EU Approves MS / ACTI Merger

on what fanboy planet do you live where Sony potentially buying a major publisher like Square-Enix isn't relevant to the discussion of Microsoft potentially buying a major publisher in Activision?.. again, rumor or not, do you support the idea of PlayStation buying Square-Enix?..

and bottomline: you're a fanboy hypocrite..

clearly, you're okay with Final Fantasy 16 being exclusive to PlayStation (even though Final Fantasy 15 was on Xbox) but you're somehow outraged at the idea of Call of Duty remaining multiplatform under the ownership of Xbox.. 🙄

UK will be fine. Don't worry. And MS won't and they can't leave the UK. Shareholders won't allow it. They will loose billions.

Btw.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/05/10/microsoft-backs-british-ai-start-up-despite-row/

There were some rumours saying Sony wanted to buy Square Enix.

As Take 2 and EA, yes. Bunch of crap rumors

Dude, stop crying. Rumours do not equal facts. I’m against consolidation of the industry. I am against both Sony and MS buying publishers. You’re putting words in my mouth because you’re panicking over the state of your favourite trillion dollar corporation. Stop.

@randy_laheysaid:

Of course you’d say this shilldro. Please provide a list of third party games Sony has taken away from Xbox.

Provided two games then, you moved goal post.

sure thing buddy.. i'm sure you were front and center complaining every time Sony bought a gaming studio.. 🙄

and again, you don't seem to have a problem with Sony blocking games from Xbox but you're crying about Call of Duty remaining multiplatform under Xbox.. that's the very definition of fanboy hypocrisy..

and we'll be sure to keep this thread in mind if that SE rumor becomes reality.. 😏 i'm sure you'll be just as vocal about that as you are about Xbox and Activision, right?.. 🤡

@Antwan3K: You’re too dumb and too indoctrinated to even have a nuanced discussion with about the difference between buying a third party pub and buying a studio that has traditionally made games for a company.

Keep grasping at straws and whataboutisms. Poor MS wah wah good thing they have nut jobs like you working for them for free. Pathetic

@Antwan3K: @Pedro:

done deal right guys??? Lmao

@Pedro: you’re a disingenuous shill. Exclusivity agreements =/= buying up a third party publisher and owning the IP.

Translation: "Pedro made me look dumb so now I want to deflect to something else because I am embarrassed."😂

Complain? They had to explain their actions to a select committee of MPs, where the CMA was reminded that they are a Government department, and are not a power onto themselves.

“The Business and Trade Committee of the British Parliament held an oversight hearing yesterday where the CMA's chair Marcus Bokkerink and CEO Sarah Cardell had to answer lawmakers' questions.”

In particular, MP’s want to know why the CMA is the only one of 37 country regulatory bodies that have refused to allow the merger.

CMA grilled by MP’s

"Please provide a list of third party games Sony has taken away from Xbox.

Your words.🤭

You wish narcissist. You think people here look to the 64k poster who champions 4/10 games like redfall with any type of respect lol. Everyone is used to your typical false equivalency posts and delusional behaviour. Just another day for you in shilltown.

Don't bother with him. He's an alt cow troll, trying to regurgitate some random tweets he found. He has literally no idea what he is talking about. He is upset that the acquisition is going through because it's makes Microsoft a bigger competitor in the console wars. He is already upset that the Switch won gen 9 already, putting the PS5 in a gen loss, again.

apparently you're too dumb and too indoctrinated to read what you type.. again, here is what YOU said:

"I have a huge problem with taking traditionally third party IP and games away from current platforms." - @randy_lahey, professional fanboy

apparently, what you really meant was:

"I have a huge problem with taking traditionally third party IP and games away from current platforms.* "

*except when Sony does it. - @randy_lahey, professional fanboy

you are the very definition of a fanboy hypocrite..

