Choze

This seems the same as MS's AI arrangements. Thanks to the EU and UK they think they can partnership to dominance and avoid any competition, tax or threat to their businesses. Seems I was correct about the incorrect classification of MS's Azure customers as competitors. Others will probably call it corruption. MS will take the EU and UK for a free ride.

The status quo is this extremity that is actually exceptional historically (Millennials and gen z only know this status quo). Eventually, nothing can actually function on this path. Lots of companies are doing lay-offs and using other means to shed workers. Removing work from home to excessive rules/culture to outsourcing etc.

Sad to see. My take is these lay-offs would have happened even if the last quarterly results were good. Look at Helldivers 2 success. Sony is no stranger to this stuff. Affects morale and quality. The main thing is I hope people end up OK. There needs to be more ways for these people to contribute to gaming.

Yeah the overall war effort stuff is huge fun. We are struggling with the automatons but I am sure more players will help out. Just really enjoy the medium/hard missions. Lots of games actively avoid stuff this game does. Nice win for Arrowhead, Sony/Bungie.

Got to say this game has some of the absolute best mission/objective design ever. Absolutely brilliant enemy interactions with them using their own tricks such as transmitter blocking bases etc. I am still low down on difficulty so more stuff seems to be opening up. Love the missions the game pouts you in. Am getting multiple main objectives now. Its refreshing to have a game like this.

Pre ordered. Am ready. Never finished the original ps1 game.

Paul Tassi port begging via Forbes. I wont link because nonsense like this does not deserve a click. MS is going the super sized 3rd party route to control gaming as per FTC.

I played a bit tonight but the game crashed and its hard re-logging in... Been playing it every day. Proud to have pre ordered this. Love the sound and haptic feedback design.

Cant wait for this. Will be a huge gaming moment.

The AAA clickbait is repeated too much. Sony and Nintendo consoles will be fine. The various 1st 2nd party studios will be fine. Delays happen and are necessary. IMO all of these studios have had ups and downs. At the end of the day yes of course more people buy the bigger games. Its no different to music, tv or movies. Indies will always have their place. Helldivers 2 had many years in development for the record and it feels very well play-tested.

MS are famous for offshoring, contracting and outsourcing to drive wages down. In the past this was illegal behaviour. Much like politicians, these tech companies are pure slime with their PR and marketing. The online armies Google, MS, Apple, Musk, Bezos etc. have are pathetic. Actions always matter more than words. We had Brexit here in the UK and this government now has record high legal migration at over 10x that of Tony Blair's. The right wing politicians are even more sold out to lobbyists despite shouting about immigration. They cant even handle Defence. Which makes war more likely. There is a race to the bottom for jobs and earnings. This is with high inflation and religious protection of corporate rents. Good article on how the EU differs from the USA on enforcement towards the largest monopolies when it comes to inflation and price rises. https://www.ft.com/content/065a2f93-dc1e-410c-ba9d-73c930cedc14 The EU has only blocked 14 mergers since its inception but at least we got USBC Iphones! That will solve everything! The UK is probably worse...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-07/ftc-knocks-microsoft-over-activision-blizzard-layoffs-in-court?leadSource=uverify+wall US FTC not giving up.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-07/ftc-knocks-microsoft-over-activision-blizzard-layoffs-in-court?leadSource=uverify+wall

More worried about MS's super publisher status. The move has hurt the industry and now their own Xbox fans so much. The lack of any denials or clarification today Monday, is bewildering. Tech companies have really made a mess of things. Especially in entertainment. Apple have a 200m flop currently for example.

Odds are other companies will look at getting into the console market if this is confirmed. MS were the main reason companies like Samsung and Nintendo opted out. No one wants to touch an industry once large tech companies settle in. Sony doing well is a bit of an anomaly. The games side is easier and more profitable. I hope the industry can recover from the massive amount of consolidation. Tech companies should get more pressure to demonstrate the value they create. More importantly positive value and not just leeching off the world. Technological Innovation is quite slow nowadays compared to the past.

The rumours are everywhere. No denials by MS. The Activision acquisition looks worse and worse by the day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/technology/epic-games-google-antitrust-ruling.html https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-v-google-trial-verdict-a-win-for-all-developers Massive win and fantastic news! Worth pointing out the Google Adtech case is also going to jury. Plenty to discuss.

Thanks, I'll have a closer look since you cant avoid anything of the leaks right now lol! Either way I suggest following new legal and political developments. There may be repercussions given this past week's historic success in other 'vertical merger' cases and the Epic case.

This is confirmed fake btw. Not part of the actual leak. BTW there have been several absolutely historic developments over the last week. Including the first vertical mergers being stopped in over 30-40 years! illumina grail lost their court case in the US and the deal was cancelled. Adobe also abandoned buying Figma. Among much else.

https://www.ft.com/content/a2ad4277-13a9-411e-ad59-230d5bea626c Good on Sweeney for fighting this and calling out fake remedies.

Well a tricky one. Hope single player type game studios can still thrive in the future. PS have been forced into live service gaming too after MS buying up the most successful publisher in the industry. You got MS ready to pull the rug on all the Activision, Bethesda and Blizzard games from Playstation. The next Xbox console targeting 2025 will put Sony in a Dreamcast position without key 3rd party franchise support. We know less innovation and more misery is coming due to the merger. Based on other markets and industries its going to be bleak under MS ownership in the long term.

The main difference here is that it was a jury decision. Key democratic function serving its purpose. Several Judges have been OK with deletion of information or evidence in comparison. Not to mention issues with social/professional links, family, friends, jobs etc. This is a big win no doubt and will influence future cases.

Finished the game and quite enjoyed it. Story does degrade when the 'big bad' becomes the focus. The big bad is alot like the Witness in Destiny 2. Similar issues. Combat is fun and exploring is good. Eager to try the dlc but like you, may wait. They really should go beyond the ending and refocus a on the kingdoms and characters etc.

The problem with this viewpoint is that it is too reliant on positivity and hopefulness over the hash reality and evidence. Its a huge change in industry dynamics and not for the better. The boring honest answer is that there will be less innovation, lowered industry wages, competition etc. Kotick also gets a $400 million payday. MS are by far and away the biggest games publisher and developer on the planet. Win win for MS and Kotick no matter how you spin it.

https://www.ft.com/content/c4ec903e-bc0c-46e0-958e-189f60dff24e Another MS buying Nintendo article. Assuming the UK CMA will finalise their review soonish. US FTC will still be against the merger though cant block it for now. Oh and MS owe $29 billion in taxes... https://www.ft.com/content/cd0596b3-a81c-4352-9e80-b7971d5e5495