We're almost there, folks! The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has today announced that it has granted preliminary approval for Microsoft to purchase Activision Blizzard. The CMA's decision still needs to be consulted with any third parties involved in the process, but for all intents and purposes, the authority is now happy for the deal to go ahead.
In an announcement posted on the UK GOV website, the CMA goes into a bit more detail on its new decision:
"While the CMA has identified limited residual concerns with the new deal, Microsoft has put forward remedies which the CMA has provisionally concluded should address these issues.
The CMA considers that the restructured deal makes important changes that substantially address the concerns it set out in relation to the original transaction earlier this year."
As was already established, much of the CMA's concern surrounded Xbox Cloud Gaming and its future in the marketplace. Exactly a month ago, Microsoft attempted to placate the CMA's cloud concerns by agreeing a deal with Ubisoft in the UK, however the authority still needed additional remedies to reach today's positive decision.
"While the restructured deal is materially different to the previous transaction and substantially addresses most concerns, the CMA has limited residual concerns that certain provisions in the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft could be circumvented, terminated, or not enforced.
To address these concerns, Microsoft has offered remedies to ensure that the terms of the sale of Activision’s rights to Ubisoft are enforceable by the CMA. The CMA has provisionally concluded that this additional protection should resolve those residual concerns."
Barring any unexpected twists and turns, the UK CMA should fully approve the merger in the next few weeks. The authority is now set to discuss its new decision with various third parties that are involved with the situation, and a date has been set for those discussions to conclude - and for a final decision to be made.
"The CMA has now opened a consultation, until 6 October, on Microsoft’s proposed remedies."
Happy with today's news? Let us know down below if you think this will all be wrapped up by year's end!
[source gov.uk]
Comments 80
Good news! It was very quiet lately so this is a great surprise this morning in the Netherlands.
Yep, great news, almost there, greetings from the Netherlands also!
Phew! About time this went through and becomes part of history.
I haven't played an ABK game in many years so this brings me no GP satisfaction, but maybe, just maybe, the more intelligent gamers who actually appreciate games can now get on with enjoying them instead of fighting?
Unlikely I know, but you've got to dream...
@Titntin You can dream, but you know this thread will descend into anarchy later today
Agreed on being glad it's almost over - it's felt like it sucked all the oxygen out of gaming, just hope now Xbox know how to use this asset to start to play catch up.
We can't lose this generation as bad as the last one, or the only way we'll guarantee games are ported to Xbox is Microsoft buying the studios / publishers - much prefer that Xbox becomes an automatic choice for platform worldwide, just like PlayStation is...
Okay, important question.
Does this mean I sell all my Skylanders because their price will go down, or buy more Skylanders because their price will go up?
It was a wild ride but finally this is done. I sincerely hope this merger bodes well for both Xbox and Activision in the long run and specially the devs can have better work environment. And hopefully Activision will make some sequel from their long forgotten ips. Give us another Prototype 🙏
Onto the next
ABK make nothing of value for me, glad this is nearly over.
Will I get the new COD 2023 on game pass 😂
Only joking, about time.
Yes!!!!!
We Welcome Activision/Blizzard to the Xbox Family!
👍😁👍
@Bleacdemon hello from the Netherlands as well!
Sony and Microsoft both need to leave gaming!
Nintendo NEEDS to step up and offer better machines but still have to keep their "quirks"
I own a PS, PS2, ps4 and series x.
So essentially that means that if/when Sony offer any Streaming service, they negotiate with Ubisoft as they own the streaming rights with regards to ABK games for the next 15yrs...
Otherwise they'll have to rely on MS and their 10yr Contract to receive Native ports of those games to Playstation Hardware.
I bet MS couldn't care less about 'streaming' rights over the 'next' 15yrs as Streaming is certainly NOT the 'best' way to play games and until the external infrastructure is improved Globally, it will remain an 'entry' tier experience or just enabling players to play when they couldn't before - like on the go - to supplement their Hardware gaming.
At the end of the Day, I still believe that this is 'better' for the industry than ABK being run the way it was by the people it was. The actual developers should be better off under MS than Bobby Kotick's ABK...
