Microsoft is Buying Activision Blizzard $68.7B ***Update: Acquisition Finalized***

[Madmick]

That's their goal yeah , why the fuck are we supposed to cheer them on like you are doing?

Because that's not what this thread is about, and that's not what I'm doing. This thread about whether or not there is a reasonable antitrust case against Microsoft's acquisition of AB. There isn't. Those caterwauling about the merger are just as fairly characterized as cheerleaders of big government unfairly and arbitrarily bullying businesses conducting fair practices. I don't go into Sony threads and endlessly bitch at their major gaming business moves. Didn't irrationally bitch when they bought Insomniac or Bungie. There's a rather entitled attitude here thick with a double standard.

 

[Dizzy]

Goddamn this is some sad shit lol

 

[Jawth]

Tbh I'm not sure it's that big of a deal. The only choices for chips are Nvidia and AMD and development kits go out very early.

But sending specifics to the competitor that can be sure to one up them? Or controller functionality like haptic feedback, motion stuff or touchpads that they can rip off. I agree with Sony, I dont think i would do it.

 

[method115]

Man this whole saga with the CMA has taken some wild turns. I don’t even know what’s true anymore. Looks like MS reached out to the CMA not the other way around. Also the CMA reiterated that they’ve blocked the deal and no new remedies can be submitted. They did say MS can restructure the deal and resubmit for approval. If the CMA really is about to cave this is the some insane posturing they are doing beforehand.

 

[Jawth]

Goddamn this is some sad shit lol

I do think its gay but also not the role of the government to police. Bethesda was worse to me tbh.

I am sure Sony will be making moves to counter this.

 

[method115]

The real winner in this seems to me Bobby Kotick, standing to make 100s of millions from this. What legal machinery if any is in place for ghoul non grata not to stall mere days and have M/s pay more for the company in a post-Diablo IV world? Dude’s clearly good at what he does or wouldn’t be in this position, I imagine.

cc: @method115

From what I understand on the 18th either party can walk away. Bobby did not testify like a man who wanted to sell. He specifically mentioned he made the deal because he was obligated to because of the shareholders.

 

[avenue94]

But sending specifics to the competitor that can be sure to one up them? Or controller functionality like haptic feedback, motion stuff or touchpads that they can rip off. I agree with Sony, I dont think i would do it.

To some extent, but stuff like haptic feedback is covered by patent. The worry I guess would be on the purely design sign (what goes where to maximize performance), but there's only so much you can do in a console form factor when you're using mostly the same or similar parts and sharing manufacturers.

 

[method115]

FTC just filed an appeal. Doubt it works out for them but they aren’t giving up.

 

[what-wut]

FTC just filed an appeal. Doubt it works out for them but they aren’t giving up.

I could be wrong but I remember reading that the Biden administration is against the merger.

 

[method115]

I could be wrong but I remember reading that the Biden administration is against the merger.

I know they are against big tech mergers but not sure how they feel about this deal specifically.

 

[Gingerdead Man]

FTC just filed an appeal. Doubt it works out for them but they aren’t giving up.

Thanks, bud. Article from The Verge for readership here. (External)

Excerpts as of 13 July publication:

Now that the FTC is choosing to appeal Judge Corley’s decision, the regulator needs the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an emergency stay to extend the existing temporary restraining order (TRO) that is set to expire at 11:59PM PT on Friday, July 14th. It’s not clear if the appeals court will even rule before the deal deadline on July 18th, potentially leaving the door open for Microsoft to close the Activision Blizzard deal on Monday or Tuesday without a restraining order in place.

(...)

Microsoft still needs to resolve the issues of the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) with its acquisition before it can close, after the regulator blocked the deal on cloud concerns earlier this year. Both Microsoft and the CMA almost instantly announced they had agreed to pause their legal battles to negotiate after Judge Corley’s ruling on Tuesday.

In a surprise statement on Wednesday, the CMA then warned Microsoft’s opportunity to restructure its deal could “lead to a new merger investigation,” and that talks between the regulator and Microsoft were still at an “early stage.”​

 

[method115]

Looks like this deal is closing. Activision is being removed from Nasdaq Index on Monday. Some people are saying this isn't a guarantee it's closing but I think the fact this is happening and with everything else going on it's to much of a coincidence.


Nasdaq in a press release announced The Trade Desk will be joining the Nasdaq-100 Index and replacing Activision Blizzard, which will be removed from the Nasdaq-100 ESG Index. This will occur before the market opens on Monday, July 17.

