Microsoft Extends Deadline of $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Acquisition

“But we’re even more excited to take away more games from PlayStation players.”

I'm so tired of this.

nice, i hope the deal goes through sooner rather than later.

@fabio1 yup. The sooner I know I won't be able to play Spyro and Crash on PS again, the better.

"bringing more games to more players everywhere.— Phil Spencer"

By removing a lot of titles from PlayStation....?

@sanderson72 Sony had the option to keep all Activision games but they turned it down.
Also, Sony do the same. So as bad as each other tbh

@sanderson72 Yeah, he should say "Bring more players to our ecosystem". He's an hypocrite tho, always has been.

@ZeD Timed exclusives are not the same as acquiring publishers. Xbox players will still be able to play games that are timed exclusives on PlayStation, while PlayStation players will not be able to play future Activision titles at all.

@CrispyMango92 I simply do not believe that they will though. The PS5 is the best selling console in the West by far. It makes far more sense to sell to both and reap the rewards of two revenue streams.

@LifeGirl for COD and multiplayer games sure. But Microsoft said internally they were looking to "crush Sony" with their buying power 3 years ago, and I absolutely do not believe they've changed their minds.

@StrawberryTurtle that's true. By the way, do you know when Xbox players will be able to play Final Fantasy VII Remake? Or maybe FFXIV? You know, timed exclusivity should end someday, right?

@StrawberryTurtle Final Fantasy 7R, Final Fantasy 16 to name some 3 rd party.
Sony also have their own excusive games that Xbox players cannot play. The only difference is that Activision games use to release on PlayStation, but now they will not (apart from CoD).

Also, have we forgot about Insomniac Games? They published for Xbox then were bought out.

I have never understood the argument "but PlayStation will not have any Activision games...". Just buy an Xbox, just like you would by a PlayStation for their exclusive games!

@ZeD it's not like Activision releases a lot of other games than CoD every year

@Foxx_64740 You should ask Square Enix.

@StrawberryTurtle so your previous argument is invalid, sorry

@Americansamurai1 Very true. This is what I hope comes from this; hopefully a reshuffle and we get some new games from them

@Foxx_64740 How is it invalid? If Square doesn't want to port to Xbox that's not PlayStation's fault dude.

@ZeD PlayStation exclusives are made in-house, Microsoft is just buying IPs and making them exclusive.

I have a PC, no need for Xbox.

@StrawberryTurtle Sony paid for the exclusivity deal. This came out in the court documents. Also both sides paying devs to stop games being added to Game Pass & Plus.
They are both as bad as each other. I would say (need to check facts on this) MS started it first in the 360 era, followed by Sony become exclusive heavy in the PS3 era. This continued in PS4 era as that dominated, followed by Xbox snapping up studios which, (you probably forgot about) Sony did too.

@Shepherd_Tallon Oh I totally agree with you. They release CoD every year without fail. As for other games.... the last one was that Crash game and that has vanished.
So yes, the second deal is the best hands down

So if they own Activision, they get that revenue. Why would they not put product on another platform if the option is available? That means they get money from PlayStation players now too.

@ZeD you never know with Microsoft, look at alot of their ips that they're currently don't do anything with. Cod brings in so much money they might keep things the same

"Excited about bringing more games to more players", is so cringey from Microsoft.

Excited about starting a monopoly and raising prices for games pass because yearly cod players will pay it

@StrawberryTurtle @Foxx_64740 Square Enix? The guys who make more Nintendo exclusives than PlayStation exclusives? That Square Enix?

@get2sammyb I am not talking about timed exclusives. The Final Fantasy deals are not timed. They are locked down heavy to the Sony platform.
I just do not like the narrative of people complaining that they can not play X game on the PS5 because of exclusivity whereas Sony has build an entire generation on that model.

Like I said, the only difference is that you could play X game series before (not that there was many outside CoD) and now you cannot.

@Americansamurai1
Yeah very true. Who knows what will happen. Makes a tonne of money, why change it?

@StrawberryTurtle "Xbox players will still be able to play games that are timed exclusives" that's invalid.
Maybe you should rephrase to something like "Xbox players MAYBE will be able to play games that are timed exclusives".
But you and me will be fine, you are already playing on PC and PS and I already have both consoles.

