Nearly two years to the day that Microsoft announced that it would be buying Activision-Blizzard for $68.8 billion, the deal has been finalized. It's official: Microsoft now owns Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Spyro the Dragon, Overwatch, Candy Crush, and many more. The acquisition was hotly contested by both the United States' Federal Trade Commission and United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority, but Microsoft altered the deal slightly, argued its case in court, and won. This deal solidifies Xbox as the third biggest gaming brand in the world, only behind Tencent and Sony.

According to Xbox's Phil Spencer, the next step is to bring many of Activision and Blizzard's game lineup to Xbox Game Pass.

Players have always been at the center of everything we do. And as we grow, we’ll continue to keep players at the heart of it all. We’ll continue to listen to your feedback, build a community where you can be yourself, where developers can do their best work, and continue to make really fun games. As promised, we will also continue to make more games available in more places – and that begins now by enabling cloud streaming providers and players to stream Activision Blizzard games in the European Economic Area, a commitment made to the European Commission. Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited – and we are too.

Source

 

[Delerious]

Good stuff, company was being mismanaged to hell and back. Maybe now we can get a proper WC3 remaster and/or WC4.

Honestly, if they just let the same people who did AOE2: DE redo WC3:R, I would have much higher hopes.

 

[eyeliner]

The rot had already set in at Rare before MS bought them, and I'm still sure the whole thing was simply a sweetener towards Nintendo in the first place, who probably wanted to get rid of Rare and the drivel they were starting to make by that point.
..Not to say MS are the heroes there of course - outside of Rare Replay (which is kind of ironic!) they've done almost nothing to bring back their back catalogue/IPs, so why are people thinking it'll be different with ABK..?

They tried to resurrect Perfect Dark, they developed Viva Piñata, Kameo, Sea of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Conker: Live & Reloaded...

Most of them bombed, so I don't really see how people see Microsoft as the big bad of an already sinking software house.

If all else, they gave them a second lease on life and burnt quite a lot of money on Rare to little return.

But what do I know.

yeah because when microsoft got rare we got new banjo and conker platformers, oh wait...

imo microsoft doesnt wont push that agenda imo. we will have 2 more mascots that will de dead and buried.

You had exactly what you wanted. Two games from those two mascots. Heck, even more "mascots" if Joanna counts.

Players didn't care.

 

[AttackOtter]

Another buyout from a big company that'll just cancel a bunch of in-development projects and close down studios.
Activision did it to other companies, and Microsoft will do it to Activision.
Just the next chain in a cycle of monopolistic corporations buying up all the competition and killing off entire creative divisions while seeking infinite profitability.

 

[raxadian]

Never forget Rareware

Yeah, after Microsoft bought them they basically died inside.

 

[Xzi]

Honestly, if they just let the same people who did AOE2: DE redo WC3:R, I would have much higher hopes.

I'd be fine with Vicarious Visions doing it, after their work with D2R. All the game needs is visual updates anyway, and then the freedom of custom maps restored to what it was before.

 

[The Catboy]

Yeah, after Microsoft bought them they basically died inside.

Rare was already dead before Microsoft bought them. Maybe even before Nintendo refused to acquire them. And honestly Sea of Thieves is a great game, they're doing fine under Microsoft tho the development of Everwild seems to be a mess. Just very recently Xbox understood that a « hands off approach » wasn't working with every studio and maybe they'll step in (be it Rare, Arkane Austin or ABK)

The issue is what they did to Rare after buying them. Like completely shitting on fans of 3D platformers, having Rare make complete shovelware, and ruining many of their games like Perfect Dark. I feel like people have forgotten what they did to Rare and that’s tragic

 

[drazenm]

And Bobby is leaving! That's probably the only good news about this.

Yeah.... Leaving for a better job and better pay, look how you "won"

 

[yoyoyo69]

Nah, there just wasn't much push-back because ActiBlizzard was being run into the ground by its existing owners/managers. Only Playstation players obsessed with CoD were adamantly against the acquisition, but Microsoft isn't fool enough to leave that money on the table. They'll even be bringing CoD to the next Nintendo console.

But that doesn't really make any sense, they they weren't assessed and contested by the public, but trading and competition regulators.

Heavily underfunded, even more sore in comparison to mpnopolistic corporations.

I can understand the short-sightedness of Xbox players wanting COD, etc free in their subscription (it appealed to me initially too), but the damage this has done, won't now be reversed.

 

[Xzi]

But that doesn't really make any sense, they they weren't assessed and contested by the public, but trading and competition regulators.

Heavily underfunded, even more sore in comparison to mpnopolistic corporations.

I can understand the short-sightedness of Xbox players wanting COD, etc free in their subscription (it appealed to me initially too), but the damage this has done, won't now be reversed.

