electrolite77

@BRT15

Relentlessly so! 🙄😁

@Widey85

I don’t think this will end well for Sony. The deal not going through will likely have them out for revenge, even if it isn’t actually Sonys concerns that got it blocked.

@BRT15

“ Thankfully the UK is not a guiding beacon when it comes to good decisions and good governance.”

Now hang on. I’m British and I am offend….oh yeah you’re quite right. It’s a sh*tshow over here.

Blocking it because of concerns about the Cloud market makes more sense than anything to do with Sony. If it isn’t going to go through just move on and redirect that resource, though I can’t think of who given a big part of this deal for MS was the King segment of the company giving them a foothold in Mobile gaming.

@NEStalgia

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them offering stuff for Diablo 4 on GP though not the game itself for a while.

My other hope with ABK is some of their dormant franchises getting a bit more attention. GP/Xbox needs family content and Crash and Spyro are well established in that sense-if they aren’t ready to go with a Crash Team Racing game that includes other Xbox franchise characters quickly then heads need banging together.

Guitar Hero is a perfect live service game. It floundered when it became an annual thing and required full price purchases to get more tracks. However the purchase of all the plastic tat looks more attractive as a one off that’s then supported by a big library of music on GP. Similar principle could apply to Skylanders though that’s more about encouraging a regular purchase of plastic tat.

Not Tetris! I may have to buy that, though TBH I’ll probably get it on Switch

1. He’s happy when it goes the other way

2. Isn’t there a deal on offer guaranteeing COD, with full parity, for 10 years? If so take it.

3. I really think this guy is clueless. It takes a while for changes of direction to really show their effect in the Games industry but he could turn out to be quite damaging to Playstation. They need someone better at the helm.

@S1ayeR74

Oh yeah, don’t know how I missed that bit. They have to raise issues then, otherwise what is the use of such Deals?

I doubt this will go much further than being a bit of showboating. However if there is a Trade Deal and Japanese companies are colluding to stop an American business from competing fairly, in direct contradiction of that Trade deal, it would be remiss of American representatives not to ask the question. Even if it’s just a case of making sure the issue is registered.

The ABK deal and especially Sonys response to it have opened up a can of worms for the industry. I hope that the Competition authorities can understand the difference between platform holders paying for a third party game to be made that otherwise wouldn’t exist (SF V, Bayonetta) and paying for timed exclusivity on games planned as multi platform.

Once the ABK deal goes through the likes of EA and Ubi soft will be gobbled up, possibly along with Rockstar (though that’s more difficult), by Apple/Google/Meta/Ten Cent. The industry is about to go through a huge change. It seems to me Sony are trying to freeze the industry in time where it is now, which is never going to happen. Even worse, they’ve drawn attention to the industry as it is now.

Well, at least that means less chance of a price rise for everyone else, given this is effectively one for those who’d been using it. I’ve used it before but now just use Rewards to pay for it anyway.

Just take the 10 years Sony. Been saying this for ages

‘Participant E’ absolutely nails the important point-“ It's far more likely that it may help to create a more level playing field between Xbox and PlayStation which, at this point in time, is sorely needed”

Well this is rubbish, why don’t hey just bin Good and….hang on, what madness is this?

Three really interesting games there. An actual good month for once.

@themcnoisy

There doesn’t need to be a consensus among reviews for anything, they’re just opinions after all. Ignore the scores, read the reviews, form your own opinion.

Quite a spread of reviews but overall very positive. Looking forward to giving it a go.

Not even a big Harry Potter fan but tempted to give this a go based on the review and how the game looks. Maybe this will suck me into that universe.

Noted. I wasn’t aware they’d said anything else, that was what I was expecting anyway.

Seasoned Nintendo fans will already be aware of the ludicrous circle of life that takes place around Nintendo Directs. Fans build up their own expectations to ludicrous heights then criticise Nintendo after because-no matter how good the actual Direct is-it didn’t meet them.

Another handy reminder about MS, Sony, Nintendo, EA, Ubi Soft, Activision Blizzard etc etc.

They exist to make money, the people they have to please are their shareholders. They aren’t your friend. They are businesses.

@Deemo37

Seconded. Donut County is really enjoyable. I only started playing it for easy Achievements but kept going and completed it.

Fair comments. The curation needs to continue to be good. Hopefully it will, once MS have a healthy library of their own games I can see a situation where the big third party games drop off and GP becomes mainly First/Second Party and Indie. No need to pay for expensive AAA Third Party games that can be a source of licensing fee revenue instead.

Oh cool. I’m off that day so can watch. Hope they get the format right, I consider Nintendo the gold standard for this kind of thing. A surprise or two would be very welcome.