@CrispyMango92 this, cause that's the only thing they've done so far with the Bethesda deal.

@ZeD Sony built which generation entirely on that model? Explain please.

Ah, good good! More business and legal chat.

I was getting bored of talking about video games...

@StrawberryTurtle

Nintendo, unlike PlayStation, gets all future Activision Blizzard games for 10 years. Microsoft and Nintendo obviously don't like Sony

https://gamingbolt.com/microsofts-10-year-agreement-with-nintendo-covers-all-future-activision-blizzard-releases

@Foxx_64740 But that's not PlayStation's fault, so my argument is not invalid.

@CrashBandicoot Or maybe, Mr. Crash, Nintendo doesn't really care about this deal and just took what Microsoft gave them, while Sony didn't want this deal to go through. Same with Valve.

In fairness, @get2sammyb, you say 'timed-exclusive' as if it has a timed exclusivity period. It's not really a timed-exclusive if the game never releases on another platform. It is simply an exclusive. One made by a third-party...

@StrawberryTurtle

Microsoft is highly valued by Valve

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/valve-says-long-term-call-of-duty-steam-offer-not-needed-as-xbox-always-follows-through-on-its-promises/

@Shepherd_Tallon

Microsoft and Nintendo play quite dirty against Sony because they don't want Sony to be the market leader

@CrashBandicoot What did you want them to say? "Oh, I hate Microsoft". They don't care about this deal, they don't need CoD on their platform. The Nintendo Switch is one of the best selling systems ever without CoD. This deal only hurts PlayStation.

This deal just gives me the last reason i need to stop playing Cod.

@Wheatly Funniest part is that it's always the same 3/4 accounts that suddenly appear on Push Square and only comment on posts about this.

@Sekijo Thank you. They are acting like it's PlayStation's fault lmao

This deal goes nowhere near in creating a monopoly, @Anthony_Daniels.

Just to be clear, the definition of monopoly is as follows: A monopoly is a market structure where a single seller or producer assumes a dominant position in an industry or a sector.

So for Microsoft to be monopolising the gaming industry, it would take Sony to effectively give up, and Nintendo too, for that matter, given Microsoft's standing in the gaming market.

When the FTC Court documents came out, it was revealed that the split of gamers on the PlayStation versus the Xbox was 70/30 in favour of Sony. Since those finding were revealed, the PlayStation has consistently outsold the Xbox. Indeed, even today, Push has put out an article in which they say the PlayStation sales continue to increase year on year, whereas the Xbox sales are falling. So the split is at the very least 70% of gamers playing on the PlayStation, though by now it's probably more. And given that we've known for some time that Microsoft are likely to be successful in buying ABK, the trend of buying the PlayStation seems unaffected. There is simply no way when the vast majority game on the PlayStation, that Sony is going to stop doing business. It is therefore nigh on impossible for Microsoft to monopolise the gaming industry. Indeed, if you look at the figures with a neutral head, you could argue that the company edging closer to being the monopoly (if we disregard Nintendo, and follow the 'high-end' console argument) is in fact Sony.

Even after this deal, it remains highly debatable whether Xbox will actually close the gap on the PlayStation...

Oh the doom and gloom.

Look, I think it's a darn shame that ABK's other IP have basically been left into question as to whether they will release on Sony's platform, but keep in mind Sony only fought for CoD - its biggest money maker.

Let that sink in for a bit.

Sony cared nothing about player choice or anything else it tried to argue. It only cared about its CoD cut. A cut it will still get.

Gamer Phil Spencer: "Bringing more games to more players!"
Also Gamer Phil: But not Crash,or Spyro future Diablo's,or Starcraft/Warcraft,,or Tony Hawk, or GUN,or Elder Scrolls,or Starfield,or anything else we've bought,mwhaha! 🙄
Sure Jan!😂

@Foxx_64740 I believe FFXIV doesn't have anything to do with Sony, it's some type of security concern between Square and Microsoft.

@Shepherd_Tallon you are correct

Also even if cod is released biannually, if it brings in nearly a billion in sales for Sony a title, why would they sign for everything but cod when cod is more valuable. Sony is still a business we can't expect them to take the lesser option.

