darksnowman Posted January 30, 2022 Posted January 30, 2022 He says Warzone... I say NO MERCY! On 26/01/2022 at 8:12 AM, Dcubed said: A stay of execution until 2024 then. With the deal expecting to be closed in FY 23, did people really believe all projects for non-Microsoft platforms had been cancelled with immediate effect?
Cube Posted January 31, 2022 Author Posted January 31, 2022 I think, legally, Activision needs to remain acting independently until the deal is finished (so can't do anything to purposefully favour Microsoft), so they can potentially make new deals with Sony up until the sale.
Dcubed Posted January 31, 2022 Posted January 31, 2022 1 hour ago, Cube said: I think, legally, Activision needs to remain acting independently until the deal is finished (so can't do anything to purposefully favour Microsoft), so they can potentially make new deals with Sony up until the sale. I wouldn't have thought that they could make any further behind-the-scenes deals with Sony at this point; but rather they have to honour the existing behind-the-scenes deals that they already have in place. Much like how Bethesda had to honour their existing Sony exclusivity deals with Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo.
Dcubed Posted February 19, 2022 Posted February 19, 2022 https://www.theverge.com/22941636/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-sec-filing-came-together Some additional information regarding the ABK purchase from the new SEC filings... Quote Microsoft's initial proposal to buy ABK came just a mere 3 days after the initial WSJ article that detailed the big sexual harassment scandal, more or less right when Phil Spencer put out that statement that said he was "troubled" regarding the allegations and that they were "re-evaluating their relationship" with Activision-Blizzard (he wasn't kidding!) There were a total of 5 companies (sadly un-named) that were in the running to buy ABK. One outright could not afford the purchase, while the others were stamped out by Microsoft before they even got a chance to make a formal bid. If the merger is blocked by the FTC, Microsoft must pay ABK a termination fee of between $2-3 Billion. If Activision Blizzard’s shareholders do not vote to approve the merger for whatever reason though, it must pay Microsoft a termination fee of $2.27 billion. Bobby Kotick "stands to gain $410,142,075 based on the $95 per share that Microsoft plans to pay — and he has an additional “golden parachute” worth $14,592,302 if he decides to stay and Microsoft then pushes him out anyway. That doesn’t count his 2.2 million stock options, either, which could be worth hundreds of millions of additional dollars depending on how much they cost to exercise". The SEC filings also confirm that COD Vanguard missed sales expectations. That's crazy just how fast MS pounced on that scandal! They smelt blood in the water like a shark!
Dcubed Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 (edited) Oh snap! That's massive. Huge, huge blow for Activision and the traditional AAA console gaming sector as a whole. Edited February 23, 2022 by Dcubed
drahkon Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) Man, I wish I made a lucky $100 mil bet. Edited March 9, 2022 by drahkon
Julius Posted May 4, 2022 Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) Activision and Bobby Kotick don't look to be in the clear just yet (thank the gaming gods): Awesome. Was worried this would let up with the sale. Edited May 4, 2022 by Julius 1
Dcubed Posted September 7, 2022 Posted September 7, 2022 (edited) https://www.gamesindustry.biz/playstation-xboxs-call-of-duty-offer-was-inadequate-on-many-levels Jim Ryan spills the beans on the Microsoft-Activision-Sony deal regarding COD! Quote Microsoft has promised to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years beyond the current agreement between Activision and Sony, says PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan. In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Ryan says the offer was "inadequate on many levels". The current deal between Sony and Activision Blizzard around Call of Duty is believed to cover the next three releases, including this year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. However, Sony says the offer fails to consider the impact on PlayStation gamers. "I hadn't intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum," Ryan stated. "Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft's proposal undermines this principle." Sony airing dirty laundry in public? You love to see it! Edited September 7, 2022 by Dcubed
bob Posted September 8, 2022 Posted September 8, 2022 What is he on about? I would have thought that 3 years is very generous considering they are under no obligation to let Devs they own develop games for the opposition.Won't Sony think of the impact on Xbox gamers not being able to play the new Spider-Man!