@Spider-Kev Absolutely not. So according to you, only Nintendo should be making games so we'd go back to the monopoly they had in the early 90s before the PlayStation 1 came out.
Anyone watching Xbox's efforts with Game Pass this year, especially after the Tokyo Game Show, would strongly disagree with you.
As for Sony, they just need to get rid of Jim Ryan, that man is incredibly anti-consumer. PlayStation's leadership during the PS4 era was great, now it's terrible.
@Spider-Kev we need the big 3 for competition are you mad? I dread to think of a world with one unrivalled console company, it would be awful. All 3 companies need do better, Nintendo ain’t perfect either.
@Acurisur
Wow, just wow.
I never said only Nintendo should be making games. Where did you jump to that conclusion from? I said they should be the only console maker.
Microsoft and need to learn optimization. Games should not be at 100gb+
There was NO Nintendo Monopoly.
Sega still existed.
Atari still existed.
@Fenbops
I know Nintendo isn't perfect, I call out their s**t all the time, but while they are a greedy corporation, they at least show a little (emphasis on little) care for their fanbase.
@Spider-Kev so you think they should be the only console maker and therefore console gamers would only have one market place to buy their games? That wouldn’t end well.
I’m not sure what care to their fanbase Nintendo show? They’re pretty close to an ABK or Sony with their pricing now and seem to have jumped on the remaster bandwagon charging top $ for them.
Thank god for that, Sony..over to you.
@OldGamer999 No COD games, apparently they have deals in place that prevent COD coming to Game Pass. So for its worthless as that was the only game I cared about.
@Spider-Kev Have you taken your meds this morning?
Consumers get far more consideration when there is genuine competition, not a genuine monopoly. Not too mention that Nintendo are probably the least consumer friendly imo - though they all seem to be fighting for that title.
I'd like more players in the business not less - but it seems unlikely in the current climate.
@OldGamer999 @S1ayeR74 In the CAT trial MS said that COD will be comming day 1 to gamepass in 2025, as Sony have a contract in place preventing it until then. Unless there has been a new contract or change in circumstance since then.
But they did not mention if its stops older COD games comming to gamepass as soon as possible or not
Other titles from ABK like Diablo should go to gamepass asap
@Sakai
Not to long to wait then 2025 it is then 😊
I just love how the CMA is soooo involved trying stop a video game transaction. Even though I'd bet 99% of those involved have zero knowledge about thevideo game business or even play video games.
Almost the equivalent of a vegan trying to make decisions on how to operate a meat packing business.
@Spider-Kev Nintendo NEEDS to offer a legit online service for gaming. It's 2023! But if want to play multiplayer I need connect thru a cell phone and jump thru other hoops just to talk to another player on a service have pay for? Heck no!
It is the very reason my switch sits and collects dust. And the ponies say Xbox has no games....?
I'm glad it's nearly done , now we need a Xbox show to tell us which of the leaks were real
Troll! In the dungeons! - Said Quirrel calmly.
It's nice to see this deal coming to a resolution. It's been a long road.
@GuyinPA75
If you’d have read the CMAs report on the takeover* you would know just how right you are that they have no idea what they’re talking about
*to be clear I’m not in any way recommending you do this. It won’t improve your life in any way
@Titntin
Hi, read what you put on push square how about this deal won’t effect this generation for Sony and you are spot on.
I’m more concerned about Sony and their in house studios, I maybe wrong and out of touch.
But normally by now we have seen gameplay and have release dates for 2024 of the next two big AAA story driven Sony in house studio games.
But as far as I can remember we have nothing on that at the moment. If correct maybe we not getting any next year 2024.
Your fine opinion sir?
@OldGamer999 I'm afraid I've not really got much insider info these days, but I do believe Sony will have a healthy bunch of new titles to show early next year.
I think while the ABK deal rumbled on, they were not keen on showing their hand, but that's just speculation. Its like Phil stating they would pull out of the market if they don't hit certain subscriber numbers, I think both corps are trying to appear weaker than they are.
