Microsoft said it would license Activision Blizzard's "Call of Duty" (CoD) to Sony for 10 years to address concerns raised by Britain over its $69 billion takeover of the games maker, according to a document published by the regulator.
@MrDead lol think about this true thing that you said some more. I agree, one company with huge control over a market does not benefit consumers. Which company is that right now again?
“I agree, one company with huge control over a market does not benefit consumers. Which company is that right now again?“
Sony which has giving us the amazing games and Nintendo that provided us with a portable console aside their amazing 1st party games. It’s Microsoft’s fault they’re in the position they’re in.
And honestly, I don’t think Xbox will ever be able to compete with Sony and Nintendo. That’s why they’re desperate to devour the gaming industry.
@Jin, yea Sony has brought gaming some incredible games, TLOU 1 is in my top 5 all time….. but dude, there’s some awful things Sony has used their position as market leader to do.. $70 base games a full two years before MS/Nintendo, still can’t purchase digital releases outside of Sony - which would create better prices for consumers - hardware price increases - non-compete clauses, and on and on….. cmon do you really enjoy paying more??? Their profits are healthy as they show us time and time again.
Yeah they've said it before but Sony refuses to make any deals or have discussions. After making the same deal with Nvidia and Nintendo, MS is basically reiterating that they're offering the same to Sony. Essentially they're trying to alleviate concerns from regulators and show that they're ready and willing to work it out if Sony will come to the table and talk.
Just saw a report that Microsoft has also offered Sony the option to put future Call of Duty games on its PlayStation Plus subscription service on day one.
Yeah..Jim should take the 10 year. And start concentrating on their own fps games. Im sure out of 5 or 10 fps shooters, 1 or 2 are bound to be succesful. Getting fed up of this whole fiasco.
Ms has made all sorts of consecions to Sony but the reality is there is NO deal that will satisfy them. They WANT this thing to fail and are now being petty to claim things that arent even remotely possible (like bugging PS versions). If they didnt do it to Minecraft they certainly wouldnt do it to CoD or any other game. Sony is losing face here with their claims. They know this is going to close with or without their agreement.
"Sigh" again, it's not about being "petty". It's about Sony fighting to retain a 30% cut of revenue from a multi-billion dollar generating IP! Which, newsflash, Sony has a LEGAL obligation to its shareholders to do! Anytime I see someone like you trying to boil this down to "well they're being petty" it immediately lets me know how low resolution your thinking is. This situation is much more nuanced and complex than you seem to have the mental capacity to comprehend. So do us a favor and let the grownups in the room discuss this and go play with your crayons.
Sony doesn't even get a 30% cut now. Activision has a deal where it gets the majority from Sony and they keep the rest lmao. Do your research next time.
You’ll probably want to go anywhere else on the Internet if you want to have a serious discussion about this. Anywhere but N4G. This is not where you go to have grownup discussions.
Let's not get petty here. Ms have so done the same just look at Psychonauts 2 they wouldn't let the upgrade be available to PlayStation owners who BTW supported double fine
And look at Bethesda and how all those games will never see any release on PlayStation. As a Xbox series X owner I just don't like this double talk. On one hand they want more gamers to play the games yet won't release them on the biggest console platform
As a gamer I am just tired of this they should just let the acquisition happen and move on. This has been played out in public space for PR so much that I don't even think even gamers really understand what they want
But if this deal is approved please don't complain later if Sony acquiring Capcom becomes a reality
I would go with the pulling-the-rug situation. Hey if they own them, they own them. The 10-year offer is a temporary filter so Sony can stop complaining, and regulators can let the deal pass...it's actually a great deal, if you buy something you are not obligated to share it. The way it's looking is Sony might lose altogether, as MS has made it official that CoD will be on every device possible. The FTC is not there to protect one company, when in truth the game will become more accessible to more people.
But so what, Sony should take the 10 years, and make some power moves during the 10 years. 10 years is a long time, and Sony should be making power moves so losing CoD would not be a sudden thing or such a huge loss. They should work hard on the 10 live service games, throw them at the wall, and hope one or more sticks.
With Sony's talent, they could have a live service game that could-match Genshin Impact, which is major bank, and all profit go to them...get to work Sony, accept the deal, and stop bitching.
Kaz would likely have taken the deal. Same with Shawn. Jimbo... not so much. And he doesn't seem at all interested in encouraging the resurrection of some of PS dormant shooters to compete. Socom, Killzone, MAG... that would be hella cool if MAG came back. He is relying too much on that CoD $$.
They don't want Microsoft buying up the industry. It isn't about CoD perse. Did Sony complain about Bethesda purchase? Sony sees where this is likely headed. Activision today, EA tomorrow, Take2 the day after. CoD is just their best chance at getting the deal canned which is why they aren't taking the deal. They care more about stopping it than having CoD.
I just wish it was twin years in the future so all of this can be over already. So much better gaming conversation can be had without this juggernaut always taking up space.
Damn, is this all the game industry can talk about? Just this COD shit over and over, same game every year. Man, people have no taste and want the same crap every year. Pretty sad and pathetic on what has become of this industry. It would be better for N4G to just stop posting these stories over and over.
Numerous other games are in the Activision portfolio you know, all of which are effected. The blizzard stuff has been getting fantastic console ports and will likely be yanked from playstation if this deal goes through.
After the Bethesda deal I don't trust Microsoft at all. They 100% are willing to gut a franchises playerbase to lash out against sony.
It would be best to let Activision/Blizzard dissolve and just be a memory. They were amazing in the 90's , early 2000's just up until the lawsuits kept coming one after another. Whatever good people are left there, it would be best for them to leave and form their own company.
@JinSakai Bro, I've been saying this forever. I find it absolutely amazing that Xbox fans keep falling for this insane narrative. Xbox failed miserably during Xbox One era and bought enough studios in 2018 to bring them to 15 studios. Which was the most of the big three. THEN they bought Bethesda, increasing their total to 23. More than Sony. More than Nintendo. THEN they said "we just cannot compete with these guys so we need MORE studios." Sony finally responded by buying Bluepoint and MS responds by buying ABK, increasing to over 30 studios, when they can't even manage the 15 internal ones they had. So Sony finally decides to bolster by buying Firesprite, Valkyrie and Bungie. MS currently owns these big franchises: Halo Gears Forza Fable Elder Scrolls Fallout Doom Wolfenstein I can then go into the smaller but still amazing IPs they ALREADY own. But they're telling me.... They now NEED: COD Overwatch Diablo Warcraft StarCraft Crash Spyro Tony Hawk Etc.... Just to compete? WTF. Gtfoh. So Xbox fans are rewarding Xbox for mismanaging their IPs by wanting them to buy the biggest western IPs of all time because Sony and Nintendo built theirs up. The logic is just sad.
Didn't we already know this? I'm sure they offered 10 years before.
I'm so bored by all this. It was interesting at first. A bit.
Ms has made all sorts of consecions to Sony but the reality is there is NO deal that will satisfy them. They WANT this thing to fail and are now being petty to claim things that arent even remotely possible (like bugging PS versions). If they didnt do it to Minecraft they certainly wouldnt do it to CoD or any other game. Sony is losing face here with their claims. They know this is going to close with or without their agreement.
So which is it MS? Is CoD being treated like Minecraft or is it only timed multiplat for all until you pull the rug out from competition?
Again?
I just wish it was twin years in the future so all of this can be over already. So much better gaming conversation can be had without this juggernaut always taking up space.