If they could bring themselves to drop the charge for Online Play then yes they should absolutely kill Gold. It’s whether hey think the extra revenue/GP subscriptions would make up for the lost XBLG revenue.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Let’s face it, the whole motivation of the FTC is political. It’s hard to explain them using Antitrust laws to support the dominant party in a market otherwise.

@Titntin

It’s pretty similar actually. Bear in mind I’m talking about the general public because that’s what this article is about, not necessarily other businesses in the market. They have a separate mechanism for making their views known (as do Airlines, Airports, ANSPs etc in the Aviation process). All I mean is if someone is complaining on here, and on Twitter, but hasn’t made the effort to write to the CMA their opinion won’t count in the CMAs eyes.

It’s perfectly likely that there are more people against the takeover than is represented here, but tough luck. If they didn’t contact the CMA when asked they’ve lost their opportunity to have a say.

@themightyant

Ah I see, you’re right I misunderstood the context.

@Titntin

I’ve been involved in a few public consultations, specifically around Airspace Design and Noise routings. If somebody doesn’t make the effort to make a submission their opinion will not count. Its impossible for any body making a decision to take into account the opinions of people who haven’t shared their opinions with that body.

@themightyant

Sony are very relevant to it. The regulator is looking at how this deal will affect competition and consumers. Sony are the dominant entity in one of the market sectors affected, and it’s impossible to judge any impact on competition or consumers without knowing what the market currently looks like.

@Titntin

Actually it means a lot. Those 2100 that wrote in are the only ones whose opinions have reached the regulator. They can assume that nobody else is bothered. This is far more relevant than most debates about the subject.

@Snake_V5

Not necessarily. Could be a lot of multi-format and PC gamers.

I wrote in saying I was broadly supportive as long as certain conditions were met. First, that a legally binding deal was signed keeping COD on PlayStation, and that this was for a certain number of releases rather than a period of time. Second, the board of ABK were removed and the staff allowed to Unionise. Third, a moratorium was placed on any further purchases of publishers by MS above a certain value. Fourth, the Switch got some sort of COD presence.

@TheElectroFunky

You’re very kind.

Agree with you about Xbox at the start of the last generation. They made Xbox One a hugely unattractive prospect before starting to turn things around in 2016.

It’s a recurring theme in the industry. Once a platform holder gets successful they get consumed by arrogance and finish up shooting themselves in the foot. Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, they’ve all done it. But at least there’s strong competition (aside from Xbox not quite being close enough to Playstation) to take advantage of those mistakes and being them back into line.

Not for me but I can see it being tempting for some.

Where’s my Friends and Family sub though, MS?

Shame. I haven’t been able to get into Outer Wilds so was hoping to give it another go at some point. The Pedestrian is really good.

@uptownsoul

I think I get it. However not everyone is coming at it from the same angle. You may find that not everybody is as upset about a threat to Xbox as you are a threat to Playstation.

When that consolidation comes I’ll take it on a case by case basis. I’ve been gaming (and fascinated by the industry) for over 30 years and change is constant.

In the case of this deal my initial reaction was to be against it. Once the 10-year COD offer was made to Sony and the Nintendo deal agreed, I moved slightly in favour of it. As a rule I’d rather have publishers like ABK in the hands of MS/Sony/Nintendo as they all have a storied history with Video Games that Amazon etc don’t. What MS have said regarding Unionisation is a positive IMO and I think they will resurrect some of ABKs dormant franchises. The 10-year COD deal gave Sony sufficient time to protect themselves and position themselves for the future so on balance I moved in favour.

Equally, I’m philosophical about it because-and this is key-that consolidation is coming whether MS buys ABK or not. The FTC winning in Court will not stop that consolidation. ABK will be picked up by another big boy, as will EA, and it will be Sony AND XBox AND Nintendo who suffer.

@uptownsoul

“Once Microsoft is allowed to buy Activision, you have to allow Amazon to spend $40 or $50 billion dollars on multiplatform acquisitions...or more.
Once Amazon is allowed, Apple, Tencent, etc all have to be allowed...”

That consolidation is going to happen whether the MS-ABK deal goes through or not. Google want into Gaming, so do Amazon. Tencent own a tranche of industry shares already, Netflix are offering games now. Apple will move if the other big boys do. The only question is who they buy. If MS doesn’t get ABK one of the other big boys will and they will be allowed to be whether MS gets stopped or not. EA is up for sale, Sony will probably buy Square Enix.

“(My consolation prize will be watching all the people defending Microsoft's ABK acquisition...turn & get upset at Amazon, Apple, Tencent etc...do the same thing as Microsoft)”

I have no idea how or why that would be a consolation if something you claim will be a disaster happens. That makes me suspect your real motivation for being so obviously strongly against this deal is Console Warring.

