Microsoft Lays Out 'Benefits' Of Xbox + Activision Blizzard On New Website

While I appreciate this idea I don't see why this is needed. The Xbox crowd is sold on this, the PS crowd will not be convinced and the N crowd probably doesn't care.

Call of duty on Nintendo switch?

@gollumb82
It is interesting out of all of this that Nintendo seem to be the only ones in-self belief of what they do, to continue as a viable gaming business and have self reliance.

The fact that Call of Duty could end up on Nintendo as a cloud version alone means that the acquisition opens up the gaming sphere rather than shrinks it.
If the deal doesn't go through, I expect very messy lawsuits between MS and PS as a result.

@Kaloudz I know right! I feel like I can't read the website with my wife next to me in case she thinks I'm reading something other than gaming 😂😂 The scroll adverts need to be a little less raunchy here.

@gollumb82 they're doing this mainly for the FTC and the other competition watchdogs, the same week Jim goes to Brussels to cry over it.

"Including PlayStation", we all know that in the end Microsoft will make COD Xbox only. You don't pay 70 billion dollars to keep the game on all platforms.

@Dezzy70
Agreed. Nintendo seems to be doing its own thing and few people will disagree that it's working wonders for them.
@raftos
I'd imagine their lawyers were talking to the FTC. A website with some slogans will hardly convince an average gamer, let alone a rabid fanboy of PS or FTC people.

Buying games development houses that have traditionally made multi platform games and then making them platform specific does NOT open up more games to more players - it does quite the opposite and they know it.

Its just another round in the war of words to deflect the scrutiny this deal is attracting.

As a user of all platforms, I'm not bothered one way or the other - I'll still get my games. I do believe it restricts choice rather than promotes it though, and I'd far rather MS made new studios than simply buy up what's gone before and keep it off the competition.

@sixrings Not that they have 'needed' or 'relied' on Call of Duty on their platform for their success - but its entirely possible with 'streaming' options.

There are over 3bn Gamers - the 'vast' majority are playing on their mobile - those Google/Apple game apps. Sony (for example) may have 100m+ users across their Playstation and sell around 10-20m copies of CoD every year, but if for some reason, CoD ceased on PS, those '10-20m' CoD players could easily be replaced on Mobiles from the billions of gamers - assuming those 10-20m don't migrate platforms, they could still access CoD on platforms they have.

CoD is 'extremely' rough on an XB1S and it can't be many more years before the last gen hardware is not going to get a 'native' port down. When that happens, you only have a smaller group to sell to which maybe 50m console owners plus those on PC with adequate Hardware. With xCloud, they can bring the 'next' gen version to last gen hardware and literally any system with internet connection - inc Playstation (if Sony allowed it). It would be the Series Version running in the Cloud - but its still better than 'nothing'.

Point is, with Cloud options, it doesn't matter if the Hardware specs could run the game natively or not - therefore EVERY gamer pretty much could access these types of games that would 'never' come to their hardware and pretty much EVERY gamer has some compatible device.

I don't see MS making CoD 'exclusive' in the near future. It doesn't make sense in so many ways. You don't split up an active online Community and upset half of your 'fans' of your IP. If they are angry, they may not opt to play CoD at all where as if you 'release' it on PS, maybe 'next' gen, they will buy an Xbox and/or subscribe to Game Pass - maybe even buy and subscribe 'sooner'.

I do think its inevitable that some point in the future, the vast majority of games will be running in the cloud as its not environmentally or economically sustainable to keep making 'millions' of consoles with sufficient hardware to run the latest games natively - as well as have the Storage capacity too. I can't see MS releasing CoD into Sony/Nintendo and any other 'Streaming' Platforms. They'll keep CoD 'exclusive' to their 'Cloud' service - although I bet by then, the MP will be Free to Play anyway so it will be available to non-GP subscribers.

❤️Microsoft ❤️💚XBOX 💚

It's because Sony keeps crying about this... This is the only reason this site exsits.

Sony reportedly met with European antitrust regulators to discuss Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke with Dealreporter and was reported by Seeking Alpha.

The sources claim PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan met with the European Commission on September 8 to voice his concerns over the deal.

Ryan previously stated Microsoft promised to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for a further three years beyond the current agreement between Sony and Activision Blizzard. The promise for a further three years according to Ryan is "inadequate on many levels."

The report also stated Google also has its worried over the acquisition and voiced its concerns with the regulators.

Rumor: Sony Met With EU Regulators to Discuss Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition

Microsoft today filed the Activision Blizzard deal with the European Commission. A provisional deadline of November 8 was set by the regulators to either approve the deal or to choose a more in-depth investigation.

The goal of the investigation by regulators is to decide if the acquisition will reduce competition in the video game market.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK following its initial investigation announced its plans to "explore this deal in an in-depth Phase 2 investigation to reach a decision that works in the interests of UK gamers and businesses."