@Antwan3K: @Pedro: @kvallyx:

You chuckleheads are hilarious. Your temporary boost in morale will be just as quickly deflated when this deal falls apart. Me and every other cow will be here to remind you how confidently incorrect you were lmao

Once upon a time, a child was so upset and detached from reality that the child asked "Please provide a list of third party games Sony has taken away from Xbox." When the child was given the list, the child cried out in a fit of rage. The following is real footage of the child self ownage. **Viewer discretion is advised**

@randy_lahey said:

@Antwan3K: @Pedro: @kvallyx:

You chuckleheads are hilarious. Your temporary boost in morale will be just as quickly deflated when this deal falls apart. Me and every other cow will be here to remind you how confidently incorrect you were lmao

Even though the acquisition is going through, I have no horse in this race. Either way, I get to enjoy all my gaming devices. It's a win win for me. Not a chance that I would give up the ability to play Starfield and Spider-Man 2 this fall.

I am gonna DANCE my friend. DANCE!

@randy_lahey said:

that gif is perfect for the Alt Trio: @randy_lahey, @loudheadphones, and @gotgames..

🤡🤡🤡

@Antwan3K: it’s perfect for yourself you stooge, hence why I tagged you

The Brexit of video games

Nope. Oldie, but goldie

CAT website

https://www.clearyantitrustwatch.com/2020/04/cat-confirms-high-threshold-for-review-of-cma-merger-decisions/

Although the CAT has been willing to intervene on matters of procedural fairness and errors of law, as recent decisions confirm, the CAT is reluctant to intervene in the CMA’s assessment of competitive effects and identification of remedies.

Grill is the new slang for questioning, huh!

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/625b836d-971f-47ee-b4b5-e537eca5d70f

"at 11:00:15 the guy from parliament says that the government will give more powers to the CMA to prevent big tech takeovers and says that the Big tech are putting a lot of money into paying activists/lobbyist to try to influence the CMA and give them a bad image"

Hello, Fosspatents. SCUM

Btw. you are quoting a MS paid astroturfer Florrian Mueller, a literally a psyscho. Really? You, Xbox peeps are associating with a damn psyscho? Is that it??

I found this while looking into Florian Mueller who is another Microsoft shill on twitter

http://techrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/comes-3096.pdf

It essentially lays out Microsoft's playbook for astroturfing and dealing with any competition or "enemies" as they call them.

It is an internal Microsoft document that became public during an anti trust lawsuit Microsoft lost many years ago and seems to have been lost with time.

Essentially if Microsoft has any competitor they want to extinguish them. Sometimes that involves playing nice with others but eventually want to overwhelm them with their money and power.

“Working behind the scenes to orchestrate “independent” praise of our technology, and damnation of the enemy’s, is a key evangelism function during the Slog. “Independent” analyst’s report should be issued, praising your technology and damning the competitors (or ignoring them). “Independent” consultants should write columns and articles, give conference presentations and moderate stacked panels, all on our behalf (and setting them up as experts in the new technology, available for just $200/hour). “Independent” academic sources should be cultivated and quoted (and research money granted). “Independent” courseware providers should start profiting from their early involvement in our technology. Every possible source of leverage should be sought and turned to our advantage.”

Guy is a damn maniac!

@kvallyx: For real, this will be just another huge mistep from the UK. It's like they just want to bring down their own country. At least this isn't as serious as Brexit or electing Boris. But still, such a backwards decision.

@loudheadphones: Yeah, what you said makes absolutely no sense.

Giving more powers != Giving unlimited power

Financial Times ( paywalled ) :

UK regulator’s chiefs defend decision to block Microsoft-Activision merger

The heads of the UK’s competition regulator have insisted that they are not creating a “hostile” environment for tech companies after the agency was criticised for blocking Microsoft’s $75bn takeover of Activision Blizzard.

Answering questions from UK members of parliament on Tuesday, Marcus Bokkerink, chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, and its chief executive Sarah Cardell defended its stance on the video games industry’s largest deal, despite the European Commission accepting commitments from Microsoft and approving the tie-up on Monday.

