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A snippet from the case "FTC: We've heard about the harms to Sony... Judge: This is about the harms to the consumer not to Sony. Let's take a break until 4:05
by MikusR 3y ago
A snippet from the case
"FTC: We've heard about the harms to Sony...
Judge: This is about the harms to the consumer not to Sony. Let's take a break until 4:05."
- _8j50 3y ago[flagged]
- lockhouse 3y agoSony is at little risk of harm here. They have a ridiculous amount of system selling platform exclusives. Microsoft has what Halo, Forza, Gears of War, and I guess Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020? They have a few other exclusives, but I don't think they're enough to make someone chose an Xbox over a PlayStation. Microsoft is seriously behind this generation and I just don't see them continuing next generation if they can't make up some ground this one.
- firebirdn99 3y agoThese are genre-defining games, and have been historically multiplatform. Not just Activision, they did the Bethesda acquisition, before it. Now, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, will be only Xbox. And now Starfield is confirmed exclusively on Xbox. These are the games I buy a system for, and I only have a PS4 before.
- zamalek 3y agoQualitatively, there are also more harms to the consumer by leaving Actiblizz in the incompetent hands of the current leadership. I still wonder what all of this is worth given that the merger was blocked in the UK.
- MikusR 3y agohttps://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/23791149/microsoft-activision-blizzard-uk-regulators-cma-appeal https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/23791149/microsoft-activi...
- zamalek 3y agoOh, that's awesome news!
- belltaco 3y agoThis part is interesting from that link: > MLex also reported last month that Microsoft was exploring options to close the deal despite the UK block, which could have involved closing over the UK decision and potentially carving out Activision in the UK. That’s a messy process, and it looks like both parties are now willing to negotiate to avoid it.
- worik 3y ago> , which could have involved closing over the UK decision and potentially carving out Activision in the UK. The way things are looking in the UK assets their might not have a long shelf life It might turn around if their government changes after the election, but who wants to bet on that? It is looking really dismal
- AlexandrB 3y agoGiven how Microsoft has managed Bethesda (giving them a large amount of autonomy and shipping the doomed Redfall) it's way too optimistic to expect any positive changes for Activision/Blizzard customers. It wouldn't surprise me is Bobby kept running the whole thing, just under Microsoft's ownership. Meanwhile I do expect more Xbox exclusives - which will ultimately harm consumers.
- zamalek 3y agoI'm hoping for more along the lines of what happened with Mojang. Whatever Microsoft did there really worked.
- AlexandrB 3y agoAll I know about that is I tried to migrate my Mojang account to Microsoft - when Microsoft started "unifying logins" - and I still haven't heard back from them. So my experience has been negative. Hopefully they don't try to migrate Battle.net accounts in the future.
- charcircuit 3y agoFYI you have 2 months to migrate your account before they delete it. You will have to repurchase the game on a new account if you ever want to play it again if you don't migrate it by September 19th.
- tacocataco 3y agoThanks for this heads up! Didn't realize I had to stop Microsoft from randomly deciding they can steal the product I already paid for. I own nothing and am so grateful. /$ Is Microsoft going to buy Steam and delete my game library there next?
- johnnyanmac 3y ago>Is Microsoft going to buy Steam and delete my game library there next? Gabe's not gonna live forever. Never know what will happen in some 15-20 years if he retires and/or is simply unable to manage Valve.
- firebirdn99 3y agoAn independent studio is independent. Just because other countries can be better run by 1 country, doesn't justify acquiring other companies. Many corporations once they acquire a smaller company, skin it for parts, and dissolve it. Like HBO-Discovery recently. The consumer almost always pays, either in terms of choice, or price.
- firebirdn99 3y agoedit: doesn't justify invading other countries
- kevin_thibedeau 3y agoFTC: Wait what?! We're supposed to be concerned about the rabble first?
- paulryanrogers 3y agoEurope considers both direct harm to consumers and harm to competitors because without significant competition, the big players inevitably slide into exploiting customers and their vendors.
- _2z1p 3y agoThe current status quo is on a path to being harmful to both. I love Nintendo but they compete more with Apple and Google than they do with Sony and Microsoft. If Microsoft exits game consoles next generation Sony won’t have any real competition and that will be very bad for consumers. Microsoft needs their own heavy hitting exclusives and they need them sooner than they can home grow them. This acquisition is one of the only ways they can do that.
- mtsr 3y agoAn anti-competitive Microsoft conglomerate to compete with PS# is hardly going to better for consumers than a Nintendo-Sony duopoly. I’d rather we don’t allow bad M&As, even for good reasons.
- rafark 3y agoPS Sharp? Is that a new language?
- lockhouse 3y agoThere really isn't a Nintendo-Sony duopoly. They don't really compete with each other. It's a handheld game system with the ability to dock and work with a TV. The hardware and its gaming capabilities are very different. There is almost no overlap in the games available to each console. Nintendo stopped competing on high performance hardware several generations ago. It competes like a Honda Civic competes with a Chevrolet Corvette.