Hero-of-Time Posted September 8, 2022 Posted September 8, 2022 22 minutes ago, bob said: What is he on about? I would have thought that 3 years is very generous considering they are under no obligation to let Devs they own develop games for the opposition. Won't Sony think of the impact on Xbox gamers not being able to play the new Spider-Man! Yeah, it's a very weird thing to kick off about. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are no strangers to paying for games to be exclusive to their consoles. Granted, what MS are doing now is on a much larger scale but it's essentially the same thing. Moneyhatting and exclusives have been around for years and it's a way make your platform more attractive to the consumer. Jim Ryan is in a panic because if CoD does become a true Xbox exclusive then Sony will lose a stupid amount of money.
drahkon Posted September 8, 2022 Posted September 8, 2022 Companies/execs are hypocrites. Always have been, always will be. He's right to say something, but he could've also shut his mouth because Sony is playing the same game (albeit to a much lesser degree than Microsoft). If CoD ends up not coming to PlayStation in the future and if I still don't see any value in entering the XBox/Microsoft gaming world, I'll simply stop playing CoD and find something else
Glen-i Posted September 8, 2022 Posted September 8, 2022 This smacks of that time Epic tried to rile up Fortnite fans during that whole Apple lawsuit. It's a desperation tactic to make Sony look like the good guy in this. As if console warring wasn't abundant enough.
Hero-of-Time Posted September 8, 2022 Posted September 8, 2022 35 minutes ago, drahkon said: If CoD ends up not coming to PlayStation in the future and if I still don't see any value in entering the XBox/Microsoft gaming world, I'll simply stop playing CoD and find something else Destiny?
drahkon Posted September 8, 2022 Posted September 8, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said: Destiny? Depends on how they treat the franchise's future. Always wanted to give Destiny 2 another go, but the fact that they vaulted a lot of content pisses me off. Edited September 8, 2022 by drahkon
Hero-of-Time Posted December 8, 2022 Posted December 8, 2022 Well, things are heating up again... Quote The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to block technology giant Microsoft Corp. from acquiring leading video game developer Activision Blizzard, Inc. and its blockbuster gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, alleging that the $69 billion deal, Microsoft's largest ever and the largest ever in the video gaming industry, would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud-gaming business. In a complaint issued today, the FTC pointed to Microsoft's record of acquiring and using valuable gaming content to suppress competition from rival consoles, including its acquisition of ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks (a well-known game developer). Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda's titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles. "Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals," said Holly Vedova, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition. "Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets."
Jonnas Posted February 9, 2023 Posted February 9, 2023 2 hours ago, Choze said: Kotick going after Rishi Sunak as presiding over Death Valley instead of Silicon Valley I'm afraid I'm lost on this sentence. I get that the CMA has found the acquisition to be harmful and borderline monopolistic... But what does this part I quoted actually mean?
Dcubed Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 And there it is... Sony's gonna have a real tough time arguing that the deal reduces availabilty of COD across gaming platforms now.
Sheikah Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 And there it is... Sony's gonna have a real tough time arguing that the deal reduces availabilty of COD across gaming platforms now.They can just argue that all it does is delay the outcome they're saying will happen for 10 years. Nothing has changed here - Microsoft have been saying they'd give 10 year access even before they started getting shot down by all the regulators.
Dcubed Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 2 hours ago, Sheikah said: They can just argue that all it does is delay the outcome they're saying will happen for 10 years. Nothing has changed here - Microsoft have been saying they'd give 10 year access even before they started getting shot down by all the regulators. This is no longer just cheap talk though, their claim has now been backed up by legally binding action. Sony can’t argue that MS are just blowing smoke about said 10 year deal anymore.
Dcubed Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 (edited) NVidia now have a deal with Microsoft as well, allowing not just COD to appear on Nvidia's Geforce Now streaming service, but ALL Xbox Game Studios titles as well! As announced in the (currently running) Microsoft European Press Briefing. Liveblog currently running below via Eurogamer... https://www.eurogamer.net/live-microsoft-press-briefing-on-activision-blizzard-deal-future Sony is now the one and only party within the video game industry that currently opposes the Microsoft ABK purchase. Edited February 21, 2023 by Dcubed
Sheikah Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 This is no longer just cheap talk though, their claim has now been backed up by legally binding action. Sony can’t argue that MS are just blowing smoke about said 10 year deal anymore.It just comes across as desperation really, like they know they're doing badly and have to do what they can to convince the regulators otherwise. Nothing has changed, this was always the deal they were offering, I don't think anyone thought it was a false promise.
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