Microsoft is Buying Activision Blizzard $68.7B ***Update: Acquisition Finalized***

[rikwebb]

Ubisoft + will have Activision / Blizzard games available for streaming upon completition of the deal, and they will also license the games to a range of cloud streaming and subscription services



https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/22/...cquisition-ubisoft-cloud-gaming-rights-uk-cma

"To address the concerns about the impact of the proposed acquisition on cloud game streaming raised by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, we are restructuring the transaction to acquire a narrower set of rights," says Microsoft president Brad Smith. "This includes executing an agreement effective at the closing of our merger that transfers the cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment SA, a leading global game publisher. The rights will be in perpetuity."

"Ubisoft will compensate Microsoft for the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard's games through a one-off payment and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage," explains Smith. "It will also give Ubisoft the opportunity to offer Activision Blizzard's games to cloud gaming services running non-Windows operating systems."

 

[method115]

Ubisoft + will have Activision / Blizzard games available for streaming upon completition of the deal, and they will also license the games to a range of cloud streaming and subscription services



https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/22/...cquisition-ubisoft-cloud-gaming-rights-uk-cma

Im wondering how this affects the contracts MS signed with GeForce since MS no longer has the rights.

 

[rikwebb]

Im wondering how this affects the contracts MS signed with GeForce since MS no longer has the rights.

Yeah this is gonna get interesting, supposedly the EC are possibly looking into this aswell

 

[rikwebb]

@method115

Funny as that about Nvidia came up...

 

[method115]

Yeah this is gonna get interesting, supposedly the EC are possibly looking into this aswell

Don't really see an issue here either way. EU will approve. The only issue I could see is how long it takes. They only extended into October. They could just extend it again I assume. Doubt it will be an issue but you never know.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Ubisoft + will have Activision / Blizzard games available for streaming upon completition of the deal, and they will also license the games to a range of cloud streaming and subscription services

Game streaming is completely different than video streaming. They'd have a legitimate concern if this was the mid-2000's and console games were still playing off a CD/DVD-rom.

 

[Deadwing88]

 

[avenue94]

Can't say I'm thrilled that Ubisoft of all companies got the rights given how lazy of a publisher they have been in recent years and how much they have squandered their own IP. Oh well.

 

[Knee Capper]

The deal is bad for the consumer, the CMA should stick by it's decision to block the takeover.

 

[Dizzy]

Suck a dick, Phil.

 

[Cherry Brigand]

Suck a dick, Phil.

He's right you know.

 

[Dizzy]

He's right you know.

Yeah, outselling Microsoft 10x over is really showing how much they need them.

 

[Zazen]

But Phil is the gamer bro they all told me! He’s the one who cares about this industry they told me! We need to stop pretending Phil is the good guy. It’s clear that his number one priority is acquisitions and not creating something of their own. Really pathetic and it’s why I no longer support them.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Suck a dick, Phil.

Meh, it’s a 37 month email. Obviously never going to happen. After how much difficulty they had with regulators over the Activision deal (which still isn’t done) I think they would likely realize they’d never get approval to buy out Nintendo.

 

[Dizzy]

Meh, it’s a 37 month email. Obviously never going to happen. After how much difficulty they had with regulators over the Activision deal (which still isn’t done) I think they would likely realize they’d never get approval to buy out Nintendo.

Of course it’ll never happen.

The hubris of this dude who has been soundly thumped every generation he’s been a part of, saying of the most iconic and successful gaming company to exist, “you need us to buy you, just don’t know it yet. ” is pretty wild.

 

[method115]

These email leaks from MS have been incredible. Game pass from Early 2022 to Late 2022 virtually had no growth. I think that's very telling about sub services for gaming.

 

[Zazen]

Holy shit. You guys read about how much Microsoft is paying for these games to come on GamePass? We’re talking about offering up money for one game that’s equivalent to producing a massive new AAA game like Spider-Man 2. It’s so absurd what they could be doing with this money instead of paying for things that were coming on that platform regardless. With their current sub count of 25 million they’re earning around 230 million a month. There’s no way they’re turning a profit on this shit. They’re accepting millions of dollars of loss per month in the hopes of pushing PlayStation out of business. I’m guessing they think people will take free games over paying 60 to 70 dollars. Again this just proves what others in the industry were saying correct, even Jim Ryan who constantly gets shit on for these opinions

 

[avenue94]

These email leaks from MS have been incredible. Game pass from Early 2022 to Late 2022 virtually had no growth. I think that's very telling about sub services for gaming.

Holy shit. You guys read about how much Microsoft is paying for these games to come on GamePass? We’re talking about offering up money for one game that’s equivalent to producing a massive new AAA game like Spider-Man 2. It’s so absurd what they could be doing with this money instead of paying for things that were coming on that platform regardless. With their current sub count of 25 million they’re earning around 230 million a month. There’s no way they’re turning a profit on this shit. They’re accepting millions of dollars of loss per month in the hopes of pushing PlayStation out of business. I’m guessing they think people will take free games over paying 60 to 70 dollars. Again this just proves what others in the industry were saying correct, even Jim Ryan who constantly gets shit on for these opinions

But a certain mod keeps saying that Game Pass is the future and Microsoft is somehow going to make it a better product without raising prices, even though they're bleeding money on it.

Like even just basic napkin math would tell you that the prices Xbox is charging are unsustainable lol.

 

[KaNesDeath]

But a certain mod keeps saying that Game Pass is the future

For console gaming it is.

 

[avenue94]

For console gaming it is.

How does Microsoft not only make it profitable, but profitable enough to offset losing money on hardware sales and cannibalizing traditional game purchases?