This is horrible and really not needed, Try to justify the buy out its just getting cringey. For all the reasons Microsoft list as this been good, I'm sure some could make twice as many reasons why this is bad.

"Greater competition in traditional gaming, where Sony and Nintendo will remain the biggest" Had to laugh at this.

@Kaloudz I believe its a game based of an anime called queen's blade, but please don't search it 😂😅

Microsoft: "Here's our vision, plain and simple, and in language a five-year-old could understand."

Nintendo: "We've been good with Microsoft, even made some good deals back when Rare was bought out, and more recently over Cuphead and Minecraft. We know things will be good when this happens."

Sony: "Have they yet sold us the Call Of Duty license? No? OK, Next regulator!"

This is a bit pointless from Microsoft, the general public have no say in the deal and playstation/nintendo fans won't be reading it in the first place.

As someone mentioned above, playstation fans aren't going to change their minds on this deal and nintendo fans aren't going to care as they don't get the latest games from them anyway.

But saying its good for the gaming industry and this deal will still make playstation and nintendo the biggest is a load of bull and then to say it means more games for playstation 😏 Who writ this? Phil?

Once again i just asked that Microsoft doesnt lie about where the games will go. They wont be putting games on Playstation, so stop putting up the front that they will be. They acted like they would with Bethesda and outside of existing deals they are pulling games which are now unplayable to many

@Dezzy70 Nintendo don't care because they don't make a significant proportion of their income from a game that will be taken away from them - they don't get COD, so there's little difference to them.
They can afford to be indifferent as this deal will hardly affect them.

@pip_muzz @Kaloudz I don’t have that advert. I have something different. Is it targeted adverts? What have you two been Googling?!?

Lmao

@Titntin exactly. I think many are so blind to how the market actually works they say stuff like “everyone I talk to is happy with the deal” haha. Could they live any more in a bubble?

Nintendo is Nintendo and they do what they do. They’ve proved before if they think someone treads on their toes their legal team is lethal. Ditto MS. Sony is just doing what the others would do. Imagine the posts on here it COD was being bought by Sony.

I own all three consoles and subscribe to all three at top tier. I don’t think this is a particularly good deal for the industry but I’ll take all the games on GPU.

Xbox is doing what it can to try and get this deal through by creating a site pointing out all the positivities while PlayStation is traveling around explaining why the acquisition is bad. I was listening to a lawyer talk about the deal and how there isn’t really much of a reason why the deal wouldn’t go through. That PlayStation is doing what they can to stop it but in his professional opinion, they can’t stop the deal. He also didn’t see why they would want to as if it’s blocked, Microsoft can take it to court, and there they would have no choice but to reveal the decisions PlayStation has made by blocking games from other platforms, paying for early access and exclusive extra modes, and price hiking systems and games. Meaning if it went to court, PlayStation’s dirty laundry would be exposed, but… for now we got this cute little site dedicated to the Xbox + Activision Blizzard acquisition.

That website is so cringeworthy.

@Snake_V5 I'm still torn on the CoD exclusivity. Warzone will stay multiplat for sure as it's a F2P game but i think they will gather data for a few years first to see how it being in gamepass AND being sold at full price on PlayStation affects the player base. If the revenue from Sony takes a nosedive then yeah they can pull it, if it's a healthy chunk of cash and gamepass subscriptions grow maybe keep on both.

Those "benefits" have to be the biggest load of fugazi I've read in a long time..

@Titntin the fact that with MS Call of Duty can be streamed to a samsung tv, logitech g cloud, steam deck, pc, xbox, pretty much does open up activision games to more as with gamepass you dont need a specific hadware.... i also look at it as if sony had the cash they would have tried to buy activision.... but alas they dont so they didnt and couldnt so now they are bitching about this... its buisness if MS has the money to buy a company then F off to its compititors who cant... Sony buys Bungie but you neve heard boo frrom anyone cause nobody cared... this is only about COD and the playstation and sony being pissed that after a decade of gatekeeping xbox players they are pissed that it may go the otherway now....

and YES Sony is the biggest gatekeeper to gaming and if anyone wants less competition its sony..... remember Sony is the least consumer friendly brand EVER!!

A shame they even had to do this. Microsoft made a 70 billion dollar purchase. They will do what they want as soon as this goes through. Jim Ryan is just making the process take longer. Nothing will stop this. Personally, I don't care what's exclusive on what platform. I own all three consoles and play it all.

@Blessed_Koz What a load of old twaddle.
Sony buying bungie was one game with a very real commitment that it was made multi platform. By even mentioning that you have shown you have no understanding of the concepts involved here.
...and you've brought up pissed off Xboxers having to wait a year for access to their games and crying as a result. Buying one year exclusivity deals to financially back a dev, may leave a bad taste, but it doesn't stop other platforms from having the games. Just think how hard you'd have cried if they genuinely did keep them off the box for ever...
So if one year exclusivity is not consumer friendly, how can you argue for lifetime exclusivity? Again, you make no sense.

