Today Xbox Corporate Vice President of Game Creator Experience & Ecosystem Sarah Bond commented on the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.
Translation: "Thanks for cheering on your favorite Trillion dollar company and thanks for supporting us on our quest to consolidate the gaming market. Monopoly isn't just a board game, it's one of the fundamentals of our business. Thank you."
He's not wrong. Same company busted before for monopolistic behavior. Can't seem to make quality games consistently although having more resources and wealth compared to two companies with less wealth. Tries to make 10 year deals where other companies host the games but Microsoft makes 100 percent of the profits. But same company that admitted game pass cannibalizes sales and in turn, cannibalizes console sales with game pass on PC.
Basically, take away games they already get from Activision. And supposedly, save us from Google, Apple and Amazon.
When they have to continue buying third party publishers and franchises like Halo, Gears, Bethesda, Activision, etc because of lack of management and direction internally, you know there's a problem. Sony has changed leadership each generation. But has won generations and continues making high sales. Microsoft has the same executives, but can't seem to compete on even footing.
People act like they are buying their mothers and taking them away. No one cares when Sony, EA, etc bought other publishers to get big it’s the same concept it’s just due to inflation and things were cheaper it was basically the same scale back then compared to now. No one cries when those companies buy publishers.
what they are crying about is the possibility that Microsoft could one day beat Sony because of this deal that’s really what it comes down to at least that’s what gamers are whining about. We know it’s only a particular type of gamer that is whining.
@soul a publisher is a publisher just because it was at a time where games didn’t take 100’s of people to make doesn’t negate the counter argument that people try to make saying publishers should be off limits. The truth of the matter is other companies have bought publishers to grow how do you think EA and sony for example got as big in the industry? So my point being it shouldn’t be any different when Microsoft does it. Unless it gave them a monopoly which it doesn’t.
There is nothing wrong with Xbox fans wanting this to go through. Because it would add so much value to game pass not everything is about what people call the console wars. It would also add value to other platforms besides Xbox. People can’t make a justifiable argument as to why it shouldn’t go through.
***No one cares when Sony, EA, etc bought other publishers to get big***
Strawman argument, ho! Because Microsoft which already has more studios than Sony needs to get bigger and it has nothing to do with it being the largest purchase in the history of gaming and it being a massive loss of third-party competition and that the cost for it is being completely funded by Microsoft, not Xbox.
***what they are crying about is the possibility that Microsoft could one day beat Sony because of this deal ***
By using anti-competitive measures, meaning using trillion dollar parent company to buy out the industry and outpace the competition. No shit, Sherlock.
And I don't care if it beats Sony, what I care about is if it results in future monopolistic behavior because this is an industry-affecting item that will cause a massive change in control and funds solely because Microsoft can afford to pay for the privilege, and not because another third-party company buys them out and maintains it as an external factor to platforms and cloud servicing.
I don't give a crap about Sony here. I give a crap about the industry. But, hey, you make whatever strawman arguments you want because while you jeer at others for being Sony-favored you're doing the exact same thing here, just acting like you're not.
And, hey, good look calling others opinions crying. What a winning way to argue!
@chris so it’s okay that tencent, embracer, Sony, take two etc keep buying all these developers/publishers billion dollar ones at that and plan on buying more also further consolidating the industry but there is no uproar about that…. Microsoft does it at a bigger scale and that’s not okay??? These are also third party developers those companies bought. What’s fair is fair. Yes we know Microsoft is funding it that is the company behind the xbox didn’t realize people where not aware of that.
We all know Microsoft is not the most capable in handling their studios so the number they have means nothing if they can’t produce quality games. Quality over quantity. Everyone knows that about Microsoft.
You are using the same argument the CMA is using and almost everyone including its own government is criticizing it for it. You can’t stop something because of a scenario that could “possibly” happen in the future. Does anyone know it will cause a monopoly no nobody does. But as things stand now facts say that it won’t cause a monopoly they will still be behind Sony and tencent. If anything it will make things more competitive and competition is always good for consumers. Do you seriously believe Sony would have started the whole $70 a game if it wasn’t market leader and it actually had competition? When was the last time there was a price cut for consoles? do you not remember how frequent the Xbox 360 and ps3 era price cuts were because it was competitive between them.
Yes it’s a fact I’m pro Xbox thats not a secret or a crime nobody is acting otherwise. Just stating facts not leading with emotions. All I’m saying no one is giving a justifiable reason why it shouldn’t go through. Just theories as to what may happen based on emotions.
@lifexline Sony haven't ever bought a major publisher. They bought psychosis when ENTERING the industry from scratch and back then they were basically a single studio entity anyway and became one studio -studio Liverpool.
*** so it’s okay that tencent, embracer, Sony, take two etc keep buying all these developers/publishers billion dollar ones at that and plan on buying more also further consolidating the industry but there is no uproar about that***
I literally already answered this so many times and the answer is NO. Stop it with strawman arguments. Listen to what people are saying. Don't make it just about two parties. It's about the industry.
