Bobby Kotick Is Stoking Chinese Fear To Champion The Microsoft Acquisition

The CEO of Activision Blizzard went on national TV to say that China and Japan are the reason that the Microsoft deal should go through

[LG_Fox_Brazil]

Kotick really is desperate to have this deal go through and avoid all the charges

[Orchard]

Acquisitions going through don't cancel lawsuits or criminal proceedings.

[Sonic1881]

Not without concessions. I expect a few Activision titles to remain multiplatform if Microsoft wants this deal to go through. And that's a big IF it goes through

[1Victor]

Orchard “Acquisitions going through don't cancel lawsuits or criminal proceedings.”
In his case yes it does as all those lawsuits are inherited by the new owners while he possibly leaves the company with a clean record plus not been fired or been held accountable means he can be hired by another company

[Redemption-64]

It will no longer be his problem, MS will have to be the one that takes on all these problems

[rlow1]

@ Victor1
I don’t know if that’s true but I can tell that they can go after him still by personally suing him.

[CobraKai]

This is desperation. Who knows, the deal may go through, but he’s scared.

[PureBlood]

This guy barely looks human and certainly lacks the morals of one. Now he's coming out with this codswallop!

Makes my skin crawl.

[blackblades]

Look at him and them eyes

[Name Last Name]

lol those eyes are not from this world

[PureBlood]

^ ikr? It's the same with Bill Gates and Tony Blair.

[Bathyj]

You know the thing about a shark…he's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eye. When he comes at ya, he doesn't seem be living, until he bites ya and the black eyes roll over white

[porkChop]

Explain how the deal going through would mean he avoids the various lawsuits. I keep seeing people say this yet no one ever has any logical explanation for why the lawsuits would just suddenly stop.

[SoulWarrior]

Oh big bad Tencent, please the oh so benevolent Microsoft save us and my multi million hundred pay off :(

[S2Killinit]

Whats more is that if this deal doesn’t go through, it makes any other acquisitions more difficult also. If it does go through, it sets legal precedence for more acquisitions, setting off a frenzy.

Kotick is full of shit.

[MrDead]

Will TenCent ban entire platforms from Activision Blizzard games? If not then Tencent is a far better choice for gamers.

[Orchard]

No, but instead it'll be heavily censored and proceeds will go towards imprisoning Uyghurs based on their religion and other severe human rights violations.

[MrDead]

So you buy nothing that's made in China, good on you for not funding imprisoning Uyghurs... why do you think Tencent owning Activision Blizzard will make any difference to Chinas human rights violations?

Grow up.

[Orchard]

I do indeed avoid buying "Made in China" when possible yes, I actively look at the country of manufacture when shopping in a store. Obviously it's not feasible to completely avoid it, but the less I give to the CCP, the better.

And yes, Tencent are in bed with the CCP, so the less money they get the better.

I am a grown up, that's why I'm concerned about the CCP's human rights violations and not funding it more than necessary 🤷

[Orchard]

"So you're still part of the problem then and fund the CCP."

Yes, it's like recycling. Will I singlehandedly save the planet by recycling? No. Does that mean I should just give up and burn all my trash? Nope.

So now disliking Tencent and the CCP, and their grip on gaming, means you agree with Bobby and his sexual misconduct?

I think it's clear who the kid is here 🤷

[jznrpg]

We all buy stuff from China and most of it we don’t even know that it’s from China . They just make too much stuff. When Reagan allowed US manufacturing laws to go out the window we ended up with what we have today.
But this acquisition has nothing to do with China.
Activision doesn’t have to sell anything to China and if they do that’s on them.

[MrDead]

You're using fearmongering and now shown to be a hypocrite who thinks that they are making a point by using strawman arguments, you know you have no legs to stand on, so sit down kid.

[Crows90]

Yes Microsoft is the saviour.. grown-up? More like naive

[Nitrowolf2]

Don't you, and haven't you own every xbox? I got some bad news for...

Pretty sure the phone, TV, pc, basically Amy electronics u use are from China too

[notachance]

you should stop buying all game consoles and PC then, they're all made at least partially in China

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Exactly.

[Shane Kim]

Haha that caring about Uyghurs made laugh.

[-Foxtrot]

Wow he’s on a role lately, he must be desperate for this to go through…wonder if it’s to save his own skin from lol those misconducts that have been going on

[Orchard]

Well, he's not wrong in a way. China isn't playing by the same rules as the western world and refuses to hobble itself.