In Sony's case, despite not announcing any major new 1st party games they have been hitting record sales. I believe they don't feel they need to show their hand yet. Whilst it annoys those of us who populate these forums, I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a huge difference to the bulk of their potential customer base, so they may figure they've lost nothing by keeping their 'cards close to the their chest'.
I should repeat that this is just idle speculation, but I've spent all my adult life watching analysing and working for this industry, and I don't believe Sony would allow too large a gap between big hitters, so either they are holding back, or something has gone very wrong.
One of the reasons I welcome closure on the ABK deal, quite apart from calming the corp warriors for a moment, is that I believe once the deals through, Sony will consider when to show their hand at last and we can get some great Sony titles to look forward to as well as all the goodies MS will be delivering
With Microsoft now starting to deliver on the promise of their studios and acquisitions, if Sony also have some good stuff coming then next year could be a golden year for gaming, especially if you are a multiplatform gamer, cause Switch 2 is coming too.
I do tend to be an optimist though, so I guess time will tell. Thanks for asking for my thoughts mate, appreciated.
What I'd like this to mean over the next year is that Battle.net merges with or migrates over to XBOX Live, with people being given six to eight months after the process starts to link their XBOX account to their old Battle.net account, so they can transfer any games they own to the new system.
After that, the base version of World Of Warcraft is added to PC Game Pass, with 'plans' to release it on console in the future, and they could toss a few games like the Transformers titles, which Activision have said they want to relist, along with the original Warcraft and Starcraft onto Game Pass Core, with the more recent ones requiring at least PC Game Pass.
Literally, as long as the third party support is good, we'll get some interesting things happening over XBOX and Game Pass by this time next year.
I am really happy that MS will now own Diablo, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. I like all three franchises, but all three have had a lot of issues the past few years. Hopefully MS gets all three back on track in a positive direction.
@Spider-Kev
You clearly won’t get much agreement on an Xbox enthusiast site, but I kind of agree with your sentiment. Gamepass seems cool right now, but is the Trojan horse for an all-digital future where we own nothing and games can be taken away forever. We had recent leaks that show the next Xbox won’t even have a disc drive and therefore the death of backwards compatibility. Starfield was a real disappointment and not even in Bethesda’s top five games. I’m starting to regret buying a Series X now, and hope Nintendo can create something compelling and powerful enough.
I'm really, really curious to see how Microsoft will manage all their studios if this goes through, because in the not so distant past their form regarding games management was pretty poor.
But even more importantly I want to see how will Microsoft approach the terrible workplace practices ABK employees had/have to endure and how eager they'll be to implement meaningful changes for the better.
@BrilliantBill
In ABK'S case I'm thinking more about the workforce and some of the horrible approach the management had/has, rather than overall gaming output.
Microsoft can I'll afford not to do something about it, and should definitely try to improve matters there. If they choose a blind eye approach than they should be called out for it.
@Titntin
Much appreciated reply thank you.
Yes it has been a bit strange this year with ABK deal going through.
Hope you correct about Sony playing their hand, both Microsoft and Nintendo have played theirs in a way almost.
I’m always suspicious when Sony don’t play their hand especially when it comes to their first party AAA single player games as it is their thing and swan song. Time will tell but hope you are correct.
Could be a very good year next year also depending what games for Switch 2 Nintendo have up their sleeve, especially if it’s Metroid Prime 4 and a new 3d platformer.
What’s you favourite console of choice at this exact moment in time if you could only have one console right now for the next 9 months?
@OldGamer999 "What’s you favourite console of choice at this exact moment in time if you could only have one console right now for the next 9 months?"
Oh mate, I fell like I'm ambushed here - there are people on this site who will never engage with me unless I vote Team Green.
I have always had all platforms going back decades now and I intend to always be that way.
But, I'll be honest, if I could only keep one (I prey to god that never happens) I'm afraid I'll nod to the blue corner - please don't judge me!
@Widey85 Xbox is already “winning” this generation according to the FTC case leaks. Sure, they have fewer consoles, but they are bribing in a lot more profit (not revenue). Likely a combination of 75% of the Xbox sold being Series S (that is likely sold at good margins), having all their games on PC day one, Game Pass subscriptions, and large multi-platform games like Minecraft. So much for Xbox model being “unsustainable”.