...and the fact you tout Microsoft, one of the worlds least consumer friendly and most abusive corporations in the world, subject to more anti trust and anti consumer action from governments around the world, as 'consumer friendly' shows clearly you have no perspective and have ignored the history that got got MS here.
MS games have been on a charm offensive for the last 5 years as they try and buy this business, but you cant cut the cord from the corp, one of the least consumer friendly businesses to have ever existed.

These governments are involved in vetting this because Microsoft have form in acting in a uncompetitive way, and and an unbiased and non fanboy look at the facts show they have a reason to be concerned. These actions are brought by government agencies not Sony.

It wont affect me, I play everywhere, but people peddling unadulterated BS need to be challenged.

I'm still not convinced that this is going to be in the best interests of gamers, or developers.

It reduces competition in the space, and there's no reason Activision products couldn't have been on Game Pass anyway as there's plenty of 3rd party publishers' games already there.

As for the developers there doesn't seem to be much being said about getting rid of the upper management who foster, and tolerate the toxic culture there.

@Kaloudz lol - I’ve got community fibre. Lol. Internet provider I’ve never heard of

@Snake_V5 by this point I am convinced Microsoft will indeed keep CoD on PlayStation until either:
PlayStation sinks to zero relevancy in gaming (unlikely event without CoD)
Call of Duty itself falls into irrelevancy, something that could happen given the IP trend even before acquisition.

This seems a bit strange that Xbox would do this, Maybe they are worried that the deal might not go through..

@Titntin
I understand from a COD point of view from Nintendo, it was a point of their own stability and not relying so much on a third party titles, to become a massive game company.

@Dezzy70 Absolutely! Its definitely been a road map to success!

As has selling the same title twice every time you release it (pokeman,I don't choose you!

I think we are agreed they don't have any skin in this game

@BAMozzy @pip_muzz I was thinking more of porting call of duty modern warfare remaster or black ops 1 in 1080p 60fps. Both things the switch could do.

*Greater competition in traditional gaming where Sony and Nintendo will remain the biggest *

Sony are not interested in remaining the biggest - what they want, is for PlayStation gamers to have the best COD experience according to Jim Ryan 😅.

That in turn means timed exclusive game modes, maps, early beta participation ie the usual Sony MO etc, etc....I think MS should indulge him just to shut him up and of course see the Internet go into meltdown 😉.

So if Nintendo and Sony have greater competition, will COD become Xbox exclusive?

This wouldn't upset me, btw.

@Titntin It isn't going to be a Xbox exclusive. By default it will always be available on PC. Moreover it is guaranteed as part of the deal to be on PlayStation, you really haven't read the details of the acquisition? Literally nobody except you are talking about lifetime exclusivity. If you wanna talk about a company that locks games behind exclusivity and even leaves games trapped on outdated hardware.... well, it rhymes with "Pony." And no, paying for years of DLC exclusivity really in practice isn't very different as it leaves many gamers out in the cold for a year or more, well past the point of relevancy in the lifecycle of a multiplayer focused game. Xbox HAS been the most consumer friendly of this generation and whether that is out of need or not doesn't change that. GamePass brings gaming to way more people, including the many people who can't justify 70 bucks a game.

Honestly think Microsoft are truly sweating this deal going thru now.

@gollumb82 The N crowd. C'mon now. That's......

So Sony released a press release where I can play spider-man in avengers now? Did I miss that?

@GuyinPA75
No, you didn't go there... right? Ugh. You surely know what I meant. Course I know you're joking, but these days I can't tell sometimes.

@gollumb82 : )

@Snake_V5
Minecraft and its spin offs are Xbox/PC exclusive right?
CoD, currently, makes most of its money on PS platforms. I dont think MS bought Activision/Blizzard JUST for CoD, that would be pretty stupid. CoD sales are declining but Warzone makes up for it. They bought them because Blizzard makes a ton of money. King mobile games make a ton of money and Games Pass will look even stronger with all that Activions and Blizzard put out. I am confident that of course a lot of games will be XB/PC only, just like Starfield from Bethesda is but so far they haven't announce if Elder Scrolls 6 or Fallout 6 will. Skyrim has made 30 million in sales, the Xbox Series line havent even sold half that amount and not every owner will buy a copy.

MS is just building its library, franchises and studios.

@themightyant I kinda feel that their deal with Samsung TV's is a cloud only package in practice. I also do not think the ABK acquisition can really be compared to the Bethesda acquisition. Much like Microsoft has already put their biggest games like Minecraft on Nintendo Switch they are going to need to make that 70 billion bucks back and that doesn't happen on Xbox and PC alone.

They will even keep old leadership from the companies and the drunken cubicle crawls will return?