But, try to realize that this one purchase is more valuable than all of the other sales combined in the last ten years. It's massive. It's significant. It's obscene.
And if this goes through, what do you think Tencent and others will do? Do you think they're going to sit there and go "Well, we'll keep lowballing with these $1 to 3 billion purchases? No, they're going to continue and go harder on shrinking the third-party arena.
That is bad for AAA development and for competition.
***You are using the same argument the CMA is using and almost everyone including its own government is criticizing it for it.***
Because we live in an oligarchy where all those government people are paid to have those views. Again, no shit Sherlock. The questions those governments are bringing up are written by Microsoft. Do you think those politicians normally understand these topics they're being handed in a way that they are being presented? These are the same politicians in the EU who don't understand that the value of an ad changes based on the demographic or the U.S. politicians who don't know that Google only tracks where you are if you give them permission to do as such via their apps but spend 10 minutes saying that if they move their phone around the chamber that Google will know it does that.
There is zero doubt in my mind that within the next 12 PlayStation will spend between 13 and $15 billion to acquire two publishers. Your square Enix is already in the bag for them so to speak, and I really think they are raising funds to buy Capcom. They were able to raise additional $3 billion into their acquisition funds now they’re up to 13 billion and within the next 3 to 6 months they are supposed to raise another $5 billion.
My point is those of you who are celebrating Microsoft buying Activision and zenimax better keep up the same energy when Sony buys cat climb in square Enix and make all their games exclusives because that’s exactly where we are heading to
Everybody is so focused on call of duty. What about every other game on DIRECTV and that will become exclusive just like every Zani Max game is now exclusive to Xbox.
@chris I actually agree consolidation is not good for the industry but it’s inevitable it has happened to all the other entertainment Industries books, movies, music etc. it was a matter of time the video game industry was next. It’s been happening for a while now gamers are just barely waking up that’s all. Ignorance is bliss for some people. Sorry not trying to focus on just two players but those players will be the leaders in the future so it kind of is all about them with a couple more in the fray.
But that’s what gamers get when they have unrealistic expectations of game development when they expect all games to have photo realistic graphics, open world, multiple choice stories, certain features etc you get small developers who can’t compete if they don’t have the backing of certain companies. They get a flop and they have to close down. You get games who are practically not finished because gamers expect games quickly instead of being understanding how difficult game development has gotten. It’s a lose lose situation either delay it or release it. Gamers are not understanding. So this is what happens whining about it won’t stop it it’s inevitable it was going to happen. If a company as big as EA and Ubisoft are trying to sell themselves that should speak volumes.
Here, have another Redfall, you guys like that, right?
Serious question though, what's with people collecting a crap ton of Xbox controllers? I know some fans collect all the different editions and themes of Xboxs/controllers, I don't get it personally.
A quick Wikipidea surch reveals that MS has released in the years of XboxOne and the XboxseriesS and X now more then 78 themed controllers now it will be 79 cous of Starfall, before the year is over i bet they could reach 100😉
There are over 18000 video game developer businesses and over 1500 video game plublishers, how's it a monopoly again? The regulators don't seem to think it is.
How. Microsoft get almost all big fps. After this deal. Combined beteshda and Activision. 40 studios. More then Nintendo and Sony combined. Need to say more?
Monopoly is based on market power, not the number of companies in the market. You can preset see that market power in the Xbox ecosystem. 18000 developers and 1500 publishers, but how many of them have access to Xbox owners?
"@chris so it’s okay that tencent, embracer, Sony, take two etc keep buying all these developers/publishers billion dollar ones at that and plan on buying more also further consolidating the industry but there is no uproar about that…. Microsoft does it at a bigger scale and that’s not okay??? These are also third party developers those companies bought. What’s fair is fair. Yes we know Microsoft is funding it that is the company behind the xbox didn’t realize people where not aware of that."
This! They present no logical argument, especially for your opening sentence. The competition is real, and just because a company can afford such a big purchase doesn't make it wrong. This is business and should be conducted that way, not off of biased ass fanboyism. Last I checked Sony themselves stated they were looking to buy more, oh because they don't have the same large bank account as MS, it's ok? I even see people on here cheering for Sony to buy Capcom, Square, and Take two...wtf kinda hypocrisy is that? If you are against consolidation, how the heck do you cheer it on?
On the point about MS ruining studios, Sony seems to be taking notes, they spent over 3 billion for Bungie and got them doing Live service management for a bunch of games no one asked for...including Marathon, a damn extraction shooter...thanks but no thanks, Sony should have made them scrap that shit.
Translation: "Thanks for cheering on your favorite Trillion dollar company and thanks for supporting us on our quest to consolidate the gaming market. Monopoly isn't just a board game, it's one of the fundamentals of our business. Thank you."