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A new chapter

Combining with Microsoft will enable us to deliver more fun, more joy, and more connection to more players, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick writes.

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https://newsroom.activisionblizzard.com/p/a-new-chapter
Nitrowolf2946d ago WhoDisagree(0)Agree(0)
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exputers945d ago
gold_drake946d ago (Edited 946d ago )

yeh, he'll retire after that and walk away with 520 mio lol

i dont think that this decision makes Phil a saint

isarai945d ago

And shielded from all the sexual harassment charges I'm sure MS payed out settlements/hush money to keep him around for the deal.

XiNatsuDragnel945d ago

Microsoft is probably buying the harrased people out real quick too.

Zeref944d ago (Edited 944d ago )

Lol Kotick doesn't need MS for hush money. He's already extremely rich.

The lengths you PS fanboys are willing to go to discredit Xbox is just insane to me, yall need a mental health check.

I remember a Sony exec was caught being a pedophile. You don't see xbox fans saying Sony is protecting pedophiles out there. It's only Sony fanboys with that much hate in their heart for a console lol.
Go get your heads checked.

isarai944d ago

@Zeref

And that guy got fired on the spot, meanwhile Bobby got a bonus.

Eonjay944d ago

Basically Microsoft agreed to pay him out so he sold Activision to them. He bailed. He dropped all the problems he generated on Microsoft and will never face responsibility. And Microsoft took advantage of his weakness at that point. Perhaps this makes them smart.

thesoftware730944d ago (Edited 944d ago )

How sure are you? 10%, 20%, 50%, maybe 100%?

Get a grip bro, Bobby was gonna skate away unscathed because he is filthy rich, not because MS paid people of for him...what a silly take. A/B employees are happy for the management change, and now can even unionize...but you have your MS hate agenda and conspiracy theories.

MS is getting Rid of him, and other execs are expected to get the boot as well, so lay off it and let these employees get some rest with your nonsensical, asinine, negative conspiracies.

@Zeref, they really do come off as if they lose sleep over this shit, it's almost rabid at this point.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 944d ago
Godmars290945d ago

Someone who seeing buying a competitor, and not with money from your division, rather than out performing them, is suppose to be competent in business?

neutralgamer1992944d ago

It’s over it’s time to move on. No sense is saying the same things when nothing can be changed now anyways. It will be interesting to see how Sony will react and if they are to buy capcom and square how would Xbox fans look at those acquisitions and keep future titles like resident evil and monster hunter away from them

-Foxtrot945d ago

"more players"

Yes cutting one console out the equation means more players.

Guess with PR bullshit like this him and Phil Spencer get on so well

Obscure_Observer945d ago (Edited 945d ago )

"Yes cutting one console out the equation means more players."

Cutting one, adding many more platforms, means more choices for many more gamers.

That said, yeah, its sucks to be a PS only fan atm, not gonna lie. But at least you´re still getting COD for 10 years at least. Can´t say the same about other future new games/IPs from ABK that Phil might greenlit, but at least you have COD which was Sony main and only concern.

Playstation could have it all if Ryan accepted to sign the 10 years deal the first time. Since he´d refused saying that the only thing he wanted was to see the deal blocked, now Sony will only have access to COD.

You can thank Ryan for that.

Christopher945d ago

Those platforms were already there and being used. Nothing is being added here.

945d ago
Pedantic91945d ago

You seem awfully obsessed about Sony and Playstation fans.

Godmars290945d ago (Edited 945d ago )

"Cutting one, adding many more platforms,"

No. Just buying already existing user bases. Possibly cutting out the larger user base, since the likes of COD are played more on PS than Xbox with PC 1st or 2nd (?), with the hope those users migrate to Xbox.

Likewise King doesn't figure into the console mess, as its mobile. It gives MS stake in a market its repeatedly failed to insert itself into. Which is the key issue.

If MS was unable to build market share in gaming for all its attempts, has seen diminished returns after buying Gears and handpicking 343, what happens now with ABK who were not in a healthy state?

Right now, all I see of the "console wars" at this point are levels of denial about what's put out under MS.

Sony too, if they can't get their s**t together now that Ryan's gone.

ChiefofLoliPolice945d ago

You are just a blind as ever Observer. I guess I should expect that from you. Not suprised at all by your dumb comment.

Elda945d ago (Edited 945d ago )

Besides COD & Diablo, Activision has nothing solely PS owners would miss if MS decides to keep their future games off of PS. What else is there but Spyro, Crash & Tony Hawk?? LMAO!! I would think most solely PS owners as of now don't really care about those 3 games?? PS will be fine.

