Microsoft acquires Zenimax Entertainment for $7.5 billion

[Deadwing88]

Braindead take of the day goes to..

 

[Dizzy]

Well, obviously you will be able to purchase the exclusives that end up on gamepass, outright.. whether digital or physical, on three distinct platforms (PC, XCloud (which by the time Elder Scrolls releases, will have its own dedicated streaming stick) and Xbox Series X/S).

In regards to Disney +.. you can't purchase or view The Mandalorian or Wandavision on any other platform (legally lol).. and those two shows have contributed to the platform surging to over 100+ million subs..

You also don’t need to buy a $500 Disney TV set to watch Disney+. I can purchase The Mandalorian on blu ray right now if I want to. But if I wanted to watch it first, I’d have to have Disney +. If it was just about exclusivity and getting people to buy an Xbox then why not just go that route completely?

 

[Clifford_Harris]

Nothing else makes sense.

I doubt even Dishonored stays multiplat.

They could also just be releasing the games as timed-exclusives....you know still give the preferential treatment to Gamepass, but also be able to get that additional revenue from PS/Nintendo.

 

[method115]

once again MS is as vague as possible with those statements. Even ign article states it’s only some future titles. Regardless of what they do once again MSs statement is so vague that the gaming community is still arguing about it. They are just trolling people at this point.

 

[HereticBD]

once again MS is as vague as possible with those statements. Even ign article states it’s only some future titles.

They're being vague because they won't have everything locked up immediately, and there are likely games in the cooker that have contractual obligations that this deal couldn't outright squash, because of third parties involved.

I also think they have grand plans for Game Pass, and aren't ruling out other consoles adopting it in the future.

At the end of the day though, just use common sense. They didn't spend 7.5 billion dollars to not get a leg up on their competition and share the wealth. You gotta be delusional if you think MS is gonna be nice about this.

 

[Deadwing88]

They're being vague because they won't have everything locked up immediately, and there are likely games in the cooker that have contractual obligations that this deal couldn't outright squash, because of third parties involved.

They've said they're honouring the timed playstation exclusivity of Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo.. so there's that.

 

[Madmick]

You also don’t need to buy a $500 Disney TV set to watch Disney+. I can purchase The Mandalorian on blu ray right now if I want to. But if I wanted to watch it first, I’d have to have Disney +. If it was just about exclusivity and getting people to buy an Xbox then why not just go that route completely?

Because the point is to sell Game Pass subscriptions, duh. That's the new revenue stream.

People aren't using Netflix or Apple TV+ or CBS All Access to watch a Blu-Ray of The Mandalorian. The TV manufacturers like Samsung, LG, and Vizio aren't competitors. They're the equivalent to PC manufacturers in the Disney+ ecosystems like Lenovo, HP, Dell. They manufacture a product which broadens the platform for the streaming service.

Until you see Game Pass on Playstations and Switches, there's absolutely no reason for Microsoft to share Bethesda titles to those platforms.

 

[Dizzy]

Because the point is to sell Game Pass subscriptions, duh. That's the new revenue stream.

People aren't using Netflix or Apple TV+ or CBS All Access to watch a Blu-Ray of The Mandalorian. The TV manufacturers like Samsung, LG, and Vizio aren't competitors. They're the equivalent to PC manufacturers in the Disney+ ecosystems like Lenovo, HP, Dell. They manufacture a product which broadens the platform for the streaming service.

Until you see Game Pass on Playstations and Switches, there's absolutely no reason for Microsoft to share Bethesda titles to those platforms.

Of course it is. But the wild success of Disney+ would be extremely hampered if there was a $500 entry fee. My point is using those two models as a comparison doesn’t work. Game Pass will never reach that level of success with their current set up.

Strange then that they’ve confirmed Bethesda games will be coming to other platforms.

 

[Madmick]

Of course it is. But the wild success of Disney+ would be extremely hampered if there was a $500 entry fee. My point is using those two models as a comparison doesn’t work. Game Pass will never reach that level of success with their current set up.

LOL, there is a "$500" entry fee.

Are TVs free? Are Blu-Ray players free? Are computers or smartphones free? These are what you need to watch Disney+ (or Blu-Ray discs carrying their content).