“I think it’s absolutely critical that we maintain a constructive dialogue [with the tech industry] and that’s something that I seek to do and I’m doing regularly,” said Cardell, “so I don’t find that we are operating, sort of broadly speaking, in a hostile environment.”

Cardell added she had told tech companies in preparatory meetings ahead of the creation of a new digital markets unit, run by the CMA: “This is a sector where we want to work together.”

After executives at Microsoft and Activision suggested the CMA’s decision threatened to damage the UK’s profile among overseas businesses, Conservative MP Bim Afolami challenged the regulator’s top executives over how its decisions took account of Britain’s “international reputation”.

“I will challenge the premise that there is an impact on international confidence in doing business in the UK, that the best way that confidence is served is by turning a blind eye to anti-competitive mergers,” said Bokkerink. “We are vigilant . . . about investments that consolidate and entrench market power.”

In response to the CMA and EU’s contrasting decisions, Activision chief Bobby Kotick has said that “the UK is clearly closed for business” while saying his company would “meaningfully expand our investment and workforce throughout the EU”.

Cardell told MPs that officials at the CMA and in Brussels agreed about the potential harms of the Activision deal in the cloud gaming market but differed in their acceptance of Microsoft’s proposed remedies.

While the EU said that Microsoft had agreed to allow buyers of Activision’s games to stream them on rival cloud gaming platforms for up to 10 years, Cardell said that after “very carefully” considering “several iterations” of that proposal, CMA officials “ultimately concluded that remedy would not be effective to resolve the competition concerns”.

She also denied accusations levelled by Kotick that the CMA was acting as a “tool” of US antitrust enforcers, who have also opposed the deal.

“We are absolutely not doing the bidding of other agencies. We undertake our own analysis,” she said.

MS can kiss CMA's ass goodbye. FOR GOOD

Yep. CAT can't do shit since 2020, as it is stated in the article

He’s making more sense than you are, as in not being emotionally invested with his feefees

so how many more markets does this merger need to be approved in for it to finally happen? Are they good 2 go in the US yet?

They can get 60 more approvals like from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and what not. They aren't global gaming market powers like US/EU/UK. FTC said no, but they need to prove that at the court. UK blocked the deal for good, EU approved. All 3 needs to be YES, but it is not.

He is just pissed that the acquisition is going through. Ever since EU approved, the cows have had a complete meltdown.

False, AGAIN.

Yup, they can close in the US without FTC approval. With the UK, they just need to alter their game distribution in UK only. They are good to go worldwide though. MS would prefer consistency and would like full services available in the UK, but they will acquire without CMA's approval.

Nice. I'm ready to move on. Hope it works out for all parties involved.

It is not false. They can't and they won't leave UK. MS needs ask shareholders for that. And shareholders LOVES THEIR MONEY or else, they will lose BILLIONS!!

Mentioned before in other thread and Xbox peeps specifically ignore that :

Problem is for Microsoft is that the UK is already by far the biggest AI hub for investment in Europe and a leading AAA gaming hub globally as well. Bobby Kotick and Nadella know this first hand. UK ruling is a worldwide ruling, no matter what the Xbox peeps are saying. It's a worldwide rulling because Microsoft cannot pull from the UK.

Is there any reason to believe they won't figure it out?

False. Read through the terms of the SEC submission.

This deal is DOA unless they get buy in from the CMA, which as you know has blocked it. Furthermore, the market believes this deal is also dead as noted by ATVI stock price. Try again Kvally

@randy_lahey said:

@kvallyx said:

@kathaariancode said:

@kvallyx: For real, this will be just another huge mistep from the UK. It's like they just want to bring down their own country. At least this isn't as serious as Brexit or electing Boris. But still, such a backwards decision.

@loudheadphones: Yeah, what you said makes absolutely no sense.

Giving more powers != Giving unlimited power

He is just pissed that the acquisition is going through. Ever since EU approved, the cows have had a complete meltdown.