@Jamesblob And there is nothing wrong with your outlook. You can hate Microsoft all you want, Sony still benefits from it by keeping CoD on the platform and collecting its cut.

I love Sony's exclusives. I also like Microsoft exclusives. I also like Nintendo exclusives.

Having ABK under Microsoft benefits me because I have Game Pass Ultimate.

@Foxx_64740 ff7 was an exclusive ps1 game. That's like me getting mad I can't play left for dead 1 remake on ps5. And final 14 is not on Xbox, because of Microsoft. Had nothing to do with Sony. Stop spreading lies. Ff14 is not on Xbox because Microsoft didn't want to allow cross play. Yeah that's right. Sony showed cross play years before ms did.

@get2sammyb

I hate when people bring up the Psygnosis acquisition in 1995 (actually 1993)
It was purchased for £20 million, the equivalent of £52 million today, no where near the cost of even Insomniac, let alone Bethesda or ABK...

It’s becoming increasingly rare that I can avoid cringing from a Phil Spencer comment. He is so disingenuous and full of sh*t, it’s baffling to me that there’s even a single person who is incapable of seeing through it. Idt many people are big fans of Jim Ryan, but at least he doesn’t try to act like he’s some philanthropic good guy who’s sole goal is to help all gamers.

@GamingFan4Lyf way to spin that narrative.

@ZeD No they didn't. Also, Insomniac? Really? What hits did they have on MS consoles exactly? The comparison is, once again, apples to oranges.

They say they want to bring more games to more players....

Ok put your Microsoft Money where Phil Spencer's mouth is and port Killer Instinct, Gears Of War, and Rare Replay to PS4/5 and Switch.

It won't happen

One thing is certain as the sun rising, no business negotiates a $69 billion deal with the ultimate intention of diluting their brand.

@Cutmastavictory No spin, just a friendly reminder that this is all corporations doing corporate things.

It's all about the $$ (for both of them).

@Robocod tell that to the Nintendo /Nvidia/other cloud companies and in jym Ryan's immortal words
"I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.”

Funny how fast he took a deal that's been there since march when he knew he wasn't stopping the deal and you expect Microsoft to bend over and say yes Mr Ryan you can have all the acti games

Edit and to be fair all along this jym has always moaned about cod as it's for the players never once has he done a interview saying we want acti games too ...yeh he thinks loads about the gamers ,just not when it compares to losing millions on cod

@ZeD
That's false equivalency. Sony paying for timed exclusivity is not equivalent to Microsoft buying entire publishers for permanent exclusivity (Bethesda) or claiming to be pro-consumer for ten years while consolidating market power (Activision-Blizzard).

I guess it was too much to hope Activision-Blizzard would take their $3B and run, which would avoid this whole disaster.

@ZeD You know Microsoft was asked if they wanted Final Fantasy 16 and they turned it down the same goes for Spiderman.

@Cutmastavictory that's why I said FFVII Remake and not the original one

@StrawberryTurtle I have appeared here since Jan 2021 and not Jul 2023 like you. You are the one that suddenly appears here. But hey, you're welcome although we disagree in many levels.

@Foxx_64740 We don't disagree in many levels, you're just straight up lying, saying my argument is invalid when it's not.

@CrashBandicoot Thats a good comparison no ABK or for 10 years whats there to lose for Nintendo?

More than likely microsoft will shelve activision blizzard right next to rare, but why couldnt they keep AB games on competing platforms to increase revenue? In the 80s coleco did that on both atari an intellivision systems. I doubt thats microsofts plans but it would be more money in their coffers, since software is where the money is.

@Mloeffler66 RARE had/has a huge hit with Sea of Thieves. Not sure I'd call that "shelved" exactly.

Remember when these lying scumbags said they don’t consider Sony competition and now it seems every decision they make is focused around trying to put them out of business? I don’t know how anyone can trust Microsoft and their constantly lying.

@Sekijo maybe Sony will grab SE then. I think SE is a collection of one of the most over-rated, hack, no-talent developers on this planet Earth.

@Cashews They’ve put out so many great games lately though and seem to be on the right path. Now would be a great time to lock the IP down.