Activision Blizzard being removed from the Nasdaq-100 Index could possibly suggest Microsoft is getting ready to close its acquisition of the gaming publisher.

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/457822/activision-blizzard-to-be-removed-from-nasdaq-100-index-on-monday/#:~:text=Sign up today!-,Activision Blizzard to be Removed From,100 Index on Monday - News&text=Nasdaq in a press release,opens on Monday, July 17.

Either MS is closing over the CMA and going to take on that legal battle or they've reached some sort of deal with the CMA which wont be announced until sometime before the closing. A lot of people think they've reached a deal with the CMA because otherwise they are about to do something pretty crazy.

 

[WhiteMousse]

Looks like this deal is closing. Activision is being removed from Nasdaq Index on Monday. Some people are saying this isn't a guarantee it's closing but I think the fact this is happening and with everything else going on it's to much of a coincidence.


Nasdaq in a press release announced The Trade Desk will be joining the Nasdaq-100 Index and replacing Activision Blizzard, which will be removed from the Nasdaq-100 ESG Index. This will occur before the market opens on Monday, July 17.

Activision Blizzard being removed from the Nasdaq-100 Index could possibly suggest Microsoft is getting ready to close its acquisition of the gaming publisher.

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/457822/activision-blizzard-to-be-removed-from-nasdaq-100-index-on-monday/#:~:text=Sign up today!-,Activision Blizzard to be Removed From,100 Index on Monday - News&text=Nasdaq in a press release,opens on Monday, July 17.

Either MS is closing over the CMA and going to take on that legal battle or they've reached some sort of deal with the CMA which wont be announced until sometime before the closing. A lot of people think they've reached a deal with the CMA because otherwise they are about to do something pretty crazy.

I wonder what this will mean in terms of practical unraveling. $70 Billion on a company that has shown itself to be on a downward trajectory is bizarre. Maybe I'm out of the loop but is CoD the juggernaut it used to be? Are people getting bored with it at all? Diablo IV is a lot of fun but it's an anomaly in an otherwise pathetic trend in Blizzard that started in 2010.

Is MS's plan just to buy the company and have them make games for them, or do they have a plan to bolster it?

 

[method115]

I wonder what this will mean in terms of practical unraveling. $70 Billion on a company that has shown itself to be on a downward trajectory is bizarre. Maybe I'm out of the loop but is CoD the juggernaut it used to be? Are people getting bored with it at all? Diablo IV is a lot of fun but it's an anomaly in an otherwise pathetic trend in Blizzard that started in 2010.

Is MS's plan just to buy the company and have them make games for them, or do they have a plan to bolster it?

Activision is on an upward trajectory if anything. COD is still a juggernaut. Diablo 4 is an anomaly but they had Overwatch before that. These are the games that have lasted a long time and continue to bring in money. Blizzard is releasing the type of games everyone wishes they could release. Games that keep bringing in money years and years after release.

I think MS's plan is to buy the company and leave it as is for now. Similar to what they are doing with Zenimax.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Activision is on an upward trajectory if anything.

Microsoft will leave Activision and King alone. Blizzard will continue seeing increased cutbacks.

 

[Gingerdead Man]

Some of the concessions in CMA appeasement emerging, per VGC and Bloomberg:

According to Bloomberg sources, the company could sell the cloud-based market rights for games in the UK to a telecommunications, gaming or internet-based computing company, or possibly a private equity firm.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the Activision deal in April due to concerns about its impact on the nascent cloud gaming market.​

 

[method115]

Some of the concessions in CMA appeasement emerging, per VGC and Bloomberg:

According to Bloomberg sources, the company could sell the cloud-based market rights for games in the UK to a telecommunications, gaming or internet-based computing company, or possibly a private equity firm.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the Activision deal in April due to concerns about its impact on the nascent cloud gaming market.​

This story has really been so wild when it comes to the CMA.



This is flat out clear at this point. MS has two options. Break the law and close over the UK's CMA or get an extension with ABK past July 18th. This is going to be wild to watch.

Looks like MS and CMA have a court hearing with the CAT on Monday morning to go over pausing the current scheduled trial. We should get a lot more info after that.

 

[Deadwing88]

 

[Deadwing88]

 

[method115]

Yep this is the thing no one knows what going to happen Monday. Does MS close over CMA? Will activision agree to an extension? At what cost? Some also suspect CMA will allow the deal to close everywhere but the UK and keep things separate just in case. Should know everything by eod Monday.