Sounds like it’s Sonys model (super expensive to-make games that are exclusive to a single device) that is not very sustainable.
Anyways, it’s not about volume it’s about profits at the end. Xbox is already doing very well, and will be unstoppable with CoD revenue once that is part of the Xbox ecosystem.
@Titntin
Thank you for your honest reply, it was a very tough question and very specific on time.
I guessed Red as first choice but blue a close second so I got your answer wrong 😂.
Gamers should never judge other console owners and game preferences by the way.
@Titntin I haven't bought CoD in over a decade. Still, I would play the campaigns if they're all in GP like a jukebox. I did try this most recent Warzone/DMZ and it is a lot of fun. DMZ reminded me of the old days of SOCOM and Ghost Recon.
@BAMozzy Well, I believe the 10-year deal Sony received only covers CoD. MS may not make native PS versions of new games (not new IPs, at least). There would be nothing to stream. Unless, Sony wants to stream the Xbox version, and that would require many "ifs" to be true.
@Sol4ris There needs to be more scrutiny and oversight from the top, as well as ringing the alarm earlier. Halo: Infinite should not have met the development struggles it did post-launch.
At the same time, it was kind of absurd to blame MS for Redfall. Phil Spencer did the "The buck stops here" thing to take one for the team. MS paid $7.5 billion dollars for a division to oversee production of Redfall — they're called Bethesda.
It was as is you got married last year and your 25 year-old stepkid goes to prison. Don't look at me...😄
@Tharsman that's been updated as incorrect, Series X and S are more 51 to 49 percent
@Pikachuuuu still sets Xbox in a position were half the units sold are likely going out at a decent profit margin.
@Tharsman Yep I've no doubt over profitability and look forward to them using that income for Game Pass deals etc.
The reason I mention console install base is primarily getting more games released on Xbox - by their own numbers PlayStation had thousands more games released for it over the last generation because the PS4 was seen as the default console to develop for.
I want the Xbox install base to be big enough when I see a third party game announced I don't have to think "wonder if it'll be on Xbox", but know it's unlikely not to be
@Tharsman yeah, I just wanted to update you of the figures is all =)
@Kaloudz
Are you a current generation multi console owner?
Original COD games on Gamepass is all I want.
@Pikachuuuu btw do you have a link to that update? The article here does not seem to show that update.
@electrolite77 lol as much as I do enjoy reading, definitely going to take your advice on that one.
@Tharsman just going to have dinner but I'll see if I can find it, it's on IGN
@Tharsman https://www.ign.com/articles/leaked-microsoft-documents-show-the-xbox-series-s-might-be-more-popular-than-you-think
Update 10:23am PT: It's worth pointing out that while we don't know exactly what period these documents refer to (April 2022 sales alone, quarter to date, or year to date), they're emblematic of a greater trend. Both Mat Piscatella of Circana and Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners told IGN their firms estimate the current split between Xbox Series X and S is closer to 50/50, with the S having a slight lead over the X. (Original story continues below)
Found it. It should be half way down where it says update
@Titntin
It’s hard to see a scenario where Sony don’t have a lot lined up. Their sales momentum is such they have no need to rush announcements.
@OldGamer999 choosing one of the 3 is tough. I can easily say at this point in time I can do without Nintendo, I’ve hardly picked the Switch up over the last 2 years.
Between the other 2 it’s tough but I feel for the most part both have been disappointing. I’m bored of PS current exclusives and Xbox have continued to struggle to get incredible first party titles out. Very hard to choose between the 2.
@Swirly And the total distraction of the games market and the CMA proven 100% right on its concerns of Microsoft’s monopolistic ambitions, then.
@Fenbops
Thanks for joining in.
You have to make choice, go for it. 😂
Surprised at your switch in 2 years but if you not into TOTK or Pikmin I get you.
I get what you mean about the other two of late, though Starfield has dragged me in big time now.