945d ago
Zeref944d ago

@Christopher

Nintendo doesn't have CoD.
It's also not currently available on cloud.

Vengeance1138944d ago

That's one hell of a PR spin you got there. You must get paid quite well by MS.

But blind fanboyism will do that. Highly doubt CoD even exists in 10yrs. MW3 is already one of the worst entries and just one big corporate greed mess. Continue on that path and you got one dead franchise.

Sharky231944d ago

@obscure
I may be wrong here but besides COD what new ip has blizzard Activision came out with? It’s like all the studios work to get COD out every year.

Obscure_Observer944d ago

@Christopher

"Those platforms were already there and being used. Nothing is being added here."

Wrong. Kotick removed COD games from Nintendo 10 years ago and removed all games from NVIDIA´s Geforce NOW 4 years ago.

Ubisoft+. Ukraine-based cloud gaming service, Boosteroid and Taiwan-based cloud gaming provider, Ubitus, are newest platforms getting support from Xbox and Activision/Blizzard games.

So yes, it´s much more platforms and much more gamers getting more ABK´s games. Period! That´s why the deal was approved in the first place.

@10M3daysorFail

"There won't be any "other future new games/IPs from ABK" lol. It's Microsoft you are talking about."

Yeah, I´m talking about the same Microsoft that brought back Killer Instinct, Battletoads, Age of Empires, Flight Simulator and now is bringing back Fable and Perfect Dark. Just do me a favor and keep your FUD nonsense to yourself.

@Godmars290

"No. Just buying already existing user bases. Possibly cutting out the larger user base, since the likes of COD are played more on PS than Xbox with PC 1st or 2nd (?), with the hope those users migrate to Xbox."

Dude, for the last time: Xbox don´t need Playstation to successful! Even less now! With the ABK´s deal approved, Xbox has now many partnerships with to many platforms to release its games. Those are the facts. Get over it!

@Sharky231

"I may be wrong here but besides COD what new ip has blizzard Activision came out with? It’s like all the studios work to get COD out every year."

Their new IP is a fantasy survival game which Ryan probably ruined for Playstation only fans.

https://iforum-sg.c.hihonor...

ironmonkey944d ago

It doesn't suck for any ps fans at all but if it makes you feel better, Xbox is still a dead last console.

Godmars290944d ago

"Yeah, I´m talking about the same Microsoft that brought back Killer Instinct, Battletoads, Age of Empires, Flight Simulator and now is bringing back Fable and Perfect Dark."

???

Killer Instinct was YEARS ago, Battleoads wasn't that well received and last heard, ignoring the war and flight sims, Fable and Perfect Dark are in development hell. Several levels of development hell.

That is, what should be, the main concern - MS has MAJOR issues when it comes to making games.

Obscure_Observer944d ago

@Godmars290

"Killer Instinct was YEARS ago, Battleoads wasn't that well received and last heard, ignoring the war and flight sims, Fable and Perfect Dark are in development hell. Several levels of development hell."

Dude, you don´t know NOTHING about MS´s first party development. And yet, you try and pass like some informed person when you reality you resort to lies and misinformation. Smdh.

Here´s some FACTS for you:

Killer Instinct:

Iron Galaxy in 2021

https://www.windowscentral....

Iron Galaxy in 2023

https://www.irongalaxystudi...

Xbox brought Iron Galaxy BACK and the KI fans and whole FG community are beyond excited now they know that Killer Instinct is here to stay!

"Battleoads wasn't that well received"

Which doesn´t mean sh!t! Xbox making new games from classic and dormant IPs is the subject of the discussion I was having with 10M3daysorFail. MS brought Battletoads back! Facts!

"Fable and Perfect Dark are in development hell. Several levels of development hell."

How Fable is in development hell when Playground Games REVEALED the game in June? So WTF are you talking about?

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Anna Megill finished her writing duties as narrative lead last July and Playground Games just hired a high profile producer, Baldur’s Gate 3 producer Ryan Clark

https://wccftech.com/baldur...

Perfect Dark? Yeah, It might be the case with this one. I heard that Darrell Gallagher has a top–down approach when most studios nowadays develop games with a bottom-top design.

Still, The Initiative is a newly created first party studio build from the ground up, so people will headbutt at first until perfect symmetry and synergy are fully built.

"That is, what should be, the main concern - MS has MAJOR issues when it comes to making games."

BS! Any major company faces issues developing games! Perfect Dark is facing problems with development, yeah, but the development continues and no single developer was fired or the game put on hiatus. Which reminds me of Nintendo´s Metroid Prime and Naughty Dog´s Factions 2.