@Fiendish-Beaver A monopoly has to start somewhere

@KaijuKaiser I disagree about the great games but I agree about a good time to lock down the company. SE is floundering, their stock is stuck in time and Sony is probably hungry for someone to buy right now.

Maybe, tbh I haven't seen Sony's balance sheet lately. With all of those billions in R/D they are spending maybe buying companies isn't on their list rn.

@Sekijo I think MS overpaid for ABK by a great deal. But they do have many, many IPs worth harvesting. ABK is a dumpster fire - MS has a better chance of righting the ship than most giants. They have the pedigree and their HR is miles better than Kotick's mess.

Maybe they can inspire the staff to not suck again. They were certainly loved at one point.

BUT - SE is just absolute trash. I'm sure Sony realize show bad they are right now as well. One failure after another. That's Square Enix.

The interesting thing now will be to see if Sony has been hiding some upcoming titles while waiting for the outcome of this deal.

I sure hope so, because that last State of Play was abysmal, especially regarding the future of PSVR2.

@Martsmall Since your clearly a "humour" guy,tell me why Bobby Kotick was perfectly okay with doing marketing deals for timed exclusive dlc content with BOTH Sony & before them Microsoft (back in the 360 era & obviously unwilling to match Sony's subsequent offer prior to the PS4 launch)?

Or given as Activision being one of the largest Third party AAA publishers could've easily produced COD themselves but clearly Kotick saw little return for the effort? None of the streaming services you mentioned are in the same level to compete with Microsoft's Azure servers so no that isn't what you call competition but nice try!😂

As for "Jim Ryan squandered getting more games". Except Phil Spencer never offered a ten year deal on all Activision games,everything including COD would've stopped by 2027.

This is the same Phil Spencer that publicly was claiming Zenimax Bethesda games future releases would be a game by game basis, but cancelled multiplatform releases once the buyout went through & point blank refused to discuss an expanded deal on publishing them alongside the Activision ones...but he's your poster boy for "competition",from a parent company that likes to maintain its monopoly in every other part of its business,including Windows & services?

But cheer on the monopoly megacorp,yay!😂

@ZeD Sony has never bought a publisher, only studios. That is the key difference.

@StrawberryTurtle haha okay buddy please continue living your dellusional world.
I will no longer reply you so you can spread all your hate towards game companies, tell others they're liars and stuff like that. Kids these days...

@Flippygruffle if Sony could have bought ABK they would have. They don't have the type of money MS and Amazon have. 1/10 of MS's cash on hand. They aren't in the conversation.

@Sekijo lol, I do appreciate that mental picture. Excuse me, I need to throw up now.

At any rate, the deal is going through the only thing to do now is watch. Take it light

Just lock these comments down....

Like how they're bringing Starfield to more players

@Robocod first of all who brought up what activison chose to do ? Not me
Second Microsoft release their games day one on console /TV/phone /pc/tablet etc etc. If you want to play say spider man 2 ....oh console only ( or wait 2 years for pc ) so yes there are alot of choices that don't cost whatever a ps5 costs nowadays but anyone who doesn't own a Xbox console can still play it so yes adding more players , and is there a law saying someone who owns a ps5 can't obtain any of the above to play the acti games ? No but at least they have a choice to what suits Thier budget ...buy Sony no buy a expensive console and that's fine hey ? and as for defending corporations , like Sony give a crap if Thier players have spyro in the future ? Ha all they care about is cod money , and as for microsoft didn't offer acti games how do you know what were u there in the room ? No please show me one interview jym Ryan has done saying he wants acti games ? None they are all about cod

@Sekijo They come here with the wildest comparisons and then when you prove them wrong they just call you a kid lmao.

Reminder that MS offered Sony a deal to keep providing PS with most of those games for a decade.

Sony turned it down and decided to duke it out over COD in the courts.

Well congratulations, Sony "won" and they've got a guarantee to keep COD......umm which they'd been offered in the first place.

Hooray, a victory! Ugh....

Alas COD is all they got. The rest is gone. MS is under no obligation and can go full exclusive on those titles.

That's great if you enjoy hearing 14 year old boys throwing around racist abuse and telling you what they want to do your mother and sister, not so great if you are a grown up and want to play the other titles.

Better stump up some money for an XSX I guess.