Strange then that they’ve confirmed Bethesda games will be coming to other platforms.

They haven't confirmed a single new title is coming to other platforms. They have confirmed exclusivity is their strategy with Zenimax moving forward.

 

[Dizzy]

LOL, there is a "$500" entry fee.

Are TVs free? Are Blu-Ray players free? Are computers or smartphones free? These are what you need to watch Disney+ (or Blu-Ray discs carrying their content).

They haven't confirmed a single new title is coming to other platforms. They have confirmed exclusivity is their strategy with Zenimax moving forward.

Can you play an Xbox without a screen? No. Can you use Game Pass without an additional device? No. There’s an additional admittance fee of $500 to be able to play the latest games in addition to the subscription cost. While you can’t watch Disney+ without a screen, there are no additional barriers beyond that. Maybe a $30 Fire Stick at worst.

Sure they have. “Xbox and PC will be the best place to play future Bethesda titles.” They’ve confirmed that it’s a part of their strategy by being extremely non-committal and saying that some titles will be exclusive. Not all.

Also notice there was no mention of them joining Xbox Game Studios (which is where their first party developers are all housed) and the mention that Bethesda will continue to make games the way it always has. Then you have Todd Howard saying he can’t imagine a game like ES6 being exclusive to Microsoft platforms. The evidence and messaging is overwhelmingly skewed towards them not locking everything down going forward.

 

[Madmick]

Can you play an Xbox without a screen? No. Can you use Game Pass without an additional device? No. There’s an additional admittance fee of $500 to be able to play the latest games in addition to the subscription cost. While you can’t watch Disney+ without a screen, there are no additional barriers beyond that. Maybe a $30 Fire Stick at worst.

Sure they have. “Xbox and PC will be the best place to play future Bethesda titles.” They’ve confirmed that it’s a part of their strategy by being extremely non-committal and saying that some titles will be exclusive. Not all.

Concession accepted.

Content services require ancillary costs. Disney+ and its content require televisions to deliver the streams, or Blu-Ray players to play the discs. So, too, does Game Pass require hardware to consume its content. This doesn't have to be an Xbox. You made a stupid point. You didn't think it through.

Also notice there was no mention of them joining Xbox Game Studios (which is where their first party developers are all housed) and the mention that Bethesda will continue to make games the way it always has. Then you have Todd Howard saying he can’t imagine a game like ES6 being exclusive to Microsoft platforms. The evidence and messaging is overwhelmingly skewed towards them not locking everything down going forward.

Bethesda and the rest of Zenimax's properties are already listed subsidiaries of Xbox Game Studios like the rest of the developers who publish Day 1 exclusives to Game Pass (ex. The Coalition). Derp.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios

 

[Dizzy]

Concession accepted.

Content services require ancillary costs. Disney+ and its content require televisions to deliver the streams, or Blu-Ray players to play the discs. So, too, does Game Pass require hardware to consume its content. This doesn't have to be an Xbox. You made a stupid point. You didn't think it through.

Bethesda and the rest of Zenimax's properties are already listed subsidiaries of Xbox Game Studios like the rest of the developers who publish Day 1 exclusives to Game Pass (ex. The Coalition). Derp.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios

I thought it through just fine. You can’t sit there with a straight face and tell me that the entry fee is not exponentially higher to get into Game Pass. But then again you’re an ever dishonest shill so I don’t expect you to.

You have to have a screen for both, yes. You have to spend an additional $500 to get access to Game Pass’s newest offerings on that screen. On the vast majority of sets that app functionality is now built into the TV itself. Your only other entry fee is the cost of the subscription when it comes to Disney+. So sure, if you remove the additional $500 hardware requirement then they’re exactly the same lol.

It’s always amusing when you act intentionally daft to try and prove a point.

 

[Madmick]

I thought it through just fine. You can’t sit there with a straight face and tell me that the entry fee is not exponentially higher to get into Game Pass. But then again you’re an ever dishonest shill so I don’t expect you to.

You have to have a screen for both, yes. You have to spend an additional $500 to get access to Game Pass’s newest offerings on that screen. On the vast majority of sets that app functionality is now built into the TV itself. Your only other entry fee is the cost of the subscription when it comes to Disney+. So sure, if you remove the additional $500 hardware requirement then they’re exactly the same lol.

