Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard Discussion Thread (Part 1)

[TheBrightestSun]

@Sparda3g

I guess this week will have a lot of news regarding that.

[BRiT]

@Sparda3g

Is that a certain journalist now trying to reach out to everyone he’s blocked already?

[Knottian]

@BRiT

Is that a certain journalist now trying to reach out to everyone he’s blocked already?

My thoughts exactly…

[TheBrightestSun]

@BRiT

Is that a certain journalist now trying to reach out to everyone he’s blocked already?

LMAO. Did not even think about that He won’t like the poll result though

[Resist]

The hubris (from certain law makers and regulating bodies) in trying to stop this deal on any sort of ethical grounds. It’s not protecting workers or consumers.

[proelitedota]

Oh man, if in the end we get news that Biden pressure FTC to not block it, Jschreir needs to be the one writing that article.

Play silly games, get silly rewards.

[TheBrightestSun]

In 25m

COUP AT THE FTC? | Xbox, Activision, and a Speculative NY Post (VL750)

@proelitedota

Oh man, if in the end we get news that Biden pressure FTC to block it, Jschreir needs to be the one writing that article.

Considering rail workers fiasco, Biden might look into ABK deal. Would be hilarious if the president of USA makes a twitter post about gaming company acquisition

[TheBrightestSun]

Opinion | Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard Acquisition Is Good for Gamers

Sadly paywalled I don’t remember website that allows to remove the paywall

Considering the railroad workers fiasco, Biden admin might be interested in this deal. But that CWA move was brilliant

[Sparda3g]

Tom Warren

“People talk loud when they want to act smart, right?”

Sony: Correct!

[TheBrightestSun]

@TheBrightestSun

Sadly paywalled I don’t remember website that allows to remove the paywall

Considering the railroad workers fiasco, Biden admin might be interested in this deal. But that CWA move was brilliant

The Federal Trade Commission reportedly plans to sue Microsoft to stop our proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. That would be a huge mistake. It would hurt competition, consumers and thousands of game developers.

Microsoft faces huge challenges in the gaming industry. Our Xbox remains in third place in console gaming, stuck behind Sony’s dominant PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. We have no meaningful presence in the mobile game industry. That segment of gaming generates the most revenue and is the fastest-growing, but a significant portion of the revenue goes to Google and Apple through their app-store fees.

Acquiring Activision Blizzard would enable Microsoft to compete against these companies through innovation that would benefit consumers. While modern consumers can stream videos or music on multiple devices on low-cost subscription plans, many games can often only be individually purchased and downloaded onto one device. Microsoft wants to change that by offering consumers the option to subscribe to a cloud gaming service that lets them stream a variety of games on multiple devices for one reasonable fee. It would also benefit developers by allowing them to reach a much broader audience.

To get subscribers to this service, Microsoft needs a full library of popular games and, as things stand, we simply don’t have enough. That’s where the acquisition comes in. Activision Blizzard comes with popular mobile, PC and console games, including “Candy Crush,” “World of Warcraft” and “Call of Duty.”

Sony has emerged as the loudest objector. It’s as excited about this deal as Blockbuster was about the rise of Netflix. The main supposed potential anticompetitive risk Sony raises is that Microsoft would stop making “Call of Duty” available on the PlayStation. But that would be economically irrational. A vital part of Activision Blizzard’s “Call of Duty” revenue comes from PlayStation game sales. Given the popularity of cross-play, it would also be disastrous to the “Call of Duty” franchise and Xbox itself, alienating millions of gamers.

That’s why we’ve offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each new “Call of Duty” release available on PlayStation the same day it comes to Xbox. We’re open to providing the same commitment to other platforms and making it legally enforceable by regulators in the U.S., U.K. and European Union. Microsoft made a similar commitment to the European Commission when we acquired LinkedIn in 2016, ensuring access to key technologies for competing services.

Some regulators worry that any big-tech acquisition will harm consumers and workers. But Microsoft committed in February to govern its new cloud-based game store by the pro-competition principles outlined in the app-store legislation pending in Congress. And in May we negotiated a precedent-setting agreement with the Communications Workers of America allowing workers to organize easily at studios, including Activision Blizzard.

Blocking our acquisition would make the gaming industry less competitive and gamers worse off. Think about how much better it is to stream a movie from your couch than drive to Blockbuster. We want to bring the same sort of innovation to the videogame industry.

Mr. Smith is vice chair and president of Microsoft.

[Don-Vito]

Boy bombs dropping today

[leburn98]

Sony has emerged as the loudest objector. It’s as excited about this deal as Blockbuster was about the rise of Netflix.

[Hue]

@TheBrightestSun

LMAO. Did not even think about that He won’t like the poll result though

LOL No!

[TheSlickTony]

@Proven

Gauntlet thrown.

[TheBrightestSun]

Video Game Workers at Microsoft and Activision Take Steps to Unionize

[Sparda3g]

Brad Smith

[TheSlickTony]

@TheBrightestSun

[Biggzy]

@TheBrightestSun

Impeccable timing lol.

[LeeLayfield]

It’s been 2 weeks since I last looked at this stuff and damn a lot of news.

Seems positive overall so hopefully good news coming soon.

[KakkaKarrotKake]

@LeeLayfield

It’s been 2 weeks since I last looked at this stuff and damn a lot of news.

Seems positive overall so hopefully good news coming soon.

If you’re following it every day then it can feel like a rollercoaster, it’s exhausting lol