Insert "An eternity later"-meme with French accent.

@ZeD
I'm pretty sure Insomniac let themselves be bought out because Xbox players didn't buy the excellent Sunset Overdrive. The games that Sony makes exclusive just don't do as well on Xbox. It doesn't make sense to make those multiplatform.

Call of Duty though? Fallout? Likely Elder Scrolls? These are all juggernaut franchises that sell well everyone, it doesn't make sense to make them exclusive but we already see Microsoft doing it with Starfireld. That's why the comparison just doesn't really make sense.

Nice. Looking forward to having access to ActiBliz games on GP. Def. will be more willing to try out Diablo if it's not a separate purchase.

@get2sammyb

And please don't counter with "Psygnosis in 1995" like it's even in the same universe as what's happening here.

I can partially see what you mean, but lets not underplay it either. The gaming industry as a whole was way smaller at back then, and Psygnosis, at the time, accounted for 40% of all video game sales in all of Europe. Really doubt ABK is that big these days, relatively speaking. ABK is bigger simply because the market is way bigger, also way way more diverse than it was back then.

@StrawberryTurtle
"Timed exclusives are not the same as acquiring publishers. Xbox players will still be able to play games that are timed exclusives on PlayStation, while PlayStation players will not be able to play future Activision titles at all."

Don't forget Bethesda titles! Somehow, regulators are letting Microsoft keep buying up publishers even though they already showed their positive words don't match their negative actions.

You are absolutely right, @Panic_Attache. Of the two companies, Microsoft definitely have the funds to buy the entire industry, though having bought ABK, chances are that Regulators will be less and less inclined to approve future acquisitions.

That said, as I said, Sony are, by far, the dominant player in the gaming industry. They are, by definition, the ones that are closer to monopolising the industry. Strictly speaking, a company would have to have 100% or nigh on 100% of the market share to form a monopoly. I think it's safe to say that Sony have over 70% of the market, and Microsoft are likely to be below 30%. So of the two, whilst Microsoft has the buying power to overtake Sony, it will probably be unable to do so as they will be prevented from doing so my the Regulators, whereas, Sony is steadily progressing to the point that it will be able to dictate the market conditions. That is why Sony were the first to increase the prices of their consoles, and also the first to introduce the £70 pricing of games. It is also why the PlayStation is getting so many AAA third-party exclusives, and the Xbox has not had a single one this generation.

I know it is an unpopular opinion among many in here, but Sony needs strong competition from the only other similar console out there. If Xbox were to stop trading, then it would not be good for any of us. And if a company such as Xbox cannot compete in this market with the backing of a 3 trillion dollar company in the form of Microsoft, then no other company can or will enter the market. Indeed, it explains why no other company has entered the market in the past 20 years.

Ultimately, we need Xbox to succeed. It doesn't have to be bigger or better than the PlayStation, but it does need to do better than it is now. It's just possible that the ABK acquisition will give Xbox a boost. If it doesn't then it could be bad for all of us in the long run...

Let's get this deal done CMA!

I want my Game Pass padded out with those classic titles soon!!!!!

@Cutmastavictory They also wanted their own servers.

Just don't buy a xbox! Hit Microsoft where it hurts

@Sausages Oh lord. Although many people cannot buy all consoles I am lucky enough to own all of them. All are great in their own way. We should want them all to succeed, not just have one dominant player.

@sanderson72 Ryan could of signed the contract but he didn't

@cburg why support something that users don't agree with? After all this has left a bitter taste.
Suck up the losses and carry on, life goes on.
Purely subjective though, everyone can do what they like

@Sausages You are missing my point but whatever.

@Fiendish-Beaver To be honest, I don't understand that market share figure. I personally would have thought that PC, mobile and Nintendo Switch have the biggest market shares, followed by PS4 then the newer consoles. And there would be considerable overlap in ownership in all these areas.

@Sausages I wish I could go back and have not bought a Xbox Series X. But I can make sure they don't get a penny more. My game pass I have exp on Jan 20 so 4 months is more then what I need to beat Starfield and trade the Xbox series X in.