[Christopher]

How is ActiBlizz, which makes a ton of profit each year, hobbled by not joining Microsoft and continuing to make billions in profits each year? They literally just broke their own record again and will soon be the most valuable IP in gaming. Where is the hobbling?

Edit: To add, playing down consoles to the mobile market, yet consoles are also selling better than their predecessors and continuing to make more money each year.

[Orchard]

Not Activision in particular, but the US markets overall. How do we remain competitive with China when we are so restrictive and they run free?

It might not have any immediate impact, but over the longer term, China is likely going to overtake the US on that front.

[Christopher]

***How do we remain competitive with China when we are so restrictive and they run free?***

We are breaking our own records, which are the leading records for video game companies in the world. How can we ever remain competitive when we are winning the competition? How?

***China is likely going to overtake the US on that front.***

China is setting itself up as its own market. They restrict gaming time, they restrict what you can play. But, they're not doing anything outside of it except for a few mobile games. The mass majority of mobile games are Western games and make tons of money. Consoles and PC? Overwhelmingly Western/Japanese.

I understand Tencent buying up things, but outside of that, China is setting up its own market to keep others out, but they still aren't controlling the market outside of China at all. Just the desire for businesses to make money in China.

[Orchard]

@Christopher We are indeed the leaders today, but for how long?

Tencent are moving to be a, if not the, dominant force in international gaming though, regardless of restrictions within China. Just look at their stake in Epic for example, Epic at this point have a very strong grip on both game engines and online services, and by proxy, Tencent too.

Control the middleware, you control the industry.

[Christopher]

***We are indeed the leaders today, but for how long?***

For as long as we set precedents that major publisher buyouts can't happen and keep the industry competitive with more publishers than fewer. But, no, let's go with the FUD of "China is coming for us, run for the hills" and just consolidate everything under a few non-Chinese companies? These are lies told you by businesses who want to make money in China and not by people worried about China taking over the industry.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It’s not hobbled but if they want to be bought what’s the problem. The arguments against acquisition are weak.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Kotick is a sad human being imo.

[dumahim]

Who let him out of his cage? Feels like he went dark for a long while and now this is like the thid article about him in like 2 days.

[darkrider]

Because things aren't going like he wanted. That simple. He thought the deal would get green light like in other 3rd world countries...

[Hofstaderman]

My question is why is Phil so quiet?

[dumahim]

He's been plenty vocal throughout. But it does look like it's been 9 days since the last Phil Says article. Unusual, but not crazy.

[PureBlood]

Seems like he's been kicked to the corner while Nadella talks crap instead.

[Hofstaderman]

@Pureblood be like shut up Phil big daddy Nadella is talking.

[darkrider]

Kotick also fears Martians and the deal should be approved. It got nothing to do with the 30 millions he will get. Nope, not really.

How low can someone go to get a big fat check. Next this deal must go on because without it videogaming can end.

[Mr_cheese]

I can't believe that there is another article about this fake geezer.

Propaganda is a dangerous weapon, especially when it is utilised by one.

[S2Killinit]

These guys are scum

[343_Guilty_Spark]

He’s not wrong. Asia is a protected market.

[mastershredder]

Ironic since he’s got a background for padding questionable profits IN China cough cough… Tencent…cough…unchecked $ exploits…cough…more shit is about to get lit and it’s gonna be awesome. (Blizzard’s dumping of China is much more complicated than most realize).

[S2Killinit]

Honestly fu€k kotick and fu€k MS.

These guys are ruining gaming forever.

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

why do both him and andrew ryan both look uncanny valley af?

[ActualEngineer]

As someone that currently does ACTUAL RESEARCH in AR and VR in an ACTUAL university ... most of you people don't know jack. This buy-out won't make a single difference in the gaming scene and how it will pan out in the next years and won't hinder it's growth ATALL. The gaming industry is expected to grow MASSIVELY in the next 20 years, with gamification and digitalisation brining a bridge between businesses - services - culture - social structures - dating and a unified game-world. GJ to the couch warriors.

[YourMommySpoils]

Send this flip out the door.

[Binarycode]

China is in deep shit anyway.

Because of the 1 child policy, they don't have the children and teachings to keep the economy afloat. 10 -15 and china is fked.

https://www.reuters.com/wor...

[hombreacabado]

he always seem to be on the verge to morphing into a spiderman villain like the green goblin.

[Dirty_Lemons]

He must be a martian.