Mircosoft now own Activision

[chrislognshot]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/18/microsoft-to-buy-activision.html

[gabe]

Hopefully they can get CoD to stop just milking warzone

[glaman5266]

Nope. They’ll milk it like they’re milking Halo. I wouldn’t be optimistic.

[glaman5266]

My bro told me about this earlier today. I have so many thoughts on this, either for even or for worse. It will be interesting, that’s for sure.

[the_matrix_guy]

Bethesda and now Blizzard. Thats quite an impressive portfolio that could give them a huge advantage in console exclusives 🤔🤔🤔

[EvilCreature]

I was thinking the same thing. I play PC so I feel a bit more insulated from Microsoft-only releases but still.

[the_matrix_guy]

Same here. I’m 90% PC and I don’t have the new consoles yet, not even sure I’ll get them honestly. But still interesting to assess console market dynamics from the sidelines 🧐😄

[Chappy]

Well that's good for the gamepass library at least

[the_matrix_guy]

I hear that Gamepass is one of the best subscription services out right now, I don’t have consoles right now but are they really offering good value, in you opinion?

[Chappy]

I think it’s fantastic, there is a lot of stuff I want to play. We have the ultimate which is gold and game pass bundled but that gets you ea play and another publisher as well( Ubisoft? I can’t remember). And the cloud gaming is a great way to try stuff out. My internet isn’t the great so I’d rather download but it’s good enough to try something out. I’m hooked there’s a lot of great stuff.

[chrislognshot]

Hopefully they can get CoD to stop just milking warzone

no they will not since warzone is apart of call of duty. call of duty want free game to get people play and chance they will buy call of duty games. call of duty makes tons of cash off it.

[glaman5266]

I fear that Microsoft is going to become the bully in the room before too long. They're already all-in on their subscription models, microtransactions & releasing broken games that require MASSIVE patchwork to get them up to par, all of which I think are bad for gamers over the long term and anti-consumer in general. Now they're acquiring another large portfolio that may eventually de-incentivize them to go multiplatform with games. They'll have the pull. Which is fine... It's just business... But we see this with GI Sportz in paintball. Everything goes downhill & there's no innovation. Not to mention how they screw with the paint market & give us crap paint along with it. Microsoft also hasn't had the best track record with first party games over recent years.

I've also read that Activision/Blizzard's CEO will remain at his post until the deal is finalized. That alone is not a good look for Microsoft in my opinion. I'm sure many of you have heard at least a Cliffnotes version of the bullshit going on within Activision, not to mention how predatory their monetization practices are. It's fine if Microsoft wants to acquire them & fix things to their standard (not the greatest, but likely will be better than what they are currently), but what will this acquisition enable them to do in other areas? I think nothing good will come of this in the long term, at least for the gamers.

I'm fine sitting on my little Nintendo island at the moment. They know their customers & treat them well compared to Sony and Microsoft. I'm just going to grab some popcorn & see how this all pans out.

EDIT: And if anyone thinks Microsoft isn't going to milk Warzone (or CoD in general) as badly, don't assume that. If the money is there they will surely chase it. It's best to just assume they'll do that. I've seen this crap with Halo & if it works for Halo they're going to do it with CoD. Games are now being built around monetization, not a good gaming experience. Don't be fooled. We as gamers need to hold these companies to a higher standard. They're like politicians- give them an inch & they'll take a mile. Microtransactions & broken games are likely here to stay & gamers have allowed the big companies to do it. I'm not saying it's inherently wrong to buy simple cosmetics via microtransactions... But like I said- give them an inch and they'll take a mile. It was best to not do it in the first place. However, it has now permeated most aspects of game development and I think gamers are suffering for it. Bigger & bigger companies are only going to take greater advantage of it. It's best to assume they will.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Free games built an empire on Micro transactions. I’m ok with that. I have never purchased a cosmetic piece ever but I have enjoyed a lot of free gaming over the years innovated and payed for by people who do. (See Fortnight)

As for Microsoft purchasing Activision hopefully Cloud Gaming will continue to improve and this will make subscriptions that much better. I couldn’t care less what happens with consoles. I will never go back. PC for life.

I personally think cheating is the biggest issue facing online competitive gaming today. It’s destroyed so many great games.

[chrislognshot]

if this happens will be third lager gaming company

[glaman5266]

I figured it'd be 2nd behind Tencent. Who's the other one?

[gabe]

Sony is the 2nd largest

[glaman5266]

I had a hard time believing that Sony was #2 in the gaming space, but it seems to be true.
There are so many different metrics to measure this by. In terms of market cap, M$ wins by a long shot. In terms of value of the gaming division itself Microsoft isn't in the top 3 (at least not yet). In terms of 2021 revenue I've read it's #4. So... I'll be interested to see how Microsoft measures up once the deal is done.

It'll be interesting to see if Sony makes any big moves this year. I hope Sony can keep M$ on their toes.

[Seajay]

Can't wait to see "Games For Windows LIVE"! make a comeback!


(sarcasm)

[lhamilton1807]

Reuters doesn’t paint a very bright picture for Sony. They just don’t have the cash reserves for acquisitions or multi-platform chops that M$ does. And I’m saying this as a PlayStation fan. Love me some Naughty Dog Studios games (Uncharted, Last of Us). Those games are made to be loved, with deep characters and storylines.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/sony-brings-knife-global-video-games-gunfight-2022-01-19/