@StrawberryTurtle So Final Fantasy 16 is now a timed exclusive? Kid yourself all you want but Sony is no saint in this. As for your "timed exclusive" argument. Timed exclusives are just as bad as true exclusives in this industry. Gamers will flock to the console that allows them to feed their habit as quickly as possible. Having to wait a year in order to get the hot new game on a competing console generates so much FOMO and leads players to ditch their current console in order to play sooner.

@Total_Weirdo they are probably feeling a little important that MS waited on them. That goes a long way with petty politicians and bureaucrats.

@Cashews microsoft has no right to my money or support. I can't change the past.

The smart console player has a PS5, Xbox Series and a Switch. If you are even smarter and can afford it, get a PC (Although a good one will cost you more than all 3 consoles combined).

No worrying about what is exclusive or what will be taken away. You don't even need to buy an Xbox to enjoy Xbox games these days.

@Artois2 They done a piss poor job for 10 years and abk full of problems of there own.

Abk is getting sued for being scumbags. Now microsoft will be the one to pay out all the victims.

@SgtTruth what is your understanding of a decade? Because mine is 10 years

The salt is real. Do I think Microsoft, a giant corporation, should buy Activision, another giant corporation? No. But it's funny that there is so much salt when Sony locks Xbox out of SO MANY 3rd party games.

@NinjaWaddleDee And Sony should go after more 3rd party games and if you want to play them buy a ps5. Remake FF10 and make it PS6 only.

@XenonKnight I honestly just wish neither of them had exclusives so I could just play everything on PC lol.

@NinjaWaddleDee I want more Playstation exclusives and you are the kind who would like to force everyone on to the pc. I don't think Sony should be porting anything to the pc. If it was up to me it would be you want to play any 1st party Playstation games get a Playstation console or get lost.

Just curious, once the merger is complete is microsoft prohibited from any further immediate acquisitions or can they continue to buy up the industry?

@XenonKnight releasing their games on pc doesn't force anyone to pc. You are still free to enjoy them on ps5 if you prefer. Pc ports mean more money made for sony and hopefully more money spent by sony.

@Somebody They need to put there console first. PC elites think they should put 100% of there games on the pc on the same day as Playstation. Doing that would kill the Playstation console and they want to force everyone to pc only.

@XenonKnight Bro.... it's just a box.... lol

@Mloeffler66 Nope, so they will try to buyout everything.

More games to more players everywhere? It does the exact opposite of that. Same as the Bethesda buyout.

@XenonKnight I still don't understand how releasing a game on ps5 and PC forces people to go buy or build a pc that is most likely much more expensive than a ps5 and harder to use. This really doesnt affect the playstation console in any way. It opens up a new revenue source for playstation which will benefit console users not hurt them.

@Somebody Releasing a game that is a 1st party Playstation game on pc the same day is weakening the Playstation. But that what you want.
The only time it doesn't weaken the Playstation big time is by releasing it is to wait till sales have slow down to nothing and it's on Playstation Plus extra. So ok they make more by bring out 3+ years after Playstation.

@Somebody releasing to pc has 2 main issues. Both of which Microsoft honestly suffer for. The first is simply that if you have a PC you have no incentive to buy a ps5. And especially with digital ps5s where you cannot purchase games outside of playstations own storefront (it doesn't do download codes) they get a larger % of all games sales so obviously they want to drive as many people to ps consoles as possible. Secondly it takes a lot more manpower and time to simultaneously release amongst ps5 console and pc wise with optimisation, accessibility, controls etc. Ps ports to pc come later and even then have been suffering poor optimisation so it would only make the games themselves suffer if they pushed for simultaneous release. We already hear 'dont need Xbox I have a pc' enough there is no need to push ps games towards pc people who have that mentality

@Kierant202 he wants everyone to change over to pc.

Remember that 3 Billion it was if it fails.

Activision to Get Up to $4.5 Billion If Microsoft Merger Fails

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2023/07/19/activision-blizzard-4-5-billion-compensation-microsoft-deal/

Now more!

@Kierant202 there is a massive crowd on pc that will not buy a ps5 regardless of if the games ever come to pc or not. Might as well capitalize on that and sell them a copy on pc.

