. Damn acquisitions turning me grey before my time

After the week we’ve just had let’s hope for more positive news next week. By positive I mean a competent regulator speaks.

[KakkaKarrotKake]

@pg2g

No, of course not. If Satya is unhappy it’ll be at regulators.

This isn’t 2014 where Phil had to convince MS to buy Minecraft, MS and Satya are all in on gaming now

If they are spending 70b on ABK it’s because Satya wants it

[TheBrightestSun]

@LeeLayfield

After the week we’ve just had let’s hope for more positive news next week. By positive I mean a competent regulator speaks.

We will have that fun ride every week probably

@pg2g

No, of course not. If Satya is unhappy it’ll be at regulators.

I do wonder what Satya is gonna do considering that Sony is trying to mess with their money.

[BadNews]

What if only UK blocks deal would that mean Microsoft would have to stop business there or does it mean in the UK they can’t have ABK games on gamepass? Also lets say only UK blocks it would be possible just to have a shell company publish games in the UK. Anyways, this whole thing is crazy how it seems CMA might be anti sub service when Sony themselves block games from going to gamepass in the past.

[Cairnst (Bill Cairns)]

@LeeLayfield

No joke I got my first white hair about a month ago lol. Damn acquisitions turning me grey before my time

After the week we’ve just had let’s hope for more positive news next week. By positive I mean a competent regulator speaks.

I don’t know if we’ll hear anything till most of these regulators make an actual decision and that could take a while for some of them. The big difference here seems to be that the CMA seems to want to make this whole thing very very public compared to everyone else.

[AllianceOfficer]

@Cairnst

I don’t know if we’ll hear anything till most of these regulators make an actual decision and that could take a while for some of them. The big difference here seems to be that the CMA seems to want to make this whole thing very very public compared to everyone else.

Thats not really true. CADE was as public as it gets. They literally was copies of every single submittal from every company they spoke to available online for the public to view. A few things were blacked out but thats it.

[TheBrightestSun]

@AllianceOfficer

Thats not really true. CADE was as public as it gets. They literally was copies of every single submittal from every company they spoke to available online for the public to view. A few things were blacked out but thats it.

Well CADE did not use Twitter I think.