Microsoft continues its campaign in trying to finalize its buyout of Activision-Blizzard. The UK's Competition & Markets Authority, after investigating the Microsoft-Activision deal, has made a provisional ruling in favor of Microsoft, claiming that the acquisition "will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK". Both Blizzard and Microsoft have made statements praising the CMA's analysis. It should be noted that this isn't a final ruling, as that will take place on April 26th. This overturns the CMA's initial claims prior to the investigation, which sided with PlayStation's opposing stance, claiming that Microsoft would have an unfair market advantage, and would eventually remove major Activision games from PlayStation systems.

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[SkittleDash]

A step forward to throwing Bobby Kotick into the trash hopefully.

 

[osaka35]

Boooooourns

 

[chrisrlink]

i really rather see MS do a "rebirth" of Sierra's golden age and hired the surviving devs of their respected Quest Series Ken for Kings quest Mark+Scott for Space Quest etc ever since actiblizz killed the studio a void in my life existed (and that episonic KQ was garbage though i could see the graphics being a base line for the games going forward

 

[LightBeam]

I'm glad the UK does not cater to Sony's lobbying, especially when they've been hurt so much by Sony's price practices. Playstation games and consoles are so much more expensive in there compared to the US. Haven't compared the UK to France, but the regulation siding with Sony would have felt like stockholm syndrome

So UK and EU seem to validate the acquisition, let's see what the US side decides

 

[xdarkx]

I just hope this is actually all over and done with. Been seeing so many news articles that are going back and forth.

 

[Valwinz]

Big Sony L

 

[Xzi]

Just allow the buyout already. MS doesn't have the best track record around, but they're still leagues better than whatever the fuck it is ActiBlizzard has been doing the last decade. Plus we can finally ditch the Bnet launcher that has like ten whole games on it.

 

[HarveyHouston]

Herm... This doesn't look good.

 

[Fusion]

Herm... This doesn't look good.

Sony fan detected, applying morphine ministered.

 

[matpower]

Sony fan detected, applying morphine ministered.

Nice argument, buddy. Let's all commemorate Big Tech buying a company, paying as much as their main competitor is worth and becoming a gaming conglomerate, we all love Big Corps here, right?
Amazing how shortsighted people are, and how well Microsoft sold this "small fish in big pond" underdog narrative when they are arguably the biggest tech company in the world.

 

[urbanman2004]

I'm just tired of hearing news a/b it and rather the buyout officially finalize w/o all the drama and bickering. Sheesh ...

 

[Purple_Shyguy]

DLEETE THIS!!!!!!

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2023

Nice argument, buddy. Let's all commemorate Big Tech buying a company, paying as much as their main competitor is worth and becoming a gaming conglomerate, we all love Big Corps here, right?
Amazing how shortsighted people are, and how well Microsoft sold this "small fish in big pond" underdog narrative when they are arguably the biggest tech company in the world.

Microsoft with this acquisition are nowhere even close to being a monopoly which is Sonys entire argument.

The simple matter of fact is Sony are throwing a childish tantrum at the prospect of Call of Duty being taken from Playstation which would cost them billions from their 30% software cut and lose them tens of millions of hardware sales. They literally do not care about the consumer at all.

 

[osaka35]

I'm glad the UK does not cater to Sony's lobbying, especially when they've been hurt so much by Sony's price practices. Playstation games and consoles are so much more expensive in there compared to the US. Haven't compared the UK to France, but the regulation siding with Sony would have felt like stockholm syndrome

So UK and EU seem to validate the acquisition, let's see what the US side decides

DLEETE THIS!!!!!!View attachment 361236

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2023

View attachment 361237

Microsoft with this acquisition are nowhere even close to being a monopoly which is Sonys entire argument.

The simple matter of fact is Sony are throwing a childish tantrum at the prospect of Call of Duty being taken from Playstation which would cost them billions from their 30% software cut and lose them tens of millions of hardware sales. They literally do not care about the consumer at all.

ultimately, it's really just about how it affects consumers. and I'd rather they'd had sided with consumers and anti-trust. sony and microsoft are both huge doinks and neither give a single crap about consumer rights or many of the things consumers do. that's where these governmental bodies were suppose to help. they failed.

this is definitely a bad thing for consumers in the long run, even if it gives sony a bloody nose.

 

[HideoKojima]

Soon the U.S. will force Japan to sell Sony for privacy issue in it's games.

 

[LightBeam]

ultimately, it's really just about how it affects consumers. and I'd rather they'd had sided with consumers and anti-trust. sony and microsoft are both huge doinks and neither give a single crap about consumer rights or many of the things consumers do. that's where these governmental bodies were suppose to help. they failed.

this is definitely a bad thing for consumers in the long run, even if it gives sony a bloody nose.

I still don't see how this buyout would be bad for us, and when I ask people they fail to convince me, but I'm still willing to hear how this would hurt us. Sony was already hurting consumers before this buyout. How is Microsoft shaking things up and make Sony leave their place of comfort be bad for us ? It's not like Microsoft is going to go Shinra-mode if they get ABK, they probably would if they could but we're far from it

 

[HarveyHouston]

Sony fan detected, applying morphine ministered.

Your morphine isn't working, because I'm not legitimately a Sony fan.

View attachment 361237

Microsoft with this acquisition are nowhere even close to being a monopoly which is Sonys entire argument.

My concern is not Microsoft becoming a monopoly; besides, that isn't an accurate depiction of Microsoft being a monopoly, anyway.

My concern is for Activision/Blizzard. Microsoft has been known to stab companies in the back before, and I fear that this may happen in this acquisition.

 

[stanleyopar2000]

The idea that Microsoft would withhold Call of Duty from Sony is idiotic. You know much money they would lose from the fuckin’ rubes who pay $20 for a skin?

 

[Jayro]

I'm sure glad the U.K. doesn't have any pull over American companies like Microsoft and Craptivision/Blizzturd. This buyout doesn't need to happen. Microsoft already owns so much shit, it's absurd. I'm shocked they haven't been hit with more antitrust lawsuits after the Zenimax acquisition, tbh.

 

[64bitmodels]

meh