@loudheadphones said:

All 3 needs to be YES, but it is not.

False, AGAIN.

@adrian1480 said:

so how many more markets does this merger need to be approved in for it to finally happen? Are they good 2 go in the US yet?

Yup, they can close in the US without FTC approval. With the UK, they just need to alter their game distribution in UK only. They are good to go worldwide though. MS would prefer consistency and would like full services available in the UK, but they will acquire without CMA's approval.

False. Read through the terms of the SEC submission.

This deal is DOA unless they get buy in from the CMA, which as you know has blocked it. Furthermore, the market believes this deal is also dead as noted by ATVI stock price. Try again Kvally

Well, problem is also for MS is that CMA is independent body while EU Comission is heavily political one. So, if MS lobbies enough, they'll budge. That's the main reason why these bodies should always be independent and composed of people unable to be politically influenced, like in the UK.

@loudheadphones: correct. Their only chance is through appeal with CAT, which historically has a 5% overturn rate.

@randy_lahey said:

@loudheadphones: correct. Their only chance is through appeal with CAT, which historically has a 5% overturn rate.

As mentioned above :

https://www.clearyantitrustwatch.com/2020/04/cat-confirms-high-threshold-for-review-of-cma-merger-decisions/

Although the CAT has been willing to intervene on matters of procedural fairness and errors of law, as recent decisions confirm, the CAT is reluctant to intervene in the CMA’s assessment of competitive effects and identification of remedies.

whatever the case, Im split on this. I hate monopolies, but since this is xbox, and MS doing it, plus good for gamepass and consumers, plus cows getting rekkd...lets just say I wouldn't be sad if this deal went through.

Weird. I thought your boss said this before they started buying up the industry? I wonder what changed?

https://www.thegamer.com/phil-spencer-generation-exclusives-counter-gaming/

@loudheadphones said:

@kvallyx said:

@sealionact said:

@loudheadphones said:

@sealionact said:

@loudheadphones: CMA can change their stance and seeing as they seem to be the only office blocking the deal, MPs in parliament have questioned the decision stating that the CMA’s stance makes it look like the UK is against big business.

CMA can change their stance, but it won't. Looks like you've didn't read it above. What's the point of questioning CMA's decision when UK parliament gave even more powers from yesterday. So, looks like UK parliament don't complain.

Complain? They had to explain their actions to a select committee of MPs, where the CMA was reminded that they are a Government department, and are not a power onto themselves.

“The Business and Trade Committee of the British Parliament held an oversight hearing yesterday where the CMA's chair Marcus Bokkerink and CEO Sarah Cardell had to answer lawmakers' questions.”

In particular, MP’s want to know why the CMA is the only one of 37 country regulatory bodies that have refused to allow the merger.

CMA grilled by MP’s

Don't bother with him. He's an alt cow troll, trying to regurgitate some random tweets he found. He has literally no idea what he is talking about. He is upset that the acquisition is going through because it's makes Microsoft a bigger competitor in the console wars. He is already upset that the Switch won gen 9 already, putting the PS5 in a gen loss, again.

Grill is the new slang for questioning, huh!

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/625b836d-971f-47ee-b4b5-e537eca5d70f

"at 11:00:15 the guy from parliament says that the government will give more powers to the CMA to prevent big tech takeovers and says that the Big tech are putting a lot of money into paying activists/lobbyist to try to influence the CMA and give them a bad image"

Hello, Fosspatents. SCUM

Btw. you are quoting a MS paid astroturfer Florrian Mueller, a literally a psyscho. Really? You, Xbox peeps are associating with a damn psyscho? Is that it??

I found this while looking into Florian Mueller who is another Microsoft shill on twitter

http://techrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/comes-3096.pdf

It essentially lays out Microsoft's playbook for astroturfing and dealing with any competition or "enemies" as they call them.

It is an internal Microsoft document that became public during an anti trust lawsuit Microsoft lost many years ago and seems to have been lost with time.

