Microsoft buying Activision (World of Warcraft, Call of Duty etc)

TNA said:
This is definitely the appropriate reaction. Lol
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+1

Even if it all went wrong, even if cloud gaming suddenly took off, we would still likely see PS6. PS7?... maybe less likely under those circumstances. Though they may pull a Nintendo and carve out their own share of the market.

Chances are, Sony will still be a big player in 5-10 years, but just less dominant than they were during the PS4 years.
 
.Lethal said:
You're telling me if Sony doesn't spend billions to purchase the left over big companies they won't increase their share price by any other means? If so, you need to stop being dramatic man. So many people here seem to know absolute certainties in an unknown market based on little information. Perhaps subscription services are growing in popularity, perhaps it will be the next big thing we all use. It doesn't automatically mean companies need to be bought, there are alternative business decisions that can be made.

Some of the resident OcUK experts should be dropping off their CV's or giving them a call. I'm sure they'll appreciate some of the expert knowledge that's being wasted round here.

There's no guarantee buying up companies will lead to success, Blizzard has been successful from a financial PoV due to microtransactions, they don't have a good public image for a lot of reasons, nobody looks at their game releases as the next big thing anymore. EA has bought tons of game companies that don't exist today. My point is buying up big business isn't going to automatically lead to success that some of you clearly think will.



I don't personally use subscription services, that isn't me saying yeah they aren't successful, it's me saying subscription services aren't the absolute future when they've been around for many years already.

If we wait 3 mths games are a tiny fraction of the RRP.
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My original reply didn't give my whole opinion on where the future of gaming is heading towards. Microsoft are going all in on gamepass. They have already been in talks for the last 2 years at least with Nintendo, in an attempt to get gamepass added to the switch. Ideally MS would want gamepass as an option that can be selected on the Playstation. Just like you would download and open Netflix from any console. Microsoft and I'm sure Sony both realise that the future is not to keep churning out new hardware every 5+ years. The long term goal is to provide a service we all buy into and they won't care where we do that. Be that playing gamepass on an Xbox, PC, Playstation etc.

Secondly, Activision Blizzard were not purchased because MS believe they are a great working Company. With Kotick looking for a way out that doesn't involve him being pushed, this was a great moment to strike. MS are buying a full and rich catalogue of intellectual property. The deal hasn't even gone through yet, so of course we haven't seen any of the changes yet. I'm pretty sure a bunch of middle management will be culled and the organisation restructured.

Lastly gaming is a huge digital entertainment but owning the full IP to multiple properties also gives them the opportunity to make other branding deals into Cinema, TV, Merchandise. Maybe I'm wrong and Sony will do absolutely nothing xD I highly doubt it though.
 
Both MS and Sony are constantly in talks with Publishers all the time. Although according to those in the know, MS buying Activision Blizzard really accelerated in talks over the 1-2 week period over Xmas with Phil Spencer personally being involved and doing some heavy lifting to get it over the line.

Likewise, with Sony buying Bungie pressure most likely applied as a direct response to MS. I expect us to see Sega/Konami and a big one being Capcom in a battle between MS/Sony for purchasing.
 
Do I need to be angry about this? This is obviously a really big deal compared to everything else going on so I just need someone to tell me if I need to be angry about it or not.
 
It will be interesting to see whether Microsoft is going to measure succes by making better games on the best platform , or whether it is going to measure by using Blizz's "engagement metrics" etc

I'd love to believe they're going to make WOW2, and make it a real throwback to the how MMO's used to be, and that this heralds a new golden age in gaming which leads to wider and cheaper access to much better games, without predatory monetization via PC, Console, and Streaming - but experience tells me that's pretty unlikely.

Very interesting to watch though, I don't think this kind of massive acquisition is usually a good thing, although in the case og Blizz's output, things can't get any worse right?
 
Hopefully whoever replaces that disgusting virus of a man Kotick is more interested in producing good games, as opposed to relying on established franchises' past reputation then dragging them through the mud in favour of $$$.
 
arknor said:
Probably be crap tbh

they may as well just remake WOW in a modern engine with good graphics but completely change the story
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It would probably draw people in for a few months before they realise the 'magic' still isn't there because peak WOW was at a completely different time of life.
 
Does anyone else think this is just going to be a huge s-show? I mean, Phil Spencer already can't manage all the teams he's got and clearly the leadership in place in those teams (343, Turn 10, Arkane etc.) are failing hard - I can't help but think adding Blizzard/Activision/King to the pile is just going to further accelerate the decline of XBox as a brand - and as Spencer himself said, if Game Pass can't make a profit then MS won't hesitate to shut it down.

Much like with Embracer haemorrhaging cash and offloading staff and studios due to expanding too quickly, I really think there's some bad times ahead for the XBox group - especially as Sony and Nintendo are dominating them in the console space.

Clearly MS has an all-digital, all-streaming future planned for XBox (or rather, Game Pass) - the question is, are gamers interested in that future? With XBox One it was 'no' and with Google Stadia it was 'no' - has the needle really moved since then?
 
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