Submitted by marketrent t3_zrkbfi in technology
Lootcifer- t1_j13o1jv wrote
While I’m no fan of monopolies and all that shit. Bro, they’re buying the shittiest gaming fucking company on earth (in a lot of ways worse than EA) and if they can do something about it to fix the company then I’m ok with it cause they won’t fix themselves.
mf-TOM-HANK t1_j13otwc wrote
Which may be exactly why they stop the merger. If they act stunned by Microsoft's supposed brazen disregard for antitrust and halt this particular merger then they can pat themselves on the back and pass through another ghoulish Sprint-TMobile type of merger that actually has major real life consequences.
BourbonCoug t1_j140znp wrote
>That actually has major real-life consequences.
Just playing devil's advocate here, but if you don't view this as having real-life consequences then why waste taxpayer dollars trying to stop this under the guise of antitrust?
mf-TOM-HANK t1_j143k75 wrote
It's a little bit of a dog and pony show to show us plebes that antitrust is still taken seriously in DC. If we were actually serious about antitrust we'd see the relevant federal agencies go after meat processing, media conglomerates, and ISPs for starters.
Thebadmamajama t1_j14eo9u wrote
I sense it's easier to block a future acquisition than to sue to break up an existing company.
Otherwise the cases in those other industries seem to be far clearer.
platonicjesus t1_j1519cc wrote
They let the Warner Discovery merger go through pretty recently.
antunezn0n0 t1_j15a15q wrote
i feel that wasn't as egregipux as this is the tenth time Warner is sold
theregalbeagle t1_j16cem0 wrote
They let Disney/Fox through.
antunezn0n0 t1_j16gj5t wrote
they probably shouldn't have
Fubarp t1_j14nt5i wrote
Honestly I'm not sure if sueing to break up is hard because the US Government has done it numerous times without failure.
Milksteak_To_Go t1_j16byz3 wrote
What was the last breakup, Ma Bell in 1982? 40 years ago is not exactly recent history.
I know DOJ tried to break up Microsoft in 2000 over the IE/Netscape stuff but that got appealed and overturned.
DrakeAU t1_j15vkqo wrote
Supermarkets too.
ThatGuyMiles t1_j14i177 wrote
That’s the point, it’s a “show” they can’t or won’t stop other actual consequential mergers due to lobbyist/etcetera. This scenario makes it seem like they have “teeth” and are actually “sticking it to big tech” when it reality they are not and are completely toothless. It’s a gaming company and MICROSOFT. it’s the perfect Unicorn that no one important enough cares about so they get to look “tough” on “big tech”….
BatForge_Alex t1_j14hey5 wrote
> why waste taxpayer dollars trying to stop this under the guise of antitrust?
Regardless of which "side" you're on, I believe it's important for investigations like this to get the real face of the corporations out for the public to see. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have a history of doing some shady, anti-competitive shit.
If we don't at least investigate these sorts of deals, the public only hears what the companies want them to hear. These companies didn't become massive by "playing fair" and they're very good at laundering bad reputations
My opinion: Microsoft deserves the level of scrutiny being laid against them. They have a history of using M&A as a cudgel to force industries to kiss the ring and crush competition
tipbruley t1_j167gaa wrote
The real reason they are going after this is because Microsoft won’t fight back/bride too hard against it because it’s not really that great of a deal for Microsoft and won’t actually allow them to use monopolistic practices.
SlowMotionPanic t1_j174a1q wrote
Stop and listen to yourself a moment. Why would Microsoft waste all that time, money, and effort? Microsoft will have to pay Activision a $3 billion break up fee if they can’t get the deal closed for any reason.
The truth is that Microsoft is very obviously waging a lobbying battle behind closed doors while also waging a public relations battle. And look at how many good little fans come out of the woodwork to lap up their bullshit just because they hope Activision—one of the largest publishers in the world—will have their games “for free” on Gamepass.
Microsoft is trying to appease watchdogs by making very public gestures to support competitors for at least 10 years. But that doesn’t mean much because Microsoft is becoming a gaming as a service company. Sony can’t compete there yet and seem so very dedicated to platform lock-in since they are too dysfunctional to compete. Nintendo occupies its niche and not much else, let alone offer a real competitive service to anything MS is trying to do. I mean—have you tried Nintendo’s online services? Whole division should be turned inside out for the gross incompetence.
