I still stick to the opinion that Microsoft is not interested in owning movie production. BTW, how much is for the whole WB?
Looking up, it’s market cap is expected to be between 50 and 60 billion. It’s a bit of an extreme move to secure their own console exclusive Batman game, but you never know maybe if the wider Microsoft actually wanted to expand into movie and television.
not sure, something like 60 billion if I am not mistaken, I think apple would be most likely to scoop them up
Yeah, potentially. The best case scenario if Apple goes after TV part only.
That would be awful. Apple TV’s puritanical content policies don’t jive with a lot of WB content.
I suspect that Apple will be interested in TV part only, rather than gaming part due to Apple Arcade. They are more into more mobile experiences rather than the home console or PC. Not to mention they don’t support Windows.
And if they were to acquire WB, the developers will have to develop for Apple Arcade at best.
Im talking strictly about the film side, I dont think Apple would want the gaming stuff. They make money hand over fist with their current setup, their gaming “ambitions” seem to be more of a projection people put on them rather than something they actually seem interested in.
Apple TV has a no nudity or violence policy for its apple TV content. Now, I am not arguing that entertainment needs those things to be good, but those things should be at the discretion of content creators. WB has a lot of crime dramas and such, they don’t fit with what apple is trying to do with their content.
I still believe MS ends up with the gaming studios. There are too many synergies there for MS to let them go if they are available.
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If Microsoft were to go after media, they should acquire WB + Paramount + Spotify.
Spotify stocks are down from their very peak for a long time. They were 60b at one point, now they are around 30b. But I don’t see them buying anything multimedia. Would be nice to get some permanent perk though.
I also apologize in advance if any of my posts aren’t as well argued as intended. My back has been killing me so Im trying to put thoughts together while I wriggle in my chair trying to be comfortable. Getting old is no joke.
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Not well argued posts is the part and parcel of the acquisition thread 
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I don’t think there’s any valid concern for Apple to pick up WB; they’ve survived thus far by publishing external content (as in, they don’t own the film studios making said content) and, while they’ve won some awards, they’re growing just enough but not at the pace that would warrant a major upheaval to their current processes, such as spending the ~$90 billion on all of WB.
On the point of their content policies… I don’t know if they’re still the same (I remember reading the same thing about Cook’s mandates as you). Foundation and several other shows they’ve put out have had some gnarly violence and language is not an issue anymore (even Ted Lasso is filled with Knottian-levels of cursing)… I guess the one area where they seem potentially strict on is sex, though even that’s becoming lax based on some of the shows I’ve seen lately from them.
As someone has spent the better part of two decades following Apple’s trajectory, I don’t see them buying WB, not just for the aforementioned reasons but because Apple dips in and out of industries all the time; the moment ATV becomes unprofitable, they’ll bail (if the last two+ decades of their behavior are anything to go by). As such, they’re not the type to spend that kind of cash on an investment for a non-“hero” product as they call it. If ATV is still around in five years, maybe, but not right now.
I feel you my friend; I herniated a disc in 2017 and then fell off a ladder in 2020… and now I have what feels like quarterly debilitating back pain (it’s why I wasn’t on last week’s YHMAH podcast).
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I don’t follow apple closely, I just know apple TV is despite for their own original content, so I can’t can’t comment on their past history
User at OtherERA noticed this twitter
Deepl translation:
"An Xbox down jacket arrived (for some reason) directly to me from the US.
It had “team Xbox” embroidered on the arms.
Apparently, I was part of Team Xbox!
I don’t know who at Microsoft, but thank you!
(At least specify the sender.)"
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Love CC2. Hope to see them rebound financially.
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Next thing in the mail will be the acquisition check 
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That is interesting. I admittedly haven’t caught much content on Apple TV. I can almost see it being a situation where they have to loosen up a bit. It is noble in principle, but kind of unrealistic in the grand scheme of the entertainment business.
Im right there with you. Luckily for me it doesn’t strike quite as often as it does for you (yet…), but usually twice a year or so where I am just like OH NO I AM INCAPACITATED followed by a week of lying on the floor with my legs up on the recliner.
But I can tell you one thing that would soothe this back pain… Nether Realm
pats self on back
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This is one of the game companies I want xbox to acquire along side Platinum.
Phil make it happen 
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The estimated value of the combined corporation was $130 billion when it was announced. However, the final true value won’t be known until it’s completed and the markets settle on a value.
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Would it be smart for Microsoft to buy Epic Games? I understand they’d have to buy out the shares Tencent owns, but with MS wanting to make Game Stack bigger having the Unreal engine would be a big support for that.
I understand the price has to be something like 60 billion, because when you look at Roblox and then look at how big Fortnite is, then the engine Epic owns it has to be something like 60 billion.
So would it be smart for MS to go after Epic or not?
Epic is probably a solid buy purely as an investment, but it wouldn’t really add much for Xbox consumer wise. I mean, Fortnite is already free, as is most of their subsidaries games. So it adds nothing for game pass and they’d treat Fortnite the same as Minecraft so you’d get no exclusives either. I guess with both Harmonix AND Activision you could potentially make use of the Guitar Hero franchise, but that still requires them to want to and Epic seems to have other plans for that studio.
Honestly the biggest thing for Xbox would be Unreal and the wider support infrastructure built around Unreal and Fortnite. Looking at wikipedia they own a bunch of companies relating to 3D tech and more specific stuff like an anti-cheat team and a company that seems to be entirely about providing a safe digital environment for children. That sort of support network could be invaluable.
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