“the answer is that none of these mega conglomerates are your friend & the fewer people at the top who own more of the goods/services...the worse it is for the consumer”

This is a good point. It illustrates why having Xbox a stronger competitor in the Console Sector is good for the industry. It stops Sony resting on their laurels. It also illustrates why it’s a huge plus for XBox to have a big foothold in the Mobile market which buying ABK will give them.

My concern now is Sonys shortsightedness is going to cost them. They seem determined to keep fighting todays industry battle and look like they could get outflanked. They should have taken the deals on offer around COD. If, as is now possible, the FTC loses in Court and MS is cleared to buy ABK without any concessions around COD I’d be much less happy, as that could unbalance the Console market rather than simply allow MS to close the gap a bit.

@uptownsoul

MS said they aren’t in direct competition with just Sony. As in, not solely Sony. Which is entirely correct. They are in competition with Sony in the Console sector of the gaming market which is a smaller sector than PC or Mobile by revenue. They see their future as being in competition with Apple, Google, Amazon, Tencent as well as Sony which is entirely true.

“But again, I can't wait to watch Xbox fans react to Amazon,etc...when they start doing $40 billion dollar acquisitions”

Why do you keep saying this?

Seems to be some misunderstanding here. This is actually a solid argument. It’s very hard for anyone to claim Xbox being too big and having too many exclusives is a reason to stop them buying ABK when their market share is so much lower than Playstation and there’s a big difference in exclusives. Of course, Xbox will have a lot more in the coming years but that’s a different argument.

@NEStalgia

Spot on again. I think in the long term Ryan is a disaster for PlayStation. He is either totally incapable of, or unwilling to, contemplate reacting in any way to the market. All he has is a plan to put out 3/4 exclusives a year and coin it in from COD and other third party games. His only strategy is to protect that, especially as it means they can treat their customers with flippant disdain, which he does. There’s no attempt to be responsive, or to compete, or to grow. There seems to be no strategy or vision there at all. A shame, as Playstation have had much better people at the helm. Eventually, no matter how big you are, arrogance always costs.

It’s really funny to see the focus from Console players on COD, when MS’ willingness to do deals on COD should tell everyone how significant it is to them. ABKs Console games are only a small part of this deal.

Getting ABKs Console franchises is a plus as it gives them more family content which they’ve openly admitted needing. They get Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawk and if they wanted to resurrect Guitar Hero it would be ideal as part of a subscription service. The likes of Diablo and StarCraft will sit well and increase their PC market share.

The real meat however is Candy Crush, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch. They are all big games of a type MS doesn’t currently offer and they would instantly gain a very significant share of the mobile market which is the big segment they’re currently non-existent in.

Given this would inevitably involve Sony giving MS a massive amount of cash I can’t see this being of any relevance beyond ‘look we’re being really inclusive’ PR

So seeing Bernie Sanders Tweeting in support of his Democratic colleague bringing this case really does make it seem like this is political. Been interesting to see commentators on Financial channels seemingly saying the FTC is likely to lose too. All very interesting to a non-American.

1) Is it likely that this is posturing that will lead to concessions the Democrats can hail as them standing their ground against big tech?

2) Is there a chance the deal could go through the Courts without any of the concessions MS was offering? I.e. COD could in fact go exclusive

3) Is it possible a massive can of worms has been opened regarding the basic concept of games being exclusive to any platform?

@Would_you_kindly

Yeah they might as well have done. Sony used ‘games being kept off our platform’ as a justification to do so.

@Would_you_kindly

They could have started complaining about not getting a guarantee of every Bungie release for 25 years with exact feature parity written in blood. Maybe in hindsight they should have done.

@Would_you_kindly

Of course they want profit. The companies making games exist to make profit.

I found a U.S. Toys R Us catalogue from 1996 and PS1 games on CD were $49.99 RRP, which translates to over $92 now. Yes the market is bigger now, and DLC has increased revenue streams, but the amount of people and time it takes to make games has increased hugely too. I dont think it’s a clear cut comparison but $70 doesn’t seem in any way outrageous to me, especially given how the price of everything is rising at the minute.

@TJ81

Aye, when SFII launched on the SNES in 1992 it was £65. That’s just over £131 in todays money. Even though modern AAA games cost many multiples more to make the price hasn’t risen with inflation. That’s part of the reason the industry shifted so enthusiastically to paid DLC and more recently, parts of it to utilising a subscription model.

Edit-perhaps a fairer comparison would be to a disc game, like PS1 Doom which cost me the equivalent of £92 in 1996.

Only just got started on Pentiment but really enjoying it so far

No surprise to see Switch cleaning up, it has a vast library of games and has had a really good year with several big releases.

Xbox has pretty much all the third party games PS has and those very smart price drops have obviously been a big success.

Sony may only have sold 18% but that will be everything they could get into the shops and at a high price vs the competition.

Excellent. Hopefully that means it will work at launch and have a 60FPS mode