Microsoft is going for lock-in. That is why they have slyly allowed Xbox live gold conversions to get 3 years of Gamepass for basically nothing. It is why you can get a console with Gamepass and pay a single monthly fee in a lease to own scheme. They are abusing their position and locking people in. Azure alone makes more profit than Xbox entirely generates as revenue.
And people think the gravy train will never end 🙄
MFitz24 t1_j16egb3 wrote
That was a different administration.
mf-TOM-HANK t1_j16f9wo wrote
I'm absolutely not a "both sides are the same" guy but antitrust has not been a big priority for any of the presidents for probably as long as I've been alive. I'm not plugged into the antitrust law sphere at all but it feels like Microsoft back in the early 2000s was the last high profile antitrust case. Maybe there have been big ones that I'm not aware of but the trend has been for decades that big companies get bigger and gobble up smaller companies with little to no resistance.
MFitz24 t1_j16fpg0 wrote
Youre not wrong about the multidecade trend but the biden administration has been extremely aggressive on antitrust.
https://gamerant.com/nvidia-arm-merger-acquisition-news/
https://news.yahoo.com/why-did-government-block-big-095213687.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/ftc-asks-kroger-for-more-information-on-albertsons-deal-11670334358
mf-TOM-HANK t1_j16grpp wrote
To Biden's credit, I'm extremely impressed with Lina Khan and I guess we will see what comes from the next 2+ years if she remains at the helm of FTC for the remainder of the term and beyond.
[deleted] t1_j16n3lt wrote
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Macktion t1_j16q086 wrote
Came here to bring this up, but I'm glad you got here first and brought receipts.
Paradox68 t1_j142vdr wrote
2023 seeming to be the Year of Acquisition for MS
Lootcifer- t1_j1437tn wrote
They’re on their P. Diddy phase
SPARTANsui t1_j1424wx wrote
I don't care either way what happens with this deal, but man, 343i is not a great company either. They own the poster child for the Xbox and are messing up so badly with their latest release. I really don't have faith in any gaming company. Microsoft is one of the wealthiest companies in the world, they have a game studio focusing all their energy into a single game. They still screwed it up.
Respawn gave me hope several years ago. But then things change and the same people that built what was a great company are no longer involved and it goes to shit. See, Titanfall.
truthfulie t1_j14vnng wrote
Turn 10 and Playground Forza franchise. Bethesda, specifically Starfield and The Coalition still have me some hope for MS studios titles. Not so much on their other studios.
SPARTANsui t1_j14x9f3 wrote
Turn 10 always seem to be solid with their releases. I wish I enjoyed racing games more! Forza was my favorite.
ajs423 t1_j149b30 wrote
It's more the human rights violations for me, which while Microsoft is far from innocent, they're not as bad as AB has been these last 5-10 years.
maybe_a_frog t1_j14aim5 wrote
Since Titanfall 2 released Respawn has released 2 games. Apex Legends was wildly successful for years after it released. Fallen Order is considered one of the greatest Star Wars games every released, and are about to release the highly anticipated sequel. In what way has Respawn “gone to shit”?
SPARTANsui t1_j14gamp wrote
They've given false hope to the Titanfall community about supporting the game as it has been faced with problems. The issues that started last year haven't been officially addressed and they have gotten worse.
https://www.dexerto.com/apex-legends/respawn-denies-abandoned-titanfall-apex-legends-focus-1611019/
https://www.ign.com/articles/respawn-titanfall-3-comments-future-sequel
https://www.thegamer.com/respawn-single-player-apex-legends-game-titanfall/
Lootcifer- t1_j14364p wrote
Apparently Titanfall 2 is by far one of the greatest MP games out there right now and it’s still being played by a lot of people. From what I’m told they almost 100% fixed everything wrong with the first one but I haven’t played it to say it’s true.
MS does have the Coalition which make Gears of War games and they seem not as incompetent as 343. The problem with 343 is that the people that made Halo just left and what’s left are people that know jack shit about Halo.
I’m personally not invested in any of this shit anymore since AAA games have been absolute trash for about a decade now.
SPARTANsui t1_j147l4x wrote
IMO Titanfall 2 is the best FPS. I have 600 hours of gameplay, however it's completely broken right now. It has been since October.
Prior to that it was being targeted for over a year and Respawn hardly did anything to actually correct the issue. I remember for the longest time you couldn't see the current player count. Then it came back one day and it was actually playable for several months. Then October (maybe September?) rolled around and most servers were unplayable. You'd get into a game, the latency would spike up to 1,000+ms and you'd be disconnected. Right now there's two servers you can play on and they're across the world.
