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News Microsoft Finalizes Activision Blizzard Purchase

Bobby Kotick being gone starting in 2024 will be huge, good riddance.

Unfortunate part that hes getting a massive payday while he's at it but him being gone is more important.
 
Also think priority 1 for Microsoft should be to restore Starcraft and Warcraft as prestige current IP.

These are huge brands that are underutilized.
 
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Hailinel said:
The thing is, how many of those 10,000 are already being planned for layoffs?
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Can't say this with my chest enough. I have been through 2 mergers and the amount of people who either leave or get laid off is astounding, you are bang on with this one.
 
most interested in what happens with 343 and the Halo franchise with the merger, try and get some COD developers to right the ship, give Halo to the COD devs teams outright or just abandon the franchise for an extended period of time since Microsoft now owns the most popular FPS franchise?
 
SpaceGodzilla said:
most interested in what happens with 343 and the Halo franchise with the merger, try and get some COD developers to right the ship, give Halo to the COD devs teams outright or just abandon the franchise for an extended period of time since Microsoft now owns the most popular FPS franchise?
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None of that will happen as Call of Duty needs all of its 11 studios to maintain its release cadence.

Microsoft already had three major shooter franchises going before this (Halo, Gears, Doom), they’re just adding two more.
 
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EvilChameleon said:
First thing they need to do is remember Overwatch was this huge property and start pumping out (at a reasonable rate) story-focused games in that franchise and leave the MP to wither away.
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Overwatch has been hilariously mismanaged for how huge of a hit it was. Interested to see what happens with it now.

The whole PC side of this in general is being slept on. A ton of PC slanted games or games that aren’t well suited to consoles like RTS titles are now under Microsoft without the same level of competition seen on the console side.
 
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ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
I mean, it’s just Sega left unless they want to buy a bunch of random studios from Embracer
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If I was Phil, I'd honestly point to Square-Enix. Not saying it would be good for the industry, but their stock has really bombed, they could probably get Square-Enix for cheap, and adding Final Fantasy + Dragon Quest + Kingdom Hearts would be a big get for Game Pass + XBox and really help round out what they have now.
 
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ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
There is no story in Overwatch and nothing interesting to explore.
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There was at one point. 2016-2018 was a pretty promising time, they were adding lore events in game where you would play through missions from Overwatch and Blackwatch's past, they announced a full-length book was coming out, they did a WIP of a relationships chart of all the characters. Sadly when the idea of Overwatch 2 started happening, they pulled the breaks hard on everything related to the first game and updates got really sparse the more it went on. The book got cancelled completely.

It's messy now, but could be saved.. that's only if they're interested in fixing it, lol. They're making bank off releasing expensive skins so I sadly doubt more effort from them is coming :-(
 
Bishop89 said:
F8UkQ9oXIAAqGgg
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I don't know how anyone can look at this and not be terrified by consolidation
 
ZephyrPhoenix said:
Bobby Kotick being gone starting in 2024 will be huge, good riddance.

Unfortunate part that hes getting a massive payday while he's at it but him being gone is more important.
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He is so disgustingly rich already. Personal wealth has a point of diminishing returns and he's well past it.
 
I honestly don't have anything against MS... but what happens after they buy everybody and then gamepass fails and the whole industry desolves with MS game division.

Phil said it himself. Failing is a real possibility. He's scared of failing, so they are inviting the entire industry to a drowning party,


Lotta IPs could get swallowed up by this... though I supposed talent can lifeboat to another company.
 
gamerguy said:
I honestly don't have anything against MS... but what happens after they buy everybody and then gamepass fails and the whole industry desolves with MS game division.