Aren´t those games in development hell? Don´t bother and answer. That was rhetorical question.

You always talk uninformed crap with no sources to back up your fallacious claims. Next time, bring your sources or don´t even bother and reply back to me.

Have a good week.

Godmars290942d ago

"Any major company faces issues developing games!"

The key point you're willfully ignoring is consistency. And MS/Xbox has consistently had issues releasing much less making games.

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 942d ago
porkChop945d ago

COD is staying on PS at least. If you're talking about all the other franchises, yeah, those should have stayed multiplatform as well and it sucks that they likely won't. Jim Ryan didn't fight for those though, he only gave a shit about COD.

-Foxtrot945d ago

Personally I think during the whole court case they should have said during the 10 year COD deal "at least give us the Crash and Spyro IPs, you guys aren't going to use them, you hardly do platformers, what's there to loose here"

So when the Activision deal passed and they were given the 10 year COD deal then something would have came from Crash and Spyro.

porkChop945d ago

Agreed. MS now has Crash, Spyro, Banjo, and Conker. They don't really make those games as much as I'd like them to. Handing Crash and Spyro over probably wouldn't have been a big deal.

Ethereal945d ago

God. This is such PR bullshit. You forgot to add more.... microtransactions and less titles for the competition.

Hofstaderman945d ago

What did the Bethesda acquisition do exactly?
What will the Activision acquisition do exactly?

These are rhetorical questions.

phoenixwing945d ago

Microsoft can't manage the studios they started with now all of a sudden you expect them to run abk?

Crows90945d ago (Edited 945d ago )

Xbox is the golden boy in the industry if you believe the blind fanboyism.

They've yet to offer a single new game to their players. All they're offering so far are games that they would've already received. However, those of us without fanboy glasses can actually look at how Xbox is managing these "new" games...most have underwhelmed tremendously. Starfield and redfall for instance...

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60°

Take-Two CEO Once Again Side Steps Grand Theft Auto 6 Price Point

Strauss Zelnick says price of GTA 6 is being carefully considered and that Rockstar is focused on "making the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth."

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Kuma18d ago

If GTA 6 abandons everything that made GTA 5 great, it will crash and burn right out of the gate. GTA 5 was funny and not at all PC. My worry is that they will cave to the PC crowd and ruin the vibes.

Eonjay18d ago

They got freaking BBLs twerking on the top of trucks for the gram, the freaking Flordia joker, and dude running down the stree in their undies and you are worried about it being 'too PC'? The internet has runied gamers. It doesn't matter how non-PC they make the game, you will all listen to the grifters telling you not to believe your lying eyes lol.

gigoran818d ago

"Rockstar Games’ co-founder and former VP of Development Jamie King said he envisions GTA 6 as a game that’s “maybe not quite as edgy or quite as funny” as its satirical predecessors."

oh yeah, totally internet grifters spreading rumors...

blacktiger18d ago

That's part of the plan, they destroyed you but they need to destroy the shareholders? Only 1 shre holder is the true elite that don't care

1nsomniac18d ago (Edited 18d ago )

Meh.., if it’s above £55 I ain’t buying it.

Rockstar are genuinely not half the company they used to be. I was a die hard GTA fan I’ve purchased every game and expansion and spin off day 1.

My opinion of GTA6 is that I can take it or leave it. Not bothered. They burnt too many bridges.

DaReapa18d ago (Edited 18d ago )

So they're actually leaving the door open for an L.A. Noire sequel? Nice!

VaNdAl18d ago (Edited 18d ago )

He should just come out and say it already it's getting stupid it's going to be a 100 bucks $200 for the special edition🤡🤡; 29315;🤣♿

Storm2318d ago

I won't be getting this game until I can get it for $70. SHoot, I could wait for it to be even lower. I don't need the game that badly as my backlog is still huge and I am enjoying playing other things.

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40°

Talking Aliens: The Video Games With Author Mike Diver

Skewed and Reviewed have posted an interview with Author Mike Diver about his pending book on Aliens video games.

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70°

Xbox boss: Memory crisis could impact next-gen hardware pricing

Xbox boss Asha Sharma has discussed how component shortages will impact the company's plans for Project Helix.

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Eonjay19d ago

When does this end? Its killing everyone. Consoles and PC. And for what? AI? The benefits of AI are completely outweighed by the negatives. And the government should have never allowed one company to buy up all the RAM.

Lexreborn220d ago

This kind of proves this is an after thought product, most products like this are in r&d 5 years before they start mass producing. So they typically have the cost of components and things worked out long before assembly starts.

