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

[Deadwing88]

"The companies don’t plan to walk away from the deal and will continue seeking the final regulatory approvals needed for closing, said the people, who declined to be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter."

 

[Deadwing88]

 

[rikwebb]

 

[method115]

That's a wrap as far as I'm concerned. Only thing left to see is what the CMA forces MS to divest. Most are predicting the cloud streaming rights in UK.

There's also a chance that the proposal doesn't change enough and the judge decides to deny their adjournment. He was pissed about this whole situation and wanted proof that their are material changes happening. I don't see that being an issue but you never know. We should have an answer by tomorrow on that.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Blizzard have tapped out:


(Just realized this will release on my birthday, lol)



Not good news for Overwatch League:
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/19/23799550/activision-blizzard-esports-layoffs-overwatch-league-owl

A rare admission by Blizzard regarding Overwatch2 player count numbers: https://www.ign.com/articles/overwa...tment-is-declining-activision-blizzard-admits




Edit:
For all those who may be experiencing pain from this news. Let me quickly take my victory lap so we can move on;

 

[Madmick]

Blizzard have tapped out:


(Just realized this will release on my birthday, lol)



Not good news for Overwatch League:
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/19/23799550/activision-blizzard-esports-layoffs-overwatch-league-owl

A rare admission by Blizzard regarding Overwatch2 player count numbers: https://www.ign.com/articles/overwa...tment-is-declining-activision-blizzard-admits




Edit:
For all those who may be experiencing pain from this news. Let me quickly take my victory lap so we can move on;

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/b...steam-starting-with-overwatch-2/1100-6516056/

"As we've evolved, the industry has evolved too--gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago," Blizzard wrote in its press release. "Gaming is for everyone. And though we remain committed to continually investing in and supporting Battle.net, we want to break down the barriers to make it easier for players everywhere to find and enjoy our games"...

All this comes in the midst of Microsoft's ongoing effort to purchase Activision Blizzard. After winning its court case against the FTC, Microsoft has made every effort to complete the acquisition before the contract's expiration date of July 18--including signing a contact with Sony stating that Activision's Call of Duty franchise will remain available on PlayStation.

Thanks, Microsoft.

 

[method115]

Very strange but MS hasn't even submitted their new proposal to the CMA yet. Yet the CMA had great confidence that they could get a deal done with MS, what a joke. MS must have promised they are going to make real structural changes and already expressed to the CMA what that is otherwise I don't see how they can have so much confidence on a deal they don't even have.

 

[Valhoven]

Very strange but MS hasn't even submitted their new proposal to the CMA yet. Yet the CMA had great confidence that they could get a deal done with MS, what a joke. MS must have promised they are going to make real structural changes and already expressed to the CMA what that is otherwise I don't see how they can have so much confidence on a deal they don't even have.

<Lmaoo>

​

 

[avenue94]

<Lmaoo>

​

Same. I don't even see the points of making predictions when I'm writing about it anymore lol.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Thanks, Microsoft.

After some reflection i'd ponder losing the chinese market was the main driving factor. Even though Blizzards MAU calculation is done in a inflated way. Their MAU dropped by nearly 50% when Netease left. Diablo4 release only slowed the decline.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Oh you sweet summer child.

COD redesigned its gunplay to directly compete against HALO in the 2005 console market. In an attempt to retain players COD moved the progression system of the standard FPS single player campaign to online multiplayer. Out of all the FPS titles Battlefield was the only other FPS multiplayer to follow COD's unlock cycle through multiplayer playtime.

Other FPS titles already locked roles by playtime and or training requirements. For instance Americas Army in 2002 required players wishing to play Sniper to complete an online marksman course.

I’m not sure what you mean. If you mean that COD changed its actual gun handling because of Halo, that’s definitely not true. I played the hell out of the original COD and it’s basically unchanged between that and 4 which came out in 2007. 4 was also the first game with that style of progression system which really did end up being the reason COD eclipsed the former FPS king.

 

[KaNesDeath]

I’m not sure what you mean.

MOHAA had more in common to todays COD gunplay.

 

[HereticBD]

I’m not sure what you mean.

Few ever do understand what he's saying. He's Sherdog's answer to a question nobody asked, and his "answers" are usually wrong.

"COD changed it's gunplay to compete with Halo"

LOL, wut?

 

[Blayt7hh]

MOHAA had more in common to todays COD gunplay.

I don’t know what Mohaa stands for. CODs actual gun handling a mechanics are basically unchanged from the original in 2003.

 

[HereticBD]

I don’t know what Mohaa stands for. CODs actual gun handling a mechanics are basically unchanged from the original in 2003.

Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault

You know, not Halo.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault

You know, not Halo.

Yeah I’m lost then. I’m not sure what he meant by that. Either way COD has always had basically the same gunplay since it’s first game and definitely didn’t change it because of Halo

 

[HereticBD]

Yeah I’m lost then. I’m not sure what he meant by that. Either way COD has always had basically the same gunplay since it’s first game and definitely didn’t change it because of Halo

The only thing they really changed, was getting away from WW2 shooters, because the market was over saturated with them. I don't believe it was an answer to any competition, but merely recognizing that the series was due for change. The multiplayer stuff taking off the way it did, was a happy accident. Nobody really expected much on that front, from COD4 when it first came out.

With that guy, he's a "PC Master Race" guy, and basically tries to dismiss anything that console games revolutionized. Hence why he's trying to say that COD4's multiplayer blueprint wasn't a big deal and wasn't influential at all, because a game or two before it, had a "reward" system of sorts. Not that it wasn't a PC game as well, but because it blew up on consoles and made it the juggernaut it is today, he has to downgrade it. He also has argued that GTA3 wasn't a revolutionary game that essentially created an entire genre, and it was only popular with edgy teenagers.

 

[Blayt7hh]

The only thing they really changed, was getting away from WW2 shooters, because the market was over saturated with them. I don't believe it was an answer to any competition, but merely recognizing that the series was due for change. The multiplayer stuff taking off the way it did, was a happy accident. Nobody really expected much on that front, from COD4 when it first came out.

With that guy, he's a "PC Master Race" guy, and basically tries to dismiss anything that console games revolutionized. Hence why he's trying to say that COD4's multiplayer blueprint wasn't a big deal and wasn't influential at all, because a game or two before it, had a "reward" system of sorts. Not that it wasn't a PC game as well, but because it blew up on consoles and made it the juggernaut it is today, he has to downgrade it. He also has argued that GTA3 wasn't a revolutionary game that essentially created an entire genre, and it was only popular with edgy teenagers.

Well if that’s what he thinks then he’s wrong. COD 1 was an amazing game and it was a pc exclusive just because you weren’t going to run that on a ps2.

COD4 was absolutely epic as a multiplayer game and is up there as one of the greatest games of all time because of its multiplayer. I had an absolute blast playing COD4 back in the day.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Yeah I’m lost then. I’m not sure what he meant by that.

HALO was the first Triple A FPS that had a popular online multiplayer component on console. For it was the first popular used console to standardize a ethernet port on the console. Sony standardized this port on the PS2 in 2004.

The gunplay of COD had to be toned down to work on controller. Goal wasnt to mimic but to emulate HALO's gunplay success on XBox.

 

[KaNesDeath]

"COD changed it's gunplay to compete with Halo"

LOL, wut?

The Pc market was constantly being flooded with FPS single player titles that had tacked on multiplayer modes. Original COD's were guilty of doing this and because of that never had a healthy multiplayer following.