Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard

It’s on PS and PC too buddy. 👍🏻

The thing I find most amusing about those who feel the need to defend the Game Pass rental model at every opportunity is whenever a multi-plat game is mentioned they feel the need to jump in with “It’s on Game Pass!” or “It’s been on Game Pass” or “It’ll probably come to Game Pass”. 🤣

One of my XBox buddies can’t get his head around the fact I bought Ori 2 for Switch, you know, when I could have played it on my XB for ‘free’. 🤪

Neither can I, apart from the fact that it’s free on GamePass I can never understand playing ANY multiplat on the Switch. While Ori is one of the better ports in general it’s such a comprised experience, from the poor visuals and performance to the awful joycons or mediocre 'Pro' controller. Even the grim load times you get on Switch multiplats wind me up now I’m used to fast solid state.

But the worst thing is the Nintendo tax, even digital titles are often priced higher on Switch so they can’t use the price of an SD card as an excuse, pay more for the butchered version of a multiplat game yeah right they’re having a laugh with that one.

You sacrifice so much just to play on a dinky portable screen…makes me wonder why you wouldn’t just xcloud those games to your phone, better screen and it would probably run and look far better than what a native Switch port could achieve.
 
Why spend the extra time to make Elders Scrolls the best game this generation if sales aren't important?
Skyrim was a buggy mess, I'd hope ms will do a better job of ironing those out considering their recent record of being willing to let games run in development up to a year more to polish them.
I mean Activision were the big guys buying up other studios. If you want someone buying people it’s Microsoft. Because they are easily the most consumer friendly option in the gaming space and they also are a far better company in terms of social responsibility than say Facebook or Amazon or any of the other big tech ones.
If it's Phil Spencer or Bobby kottick I'd take Phil every day of the week.

Considering Activision have seemingly just thrown everyone they employ at COD I can't help but think ms will likely do more with all these IPs than the current owners. The Tony hawks remastered developers did a fantastic job on that game and their reward for making a good successful game was to be moved over to make cod dlc. I know cod .ales them money but I'm hoping ms turns down the dial a bit in that and let's some of these teams be creative again.
 
I mean Activision were the big guys buying up other studios. If you want someone buying people it’s Microsoft. Because they are easily the most consumer friendly option in the gaming space and they also are a far better company in terms of social responsibility than say Facebook or Amazon or any of the other big tech ones.
I get it, if you could pick one company to own the world you’d pick Microsoft, for me that’s like saying I’d rather get shot with a pistol than a shotgun.
 
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I get it, if you could pick one company to own the world you’d pick Microsoft, for me that’s like saying I’d rather get shot with a pistol than a shotgun.
So your argument is Activision should have stayed as they were - cos they were definitely a fine example of a corporation?

I just can’t help the feeling that if Sony had bought Activision none of these issues would be raised….
 
Oh right was it a timed exclusive or something?

To be honest my issue isn’t gamepass, I’ve no problem with it as long as physical and digital media remains. It’s massive companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook buying up everything just so the other can’t and damn with consequences. My worry is for the future of gaming, I don’t want my only choice to be subscribe to GameCorp

The Ori games are brilliant.
No PS5 version as it's the PS4 version. So the GamesPass version is optimised for Series S/X

Not "Defending" GP just stating the facts in case you did not know.
 
I think while Phil Spencer is at the helm GamePass and all these acquisitions will fulfil there potential and be the service he envisaged. After Phil I’m not so sure, MS have misread the consumer once before in spectacular fashion, Xbox One.

This is all good news in the short to medium term, looking long term I really am not convinced. Only takes some numpty to get the top job and make a series of bad decisions. But then that could be said about anything, I just hope it all works out well.
 
So your argument is Activision should have stayed as they were - cos they were definitely a fine example of a corporation?

I just can’t help the feeling that if Sony had bought Activision none of these issues would be raised….
Not at all. Not sure you’re even in the same conversation.
 
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Sony issued a statement

"We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform."

I have no idea what the sony contract is apart from call of duty DLC timed exclusivity
 
Sony issued a statement

"We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform."

I have no idea what the sony contract is apart from call of duty DLC timed exclusivity
I mean there will be releases planned already that have contracts in place.

Microsoft as ever will abide by those. And they won’t yank warzone away either.

I expect COD stays multi platform but of course there comes a point where MS will want more leverage and that will potentially be when they start looking at that model and perhaps changing it.

I certainly expect them once the acquisition closes to make Xbox the best place to play COD without a doubt. They will use gamepass and presumably dlc content etc to do that.
 
Don’t care about COD games, but if Sony bought Activision they would not release future COD games on Xbox, Xbox should deny Sony access to all their IPs once the sale is complete.
 

Nice guy Phil. He did a long interview where he talks about plans to revive lots of older activision IP. Which will be great. And to do it by growing their studios. That will create a tonne of gamepass exclusive content.

I think exclusive call of duty would be a bit silly given I doubt it would do the game much good and probably would draw more attention from the regulators. I’m sure they will use it as leverage down the line to get gamepass on the PS5. That’s the aim.
 
I'm rather interested in some of the back catalogue.

Would be cool if there are any games from the original Xbox or 360 era they could add to their backwards compatibility list and add to Game Pass... but then again I think a lot of Activision, Blizzard and Vevendi/Universal's games back then were licenses (some Marvel games and films) or used a lot of things that required licenses (cars and music) so it might not be possible.

Maybe when the current Activision management are out MS might look at reviving some older IP and put that on Game Pass, as I don't think MS need games to be multi-million sellers if they boost the Game Pass library.
 
A modern day Rock n Roll Racing with current gen visuals would have massive potential IMO. They could have huge variety of vehicles and add ons available via dlc or season passes similar to Rocket league to rake in ongoing microtransactions if people choose to buy them, create some crazy tracks and weapons, set up a divisional structure and tournaments for solo modes, various team options similar to the way they do in Forza Horizon etc...
 
I'm rather interested in some of the back catalogue.

Would be cool if there are any games from the original Xbox or 360 era they could add to their backwards compatibility list and add to Game Pass... but then again I think a lot of Activision, Blizzard and Vevendi/Universal's games back then were licenses (some Marvel games and films) or used a lot of things that required licenses (cars and music) so it might not be possible.

Maybe when the current Activision management are out MS might look at reviving some older IP and put that on Game Pass, as I don't think MS need games to be multi-million sellers if they boost the Game Pass library.
Phil Spencer has already spoken about wanting to revive old activision IPs and make new games with them.

And lots of talk COD will go to every two years to free up their studios. Phil also talked about more staffing resources into their studios.
 
I’m not at all convinced by what Phil tweeted there. He spoke of honouring ‘existing‘ agreements. All good. Then he spoke of their ‘desire’ to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Nice sentiment but there’s nothing legally binding there. No doubt Microsoft’s lawyers will be watching everything he says. The name of the game right now is to appear to being as reasonable as possible until the deal’s finalised.
 
I’m not at all convinced by what Phil tweeted there. He spoke of honouring ‘existing‘ agreements. All good. Then he spoke of their ‘desire’ to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Nice sentiment but there’s nothing legally binding there. No doubt Microsoft’s lawyers will be watching everything he says. The name of the game right now is to appear to being as reasonable as possible until the deal’s finalised.
I'm sure he said the same before the Bethesda deal was finalized.
 

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