This is an assumption still, but I wouldn’t be surprised if project helix is similar to Scalebound,perfect dark and sod3. They had an idea but no actual execution other than concept stage. Being impacted by the ram shortage likely would also put this device 3-4 years out.

I’m not even sure MS has that endurance with Xbox yet

Fishy Fingers20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

I mean.... what?

We're at a point that Samsung wont even provide their own phone department ram because they can sell it at higher prices to 3rd parties (AI). Its more profitable to sell the ram than make their own devices with it.

You think because R&D starts 5 years ago the 3rd party component manufacturers will honour that price? They'll sell it to whomever is paying the most today, not some gentlemens agreement they made years ago. AI farms will buy more volume at higher prices than any console manufacturer will. It'll be the same for Playstation.

Lexreborn219d ago

Contractual agreements are not the same as “gentlemen” agreements. If you think that they work with their distributors a month before production then their entire business model is trash. They work with companies like nvidia constantly for building the graphics cards they need. They work with companies that build motherboards years in advance. This is what proper business planning does.

They are not buying components on a whim like a consumer. So again, considering the ram isn’t a singular module and is integrated into the motherboard I highly doubt they wouldn’t have a final schematic that they are supposed to be building around.

If they are delaying production another 3 years then it’s obvious again this is an after though project and is just trying to be responsive to their bad execution they had the last 14 years.

It also isn’t far fetched to use their failure to produce first party titles the last 7 years including the highly anticipated games I mentioned all being cancelled. That they would continue to you know… lie

Sitdown19d ago

You don't really know how this works huh?

Profchaos20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Helix is going to be stupidly expensive

Instead of leaning into smarter upscaling techniques they're brute forcing hardware that will cost them dearly and it remains to be seen if it's genuinely going to provide a meaningful differential

I know in the oc.doace people like to brag about not using frame gen or dlss to get to high on a game but for the majority of players they happily use those technologies without a second thought

That's going to be ps6 vs Helix

Eonjay19d ago

Yeah with FSR 5 they should be able to offer a much cheaper version of Helix.

Eonjay19d ago

While this does seem to be the case, I am encouraged by the statement from Microsoft about wanting to provide affordable options. If this means a Series S style Helix, at least there will be something affordable being offered.

XBManiac19d ago

Series S is what has killed Xbox Series so... Will they dare?

blacktiger20d ago

It's called systematic inflationary. Yes we get it Microsoft, keep raising in the name ofall kinds of stuffs

pwnmaster300020d ago

Honestly if there was thing I learned from this generation is that new consoles arnt day one anymore.
I can wait 1-3 years.

DarXyde19d ago

Another important lesson from this generation: while Nintendo showed us that prices don't necessarily need to ever drop, we've now learned that waiting 1-3 years does carry some risk that prices increase. This generation is just bizarre in all the wrong ways.

LucasRuinedChildhood19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

The factors are largely external. Covid and Russia-Ukraine war causing inflation led to the first price increase in 2022.

Then we get Trump's tariffs increasing hardware prices, AI boom causing a RAM crisis, war on Iran causing a worldwide fuel crisis which impacts the cost of everything.

Gaming doesn't exist in a vacuum. The last few years have been a shitshow and lot of it was definitely avoidable.

DarXyde19d ago

LucasRuinedChildhood,

For sure. No disagreement on the external factors doing a lot of this. Where I have to gently push back however is on two fronts:

1. The pandemic definitely caused some issues: asynchronous development was a big issue and really complicated timelines and affected game quality. At the same time, when it comes to price hikes, it's really difficult to know what was genuine necessity and what was taking consumers for a ride. The pandemic brought about "stag-flation" which was increasing prices and stagnant wages, which was a problem caused by supply chain constraints. There was also "Greed-flation", where companies that were slightly affected or had no issues took advantage of the situation and squeezed everyone citing supply chain issues when there were none.

2. It's definitely true that the tariffs, AI boom, and RAM crisis were all things enabled by tech broligarchs throwing money at this caricature of a world leader, one of them being Satya Nadella. I don't think Sony and Nintendo have contributed much to this problem if at all, but Microsoft's Nadella I feel was instrumental in causing every one of those issues. Microsoft as a company contributed to both candidates (though they gave Harris 4x as much if I recall), but Nadella was all in on letting AI run wild. He paid for unregulated AI, and got a war that's not a war (even though Trump called it that at least five times on television) that screwed up helium access. So for me, I feel that one of the players in the gaming industry is a key architect of these issues, and for that reason I struggle a bit to think of it as "external".

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