@S1ayeR74 oh, i agree. I just think the floodgates may have opened for more takeovers etc
@Swirly Sadly yes, the prescience has been set. I mean EA seems to want to sell so who will buy them? I can’t see Sony beating able to afford them but Microsoft can.
@Kaloudz
I was just asking a few of the gamers on here that have more than one current generation console
If they could have just one console right now and for the next 9 months what console would it.
Just a bit of fun. 😊
@OldGamer999 if I really had to pick one I think Xbox would just nudge it right now. I’m playing more indies and double A games than ever and Gamepass is great for those titles. The leaked documents make me worry about Xbox’s vision for the future however.
@Fenbops
What you worried about with the future of Xbox?
@Fenbops
Just read an article on Eurogamer and there concerns about the leaked documents and Xbox future. Probably the same as yours.
The new series x with no disc drive, Microsoft trying to drive out physical media.
The 10th generation using cloud compute etc.
So it’s a bit of a damming read but I can see the concerns.
@OldGamer999 yep they’re the ones. I was listening to their special podcast today about it too. I will not be interested in a console that uses the cloud, I don’t like it now and I doubt it’ll be any better in 5 years time.
@Fenbops
I’m ok with not having physical media as I’m totally digital with games, music and movies.
But cloud commute is such a daft idea, the internet needs to be faster and strong.
And I want the best the game can be out of the console as I want the best fullest and richest gaming experience and that is that.
I don’t want to have to rely on cloud compute to give me the best gaming experience.
Hopefully this won’t be happening and maybe it’s more of a golden vision that Microsoft are not daft enough to implement.
Microsoft have been this generation hanging on a thin thread with me as it is and currently it’s only really Starfield and the fact I have GPU on a deal until may 2025 I’m still with them.
I think we all knew it was when not if. I was a bit disappointed to hear CoD wouldn't come to GP until 2024, but I only play campaign so I can wait.
Glad this mess is finally almost over. While I'm not a fan of mergers, this was almost necessary for MS. They lost a lot of market share due to the disastrous XOne release and they needed to get it back. As many have already pointed out, having multiple big players competing against each other is much better than only one.
Xbox is investing heavily but not delivering a sufficient number of quality games. To emerge victorious in this competition, it must consider making all its games exclusive, even though this approach contradicts the core principles of gaming. Additionally, it should explore the possibility of releasing games from two generations ago on Nintendo's consoles.
@OldGamer999 Yeap plus it is relying on you paying for fast broadband for it to work, I bet it’ll need fibre speeds to work properly. But a console game performance should never ever rely a third party service. However I believe this idea will be the one they go with and will be used as a test bed for the generation after next, where Xbox moves entirely to a cloud based system and won’t sell client hardware apart from a small streaming device like a Firestick.
@S1ayeR74
I don’t think in 2028 they would release a console that relies on the cloud compute to increase performance.
You could imagine the PS6 advert now.
“ All the power in the PS6 console no need for expensive internet and continuous connection
to obtain the top best experience from all our games”
I mean did you see how many PS5 sold in August 2023 worldwide something like 1.4 million to 430 thousand series console.
Now from a business view that’s is 1.4 million that have bought into the PlayStation eco system and not the Xbox ecosystem. So the sooner Microsoft learn and see it that way the sooner they might get their act together with console sales.
It’s not always about how many consoles Xbox sell or don’t sell, it’s how many the competition have sold and now joined to their eco system and not yours.
@S1ayeR74
Also another concern of mine though I’m already all digital on all consoles.
Is the new 2024 series x has no built in disk drive and the current disc series x is removed, that is a massive push to remove physical discs.
That won’t go down well with general public for sure, especially as they can’t trade in old physical games etc.
But then again Sony may go down that road with the PS5 slim but with a Sony disc add on, so at least you have that option in the shop if you wish to buy with the console.
Of course we know both Microsoft and Sony would love an all digital only world.
@Spider-Kev I was playing games back then, I had a SNES. Nintendo absolutely were a monopoly. Sega were struggling to make headway with their consoles after the Megadrive and Atari were on their death bed with the Jaguar.