I did forget about the Coalition, it will be interesting to see their new IP they're working on and what they have in mind for a GoW sequel.
For 343i it's not only that but it's the fact they don't really have "employees" working on the game, but contractors. From my understanding turnover is high and the people that actually built the game weren't even around any longer to see the release of the game. The game engine also sounds like it's difficult to work with which compounds the issue of not having the people that built the game around any longer.
I've been let down by most AAA studios, so I agree with that.
Thatguyxlii t1_j15hbz4 wrote
I think MS owning Activision would be an improvement.
lord_pizzabird t1_j14ml5c wrote
Gamepass subs should theoretically nullify the need for loot crates and micro transactions.
Idk if they'll actually do that ($$$), but they should make the promise as an easy win to show regulators.
CuppaTeaThreesome t1_j15lhmp wrote
One of the worst gaming companies and that's saying something. Like saying it lots but also really really loud. Louder than an American in a European cafe? No louder, but that's still kinda loud, you make a good point.
S3HN5UCHT t1_j14j1d0 wrote
Ea is worse
Lootcifer- t1_j15pv0y wrote
Lol arguable
MFitz24 t1_j16eltm wrote
This is a ridiculous take. Microsoft has the resources to compete, competition makes better games.
Lootcifer- t1_j16gfc8 wrote
Ridiculous would be to spend millions trying to compete when you can buy the competition and spend less and it would take a ridiculously short time compared to just trying to compete with established franchises. It’s basic business even a child can see that. That’s been MS’ way of operating for decades and there’s a reason why it has worked.
MFitz24 t1_j16mkdz wrote
Never said it was better for Microsoft to compete. I said it makes better games. Like how COD was started as a franchise because medal of honor was garbage.
Zealousideal-Type-99 t1_j1ebnj6 wrote
The company makes 8.8b in revenue. People play the games. Every time I see you clowns post that I laugh. You can say you don't like a company but they are ultra successful.
Lootcifer- t1_j1eih5j wrote
Lmao you’re too dense to see beyond the basic levels
2MegaWhats t1_j17geze wrote
I don't know why some people are still pretending like monopolies have ever worked to the benefit of consumers. Microsoft is a significant market player as the manufacturer of one of three video game consoles still being made and the owner of the predominant Operating System that is used by most consumers on their computers. Microsoft needs to be broken up not given even more shit to hold over consumers. Almost all tech companies need to be broken up at this point.
garlicroastedpotato t1_j15qoxe wrote
It's also not really all that monopolistic. The creation of the Xbox was monopolistic. Microsoft lost money for like 5-6 years on their gaming division to try and get a cut into the market. But that also shows how difficult and monopolistic gaming is. A person can't just start up a new gaming platform, it has to be a giant multinational corporation. We shouldn't be talking about just splitting up Microsoft, it should be every single publisher.... but then if we did that Chinese based Tencent and Japanese based Sony would just stay giant and have a monopoly.
HinduHamma t1_j144wc1 wrote
Imagine thinking msft would actually fix anything about atvi.
All they care about is one thing and one thing only : squeezing more money out of gamers so they can report colorful profit numbers to shareholders.
HaikusfromBuddha t1_j14bir4 wrote
I mean they already acknowledged and met with union committes that they themselves have spoken to the FTC offering their support because of how this will help Activision employees
If that alone isn’t good change Idk what is.
Lootcifer- t1_j14icl7 wrote
You’re missing the bigger picture lol
starmartyr t1_j16x8cb wrote
Isn't that every company in the gaming industry? They are making video games because they know we want to buy them. It would be one thing if they were buying up pharmaceutical companies to gouge prices on life-saving medicine. Nobody needs video games to survive. If you don't want to give these companies your money you don't have to.
Words_Are_Hrad t1_j184hwo wrote
>Isn't that every company in the gaming industry
Yes, yes it is...
g_chap t1_j17yu9y wrote
Microsoft as a whole have made big strides to being more consumer friendly with their openness to Linux and open-source. Game Pass is also quite possibly the best value in gaming right now.
Don't get me wrong, I'm under no illusion that money isn't a factor in every decision they make but they're a business trying to make/maintain a profit. I certainly trust them more than Acti-Blizz.
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