Phil said it himself. Failing is a real possibility. He's scared of failing, so they are inviting the entire industry to a drowning party,


Lotta IPs could get swallowed up by this... though I supposed talent can lifeboat to another company.
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Xbox would live on as a third party publisher. but the IPs would still be dead
 
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Octavian said:
? there's a significantly greater chance of MS using their back catalog of IPs. Activision has basically only made COD and the occasional remaster for the last 15 years.
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They won't be using ANYONE's back catalog anytime soon. Not just Activision. $70b is not exactly a pocket change for MS, their first priority will be making that money back. And funding high budget games for series that'll no longer be on platforms where their target audience is on is not the way to do that.

I feel we're years away from AB's first non-CoD console game under MS umbrella.
 
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
There is no story in Overwatch and nothing interesting to explore.
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They have (had?) a great roster of characters with backstories that people were invested in. They mishandled it more than almost any company has mishandled any IP ever. I think there's life in those bones.
 
9-Volt said:
They won't be using ANYONE's back catalog anytime soon. Not just Activision. $70b is not exactly a pocket change for MS, their first priority will be making that money back. And funding high budget games for series that'll no longer be on platforms where their target audience is on is not the way to do that.

I feel we're years away from AB's first non-CoD console game under MS umbrella.
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we're years away from seeing any significant changes from Activision-Blizzard's existing game plans, definitely
 
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At least this is finally over, CMA achieved nothing of worth and look like petulent clowns. Put Bobby Kotick in jail please, thank you.
 
spekkeh said:
Because 10 euro per month is a pretty damn good deal to play all of that.
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The benefits of the short term do not outweigh the consequences long term. I do not foresee this being beneficial to anyone right up until this becomes the catalyst for the next video game crash of the 2030s
 
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9-Volt said:
They won't be using ANYONE's back catalog anytime soon. Not just Activision. $70b is not exactly a pocket change for MS, their first priority will be making that money back. And funding high budget games for series that'll no longer be on platforms where their target audience is on is not the way to do that.

I feel we're years away from AB's first non-CoD console game under MS umbrella.
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I think you're wrong in one sense. Warcraft and Starcraft are huge IP that not really being used properly. I would not be surprised if Starcraft 3 for example is a go and announced next year at MS' urging. If they can make a new Starcraft or Warcraft game that is a hit, it's a huge boon to this buyout.
 
9-Volt said:
Sad news. Much more franchises to die with this acquisition compared to Bethesda. Microsoft has just spend an astronomical $70 billion, it's gonna be some time before they use what they got. And they'll never use some of the IP's.
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Neither were ATV. They actually recently diverted all (or nearly all) of their resources to work only on COD. So things can only get better...
 
the only personal gain I get out of this is hopefully despite all the expensive acquisition that the consol sales and game pass sales don't improve much and Microsoft just goes third-party
 
ngpdrew said:
Am I the only one who looks at that video thumbnail and thinks "all of these games are terrible; why did we care so much?"
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No, because

A ) the taste of the gaming audience doesn't revolve around you
B ) Overwatch used to be pretty damn good, and is honestly probably still fun

Halo also used to be great and is in the thumbnail, but that's not an Activision ip.
 
9-Volt said:
Sad news. Much more franchises to die with this acquisition compared to Bethesda. Microsoft has just spend an astronomical $70 billion, it's gonna be some time before they use what they got. And they'll never use some of the IP's.
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I think the important point to remember is that this was already happening under the current leadership. Microsoft might shuffle around some of these decisions, but the initial Activision acquisitions is what killed the future of these IPs. Even without this new acquisition, we were never going to see some of these games again.

I hope they sell these studios/IP off rather than hoard it....but that's not how corporations (notably Microsoft) generally operate.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
No, because

A ) the taste of the gaming audience doesn't revolve around you
B ) Overwatch used to be pretty damn good, and is honestly probably still fun

Halo also used to be great and is in the thumbnail, but that's not an Activision ip.
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It's a really good thing for all of you that part A is true given how this forum feels about Pikmin 2.
 