The amount of people that you convince to buy a ps5 to compliment their pc is not going to make much money for sony. They are going to buy the console that sony barely makes money on and a small collection of 1st party games. Those are probably single player games so they are one time purchases, not battlepass micro transaction games. If those players fully dove into the ecosystem and bought all 3rd party games on ps5 then sony would make a lot of money but they are probably playing those games on pc.

It is a bigger net gain for sony to include games on Steam where there are 120 million active monthly users.

The more they repeat the obvious lie the more repelled i am.
Who exactly are they going to bring more games to when they will certainly lock them behind their services? How, in what world is that "more players"?
I am looking at Starfield and that does not look like more players. It looks like a flop.
I'm sure it will get many downloads from those already on game pass, but i don't see it selling in the amounts a fallout or elder scrolls did in multi-platform. About 200m potential players (PS and Nintendo) are being cut off. The market will not grow from it. It will contract if anything.
They just lie to our faces and it's so disgusting. Phil is completely two faced and disnest. At least tell the truth. You failed and are trying to buy your way into the market. At least it's honest.
But trying to spin it like you are doing us a favor? Aww heck no. I will never sub into your bait and switch scheme that takes away my choices.

@Nem This kind of stuff is why I'm washing my hands of microsoft.
But the microsoft astroturfers will tell you need game pass and should cheerlead microsoft buying everything. I have a big backlog of PS4/PS5 games and PS Plus extra I don't need microsoft.

@Jamesblob though I own all 3 consoles and a pc I can say I prefer the Microsoft UI and controller. Haptic feedback in dual sense has only ever worsened my experience outside of maybe 2 games.

Phil is being a business man. He isn't outright lying. He is choosing his truths. When he says bringing to more people he is specifically talking about access to all mobile phone users via cloud. True but still irrelevant in the current market. D*** move but still better to be specific when we are calling people liars.

As for the final point I can honestly say I couldn't care less if Microsoft buys abk. I like their games for the most part but quite frankly microsofts output is still lacking and only new exclusives outside of their current IPS will bring new people. Sony is leading by so much and it is showing by their own behaviour and the behaviour of fans in both sides. When the 'war' was more equal it was less toxic because you didn't have Xbox fanboys with inferiority complexes and Sony fanboys with superiority complexes. Because of this now we have games like psychonauts 2, gears tactics, hi-fi rush being incredible games undersold by the media and Sony's first party great games and good sequels dominating the media to the point Sony has been narrowing its development style to single player game while milking the ips for multiplayer titles too. The industry needs a game changer. Microsoft is terrible as a parent company but in the console space they need this to even the playing field and inject some more risks to both sides going forwards

“More games for more players” my ass!

Sony secured CoD on PS5 but what about Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, etc.? I lost interest in the CoD series since the day I bought an empty disc and was obliged to diwnload 180GB just to play the singke player campaign

@Charbelmk They didn't secure the others. And I don't think they can because Microsoft does want to kill Playstation, they do want to spend Playstation out. And cod files sizes are only getting bigger.

Yeah. It's over. Just nice extension to cover if CMA would try something fishy. Since CMA is supposed to be over at the end of august, I expect that before Starfield release ABK will be part of Microsoft

“excited about bringing more games to more players everywhere”.

Hmmmmm games that are currently available across multiple platforms?! Yet some like Crash will be more than likely taken away, more people play Playstation than Xbox (this includes Gamepass) so if they were any good at maths....well yeah.

Essentially its billionaires doing billionaire things, utter scum really. (This also goes for Jim Ryan, I mean hes a pure Bellend too)

@Robocod maybe you should try reading jym was offered activison games and he said that under oath in his video testimony and in his emails he wanted everything !!! Maybe you should read his emails

Getting an Xbox Series S refurbished for £150 is going to be extremely tempting with Gamepass.

@Artois2 Not sure if it's a trick question I also consider a decade to be 10 years too?

I understood based on the materials that have come out, that MS offered Sony access to most Acti Blizz games for that length of time?

Sony declined and now they only have COD. So they've gained nothing that wasn't on the table to start with, but lost all the other games through their own fault.

If I'm wrong and the offer was for a period of more or less than 10 years, then I'm wrong, hands up. That's my memory though.

Nah it’s me that has to put his hands up, apologies

Sorry for disrespecting anyone not my intention