It’s always amusing when you act intentionally daft to try and prove a point.

This is why you're the shill. You intentionally lie about Microsoft. Every thread, every post.
Xbox Series S = $299 MSRP

In fact, Game Pass also works on the Xbox One consoles. Prices on gaming hardware are jacked, presently, when you can even buy them, but price trackers show us that the Xbox One S 1TB version was selling for under $200 for nearly half of 2019 via 3rd party sellers, including officially authorized resellers, as low as $179, and was running between $249-$279 from Amazon directly all the way up until autumn in 2020.

Of course, people own laptops and home computers; you know, the same devices that can access Disney+ that's cost you wholly dismissed in your misguided scrambling to find a point. There you go. You're already there. You can join Game Pass on those. There are billions of these devices on the planet. The market swallows those of pitiful console competitors. Capability varies, but if that is an issue, you can add a GTX 1650 to virtually any desktop PC in existence. The GTX 1650 launched in 2018 with an MSRP of $149. This video card meets the Recommended requirements for Gears 5, for example, and vastly exceeds the Minimum requirements; a flagship exclusive launch on the platform heralded for its graphics.

 

[Dizzy]

This is why you're the shill. You intentionally lie about Microsoft. Every thread, every post.
Xbox Series S = $299 MSRP

In fact, Game Pass also works on the Xbox One consoles. Prices on gaming hardware are jacked, presently, when you can even buy them, but price trackers show us that the Xbox One S 1TB version was selling for under $200 for nearly half of 2019 via 3rd party sellers, including officially authorized resellers, as low as $179, and was running between $249-$279 from Amazon directly all the way up until autumn in 2020.

Of course, people own laptops and home computers; you know, the same devices that can access Disney+ that's cost you wholly dismissed in your misguided scrambling to find a point. There you go. You're already there. You can join Game Pass on those. There are billions of these devices on the planet. The market swallows those of pitiful console competitors. Capability varies, but if that is an issue, you can add a GTX 1650 to virtually any desktop PC in existence. The GTX 1650 launched in 2018 with an MSRP of $149. This video card meets the Recommended requirements for Gears 5, for example, a flagship exclusive launch on the platform heralded for its graphics, and vastly exceeds the Minimum requirements.

So more expensive than a free app in the TV? Concession accepted.

I’m sure it will enjoy the same success as Disney+ seeing as how there are zero financial hurdles to clear in order to access the content.

Only 82 million subs to go.

 

[Madmick]

So more expensive than a free app in the TV? Concession accepted.

The TV that costs money. Your oversight was already highlighted. Subscription-based content services all depend on corollary consumer expenditures.

I’m sure it will enjoy the same success as Disney+ seeing as how there are zero financial hurdles to clear in order to access the content.

Only 82 million subs to go.

What a strange new argument to invent because you've blundered this one. Nobody said anything about defining success by matching Disney+ subscription totals, but you, just now, for no reason whatsoever.

 

[Dizzy]

The TV that costs money. Your oversight was already highlighted. Subscription-based content services all depend on corollary consumer expenditures.

What a strange new argument to invent because you've blundered this one. Nobody said anything about defining success by matching Disney+ subscription totals, but you, just now, for no reason whatsoever.

So does a TV to play an Xbox on lmao. And then you still have to spend at a minimum, since you’re being pedantic, hundreds of dollars to access any of the content. And if you want the latest titles that play the way they should? $500 minimum.

I said there was a financial barrier built in to accessing the content so trying to compare their two strategies doesn’t work. Disney+ can be accessed by nearly anyone with very little investment. Hence the massive success. Deadwing brought up their sub numbers to relate to Game Pass, not me.

 

[evergreenrider]

Jesus titty fucking christ

 

[Dizzy]

Jesus titty fucking christ

You’re such a passive aggressive weirdo lol.

 

[Deadwing88]

 

[evergreenrider]

You’re such a passive aggressive weirdo lol.

It goes to all you fucking dorks bickering over console exclusives. Which is hilarious cuz most all yall have all the consoles. Yall arguing over a moot point.