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Machrider said:
I think you're wrong in one sense. Warcraft and Starcraft are huge IP that not really being used properly. I would not be surprised if Starcraft 3 for example is a go and announced next year at MS' urging. If they can make a new Starcraft or Warcraft game that is a hit, it's a huge boon to this buyout.
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Yeah that's exactly what I implied in my post. I said: "first non-CoD console game". I totally expect MS to revive StarCraft sometime soon and I expect it to be the first big "Xbox studios" AB game to be released.
 
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ILikeFeet said:
the deal was only for CoD
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Sony is only getting CoD; Nintendo agreed early and gets ABK content for 10 years.

https://gamingbolt.com/microsofts-10-year-agreement-with-nintendo-covers-all-future-activision-blizzard-releases/

In February this year, Microsoft announced that it had signed binding agreement with Nintendo that would see new Call of Duty games releasing for the Japanese company's platforms for 10 years after the closure of Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, though as it turns out, it seems the deal will cover more than just Call of Duty games.

Microsoft has stated in recently submitted documents as part of its trial against the FTC that, as per the aforementioned agreement, it is contractually obligated to release all future Activision Blizzard content for Nintendo platforms, not just Call of Duty.

"Nintendo has a contractual right to obtain Activision content post-merger, including Call of Duty," the document reads (pages 74 and 120).

In the same document, Microsoft also restated it's commitment to release Call of Duty for an "in-development" successor to the Nintendo Switch.

Recently, Microsoft announced that it has also entered into 10-year agreement with PlayStation, though that deal will only cover future Call of Duty releases.

Recently, the FTC was denied an in injunction against Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, while follow-up appeal against the verdict has also been denied. Microsoft is currently also in the process of negotiating terms for the deal with the UK's CMA, though the regulator recently pushed back the deadline for its final decision regarding the acquisition until August 29.
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I still find it very funny how Nintendo mostly kept their noses out of the drama and managed to secure 3rd party support from Activision-Blizzard for the next gen console. The absolute definition of "winning by doing absolutely nothing". Nintendo's got to be happy they can potentially take a decent chunk of that CoD money away from Sony.
 
ILikeFeet said:
even comes with a spiffy trailer



shitstain Kotick's words
newsroom.activisionblizzard.com

Bobby Kotick: A new chapter for Activision Blizzard

CEO Bobby Kotick writes that combining with Microsoft will enable Activision Blizzard to deliver more fun, more joy, and more connection to more players.
newsroom.activisionblizzard.com newsroom.activisionblizzard.com

Xbox's comments
news.xbox.com

Welcoming the Legendary Teams at Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox - Xbox Wire

Today we welcome the teams at Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox. It's a good day to play.
news.xbox.com news.xbox.com

games will be coming to Game Pass


and, of course, CoD will be coming to Nintendo. probably next year since they said they'll start work as soon as they sign the deal
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This is one of the best news that I’ve heard in months. Congrats go out to Microsoft and their team.
 
It's a monumental day that's going to have huge ramifications either way you look at it. The best we can hope for here is that Acti-Blizz employees receive better treatment, that their huge catalogue of games is fully utilised with old games on GamePass and a solid strategy for future instalments, and that come 2024, I never have to hear the name Bobby Kotick again.
 
ILikeFeet said:
I recall one of the MS people posting an update stating it was only about CoD. I'll see if I can find that update
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It's in the legal document linked in the article.

Not only is the Nintendo Switch more popular than the Xbox overall,
see 6/23/23 Tr. (Spencer), at 435:20–22, Nintendo has a contractual right to obtain Activision
content post-merger, including Call of Duty, see 6/23/23 Tr. (Spencer), at 443:23–25.
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Earlier it was assumed to be just CoD, but it came out that Microsoft would include Activision content for agreeing to the merger in the earlier stages.
 
Come on Phil make the call to Toys for Bob for Spyro 4.
 
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Vilifier said:
It's in the legal document linked in the article.



Earlier it was assumed to be just CoD, but it came out that Microsoft would include Activision content for agreeing to the merger in the earlier stages.
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More than Call of Duty doesn’t imply all, come on. Overwatch 2 is currently receiving Switch updates.
 
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