What does the buyout actually give them a monopoly over, though? Sure, CoD is huge in terms of revenue, but it's still just one IP, and ActiBlizz only has control of a handful in total. By my estimation, Xbox is still one acquisition away from approaching monopoly territory, and it would have to be an acquisition of either Valve or Nintendo. In other words, not happening.

 

[yoyoyo69]

What does the buyout actually give them a monopoly over, though? Sure, CoD is huge in terms of revenue, but it's still just one IP, and ActiBlizz only has control of a handful in total. By my estimation, Xbox is still one acquisition away from approaching monopoly territory, and it would have to be an acquisition of either Valve or Nintendo. In other words, not happening.

Who said they had a monopoly?

You're still looking withba biased mind, clouded by what is best for you.


What did the dodgy deal between Intel and Dell give them a monopoly over?

 

[Xzi]

Who said they had a monopoly?

You're still looking withba biased mind, clouded by what is best for you.

I thought you were referring to Xbox with the bit about "monopolistic corporations."

I'm a multiplat gamer who owns pretty much everything except Xbox hardware. What's good for me is good for everybody else, and that's taking ActiBlizz out of the hands of its current management/executive structure. They were never gonna produce anything else worth playing otherwise.

 

[subcon959]

I want to see them bring Guitar Hero back.

With a decent controller that isn't like a kids toy.

 

[yoyoyo69]

I thought you were referring to Xbox with the bit about "monopolistic corporations."

I was, but I didn't say they *had* a monopoly. I'm unsure why so many people are so happy to gloss over and ignore. The situation would be bad enough if Microsoft didn't already have a history of one of, if not the most, monopolistic organisations to ever exist.

 

[raxadian]

The issue is what they did to Rare after buying them. Like completely shitting on fans of 3D platformers, having Rare make complete shovelware, and ruining many of their games like Perfect Dark. I feel like people have forgotten what they did to Rare and that’s tragic

Microsoft bought Rare because they made basically a third of the English Nintendo 64 games and they had the most popular non Nintendo games in the platform; then they told Rare they could no longer make the type of games they are good at.

Dude you bought them to have another Perfect Dark or Goldeneye and to have a mascot character! Why not let them make a good mascot character game and another Perfect Dark or Goldeneye type of game?

Nope, we know better!

Nevermind that was the era we got full of Mario Kart clones, Rare make Diddy Kong Racing why not make a clone with Banjo Characters? Nope, that's not what Microsoft wanted.

The way Microsoft ruined the company is basically the stuff of legends!

Edit: Sony is still making the Astro games; yes that's their official mascot and they keep getting better.

Microsoft?

They had to license Banjo for Smash Bros to anyone to still give a damm.

 

[Noctosphere]

I feel like the word soon, that already got ™, is about to also get ® and ©

Anyway, starcraft 3 wheeeeeen?

 

[Lather]

as me, I will fire blizzard and rename Activision

cause both company name get sticky.

 

[Slaughterweek]

And sadly people forgot that this was all done to get people to forget about the sexual harassment :/
Anyways, can’t wait for Microsoft to ruin these games more than AB did. Never forget Rareware

No it wasn't, these deals were long before that incident on the table, wich is normal for such big company's.

Post automatically merged: Oct 17, 2023

And sadly people forgot that this was all done to get people to forget about the sexual harassment :/
Anyways, can’t wait for Microsoft to ruin these games more than AB did. Never forget Rareware

No it wasn't, these deals were long before that incident on the table, wich is normal for such big company's.

Post automatically merged: Oct 17, 2023

Microsoft bought Rare because they made basically a third of the English Nintendo 64 games and they had the most popular non Nintendo games in the platform; then they told Rare they could no longer make the type of games they are good at.

Dude you bought them to have another Perfect Dark or Goldeneye and to have a mascot character! Why not let them make a good mascot character game and another Perfect Dark or Goldeneye type of game?

Nope, we know better!

Nevermind that was the era we got full of Mario Kart clones, Rare make Diddy Kong Racing why not make a clone with Banjo Characters? Nope, that's not what Microsoft wanted.

The way Microsoft ruined the company is basically the stuff of legends!

Edit: Sony is still making the Astro games; yes that's their official mascot and they keep getting better.

Microsoft?

They had to license Banjo for Smash Bros to anyone to still give a damm.

Just stop with these comparisons, it's not the 90's anymore.

 

[TomSwitch]

I see great games from Microsoft. Maybe I shall sell PS5 and buy Xbox X

 

[Jayro]

Good for the 7 people that play Xbox I guess...

I'm so sick of Microsoft buying everything up and not being slapped for it.
Come ON FTC, do better!

 

[Noctosphere]

View attachment 399915


Good for the 7 people that play Xbox I guess...

I'm so sick of Microsoft buying everything up and not being slapped for it.
Come ON FTC, do better!

Sadly, the amount of money you have is equal to the amount of you have in the world. if you have enough money, you can break any laws because "it created jobs"...