@Pork, I doubt it. Activision is a publically traded company with duties to maximize profit not act vengeful. They will continue to make the same deals with Sony because they generate way more money from them then from Xbox.
Any appeal would be a form of judicial review. I'm not sure if the review would be limited to only checking for procedural fairness or a substantive review where the actual decision is examined and open to being changed. From the sounds of things the scope is very limited, that's why the cma would be the ones the decision is sent back to if the appeal is successful. Good luck, I think Microsoft/Activision will decide to move on, especially if the EU follows the cma decision.
Brad Smith the generic corporate executive man with a million 10 year contracts in his back pocket ready to be signed, lol. He and the rest of Microsoft/Activision have behaved so arrogant in their pr campaigning over this deal, it was nice to see them lose to their surprise.
@Mika, they are making this decision to protect what they see as a market in its infancy to allow other to come into it should they chose.
Another surprising turn, looks like they removed the console issue as that was their weakest argument should the decision be appealed. I'm glad, hopefully Microsoft will get serious about actually working to provide a better product for their customers instead of trying to buy their way to prominence. Hopefully this debacle leads to Kotick getting fired by the board abk.
@343, no offense to anyone who likes/prefers xbox. But in my opinion what makes xbox so crummy currently is that a giant bloated corporation like Microsoft is running them. Microsoft is not interested in videogames as a form of art, only as an industry to try and control and shove into their existing services model.
Xbox is a dead/dying brand there is no compelling reason to own one for the majority of the public worldwide. The only hope for Microsoft is to buy up enough existing content/ip to force people to buy into their crummy ecosystem. The likey scenario is that Microsoft continues to bleed artistic talent and these newly acquired ip are driven into the ground like everything else Xbox touches.
Such statements defy logic. Most consumers will not buy something they have access to for free as a part of monthly subscription service. There may be some special exceptions to this rule but the majority simply will not spend money if they don't have to.
The are not distracted, they just have never cared enough to try in the first place. Microsoft has all the money in the world already they have no incentive to fix any of the underlying issues the xbox brand has. They will attempt to buy their way to success before anything else.
Provide us the numbers, they don't lie or mislead.
@gangsta, the FTC is not going to give answers to a case currently before the courts. The politician was instructed to make the Sony comment by her Microsoft handlers. It's all part of being a politician for sale to the highest bidder.
@gangsta, Khan's response is perfect, bringing up Sony's opposition to the purchase is such nonsense and a red herring. That's not what regulators do, they're there to assess the legality of corporate mergers/purchases. Any position taken by the ftc that aligns with a 3rd party company is incidental and irrelevant. Of course these slimy politicians knows this but like pigs to the trough, they got to perform to earn their money from Microsoft.
America is so disgustingly corrupt.
@gangsta, there is a difference, Sony has bought studios recently that were recently created and are making a single game for Sony currently. How anyone reasonably compare that to buying the largest 3rd publisher after buying Bethesda both with a longstanding history of multiplatform development is silly and disingenuous.
I ultimately don't think it matters becuase I believe Sony is going to purchase a very large publisher to after regulatory agencies lay down the rules of the ro...
I disregard anything vchartz because they are not accurate. But the the pent up demand for the ps5 is final being met. Focus in on developing/promoting great looking games that show off the platform and people will flock to your system. Sony get criticized for being antiquated but their simple strategy has proven far better then Microsoft muddled message of acquisitions, playing anywhere and affordability which has been a complete failure.
No talent hacks.
@thesoftware, outrage is how everything is covered these days. The reality is most console players will try the game out on gamepass and judge it for what's there, irregardless of the 30 fps controversy. But Microsoft deserves some heat regarding this issue given their messaging leading up to this generation that they had the 12 tflop monster with "true rdna 2" tech.
@Mika, Why not both? Managing you most important ip thus far would only be bolstered by add cod to your portfolio.
@theprofessional, I don't care about Redfall I'll likely never play it. Most of the criticism is coming from (besides obvious trolling)noted xbox fans asking what the problem is with Microsoft tech/studio management given their recent history of problems this gen. Others are able to get their games out feature complete while Microsoft appears to struggle is the complaint.
Look at Microsoft and Activision attitude on display after getting the news, gross! Looks like the industry really dodged a bullet not letting this monstrous corporation have its way.