As others have said, we need more players, not less. I'd like to see SEGA make a new console for starters.
@Tonmoy
I'd quite like them to do mad updated versions of some of their Atari games 😁
Simplistic genius: River Raid, Keystone Kapers, H.E.R.O., Pitfall, Frostbite in super high res quality with raytracing!
Never happen, but can fantasise...
@Acurisur
I'd do bad things for a new SEGA console.
Such a great brand and iconic I.P. almost as good as Nintendo.
There is a market, but they would need to learn from previous mistakes and absolutely nail it.
Could they bring some custom hardware to the table, like they used to, borrowing on their arcade machine know how?
Don't know if that's viable anymore, but hey.
Was expecting this announcement any day now. It was an absolute give in that it was gonna go through this time. The CMA were fully aware that MS would have just closed over them as opposed to missing the 2nd deadline, thus showing the world how irrelevant the CMA really is in the big picture.
This is great news for Xbox as this should absolutely help make them more competitive in the market and help them break into the mobile market. We will very likely look back at this deal in 10 years and see it as one of the defining moments for MS in the gaming market.
Personally, I’m excited to play through the single player campaigns for COD. That and bringing Diablo to Game Pass. And I’m hoping they get some of those IP they now own active again. Lots of potential there. I for one didn’t mind how long this deal took. Between this deal and the Apple Epic lawsuit, I learned a ton on various aspects of the law in these kinds of cases. I found it throughly fascinating. Sony isn’t happy today, that’s for sure.
I’m curious who MS tries to pick up next. I don’t think they will try for another big publisher anytime soon, but I do think they will try and pick up a few more studios. I would like to see Remedy get brought on board. Quantum Break 2 please!!
@OldGamer999 Well it’s in black and white in official Microsoft documents submitted to the FTC in relation to an official investigation into to its merger proposal with ActiBliz. Both the cloud based hybrid console idea and the new all digital Series X and the text stating the current Series X will be phased out.
If you think about it all they are planning is exactly what they wanted when they launched the Xbox One, a mandatory online system where you are prevented from reselling games if loaning them to friends to play, thus forcing you to pay the prices they want to set for games. So it’s not surprising at all to read all this in the documents.
Buying ActiBliz is a way to make this idea more attractive to the consumers, more so with Bethesda games seemingly being made Xbox / PC exclusive.
@S1ayeR74
Well thanked to the leaked documents we know what they see the future as and want to do.
Now time will tell if they do exactly that and if the competition, more so Sony follow and do the same.
But if I was Sony I wouldn’t and I would use against Microsoft like they did with the PS4 reveal.
But then again there is lots more money to be made by them going all digital, will interesting to see how it all works out in the future.
I mean if true Sony will sell the new PS5 slim as digital only and the disk drive will be an additional add on, then if they remove the current two PS5 consoles that is a clever sly way of pushing all digital forward in a gentle way.
@OldGamer999 Sadly, yes, don’t think we have a choice, but at least by offering the disk drive you have a choice. Next gen will be very interesting. At least leaks and rumours indicate Nintendos next console will still use cartridges, and you could argue a portable platform is the perfect device for digital only sales. However even Sony state digital sales are pretty high on its platform, if the people keep buying them then that’s the route they’ll take sadly.
@S1ayeR74
It’s or a my the future whenever it happens so we best get used to coming at some point.
I will be honest I’m all digital with everything and I enjoy it.
I never thought years ago I could but a tiny usb stick in my car and do away with 100 cds, amazing from that point.
@OldGamer999
Yeah, I was anti digital for a long time. I have so much physical media from past generations of games, movies, music CD’s etc. that it’s insane. I literally had to box many of them up and put them into storage as I just don’t have the room in my house anymore.
So I stopped buying movies altogether and started buying more and more digital over the years. It’s now to the point where the vast majority of my purchases are digital. The occasional game like Starfield I’ll pick up in physical form, but everything else these days is digital and I actually really love it. Still think they should have physical options for those that want them, but if the physical market continues to shrink, who can blame them for phasing it out. I’m ok with it now either way it goes. My physical media days are mostly behind me.
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