Essentially if Microsoft has any competitor they want to extinguish them. Sometimes that involves playing nice with others but eventually want to overwhelm them with their money and power.

“Working behind the scenes to orchestrate “independent” praise of our technology, and damnation of the enemy’s, is a key evangelism function during the Slog. “Independent” analyst’s report should be issued, praising your technology and damning the competitors (or ignoring them). “Independent” consultants should write columns and articles, give conference presentations and moderate stacked panels, all on our behalf (and setting them up as experts in the new technology, available for just $200/hour). “Independent” academic sources should be cultivated and quoted (and research money granted). “Independent” courseware providers should start profiting from their early involvement in our technology. Every possible source of leverage should be sought and turned to our advantage.”

Guy is a damn maniac!

I have no idea who Florian muller is, nor do I care. Yes, the CMA was “grilled“ by mps. Thats not my interpretation, thats the general consensus of what happened when the CMA were reminded that their job isn’t to prevent deals being made in the UK when all 37 international bodies who have looked at the deal approved it.
The UK is very much alone in their interpretation, and the Government is not happy about it.

https://www.eurogamer.net/uk-mps-grill-regulator-over-microsoft-activision-blizzard-deal-block-day-after-eu-grants-approval

Grilled.

Nothing. Xbox hasn’t made exclusives for years….and have no plans to make exclusives in the future. Or is a game that releases on PC and Xbox an Xbox exclusive in your book?

@sealionact: sure buddy. MS’s plans to buy ABK are to not horde all the IP and make their games exclusive to Xbox right?

@sealionact said:

@loudheadphones said:

@kvallyx said:

@sealionact said:

Complain? They had to explain their actions to a select committee of MPs, where the CMA was reminded that they are a Government department, and are not a power onto themselves.

“The Business and Trade Committee of the British Parliament held an oversight hearing yesterday where the CMA's chair Marcus Bokkerink and CEO Sarah Cardell had to answer lawmakers' questions.”

In particular, MP’s want to know why the CMA is the only one of 37 country regulatory bodies that have refused to allow the merger.

CMA grilled by MP’s

Don't bother with him. He's an alt cow troll, trying to regurgitate some random tweets he found. He has literally no idea what he is talking about. He is upset that the acquisition is going through because it's makes Microsoft a bigger competitor in the console wars. He is already upset that the Switch won gen 9 already, putting the PS5 in a gen loss, again.

Grill is the new slang for questioning, huh!

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/625b836d-971f-47ee-b4b5-e537eca5d70f

"at 11:00:15 the guy from parliament says that the government will give more powers to the CMA to prevent big tech takeovers and says that the Big tech are putting a lot of money into paying activists/lobbyist to try to influence the CMA and give them a bad image"

Hello, Fosspatents. SCUM

Btw. you are quoting a MS paid astroturfer Florrian Mueller, a literally a psyscho. Really? You, Xbox peeps are associating with a damn psyscho? Is that it??

I found this while looking into Florian Mueller who is another Microsoft shill on twitter

http://techrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/comes-3096.pdf

It essentially lays out Microsoft's playbook for astroturfing and dealing with any competition or "enemies" as they call them.

It is an internal Microsoft document that became public during an anti trust lawsuit Microsoft lost many years ago and seems to have been lost with time.

Essentially if Microsoft has any competitor they want to extinguish them. Sometimes that involves playing nice with others but eventually want to overwhelm them with their money and power.

“Working behind the scenes to orchestrate “independent” praise of our technology, and damnation of the enemy’s, is a key evangelism function during the Slog. “Independent” analyst’s report should be issued, praising your technology and damning the competitors (or ignoring them). “Independent” consultants should write columns and articles, give conference presentations and moderate stacked panels, all on our behalf (and setting them up as experts in the new technology, available for just $200/hour). “Independent” academic sources should be cultivated and quoted (and research money granted). “Independent” courseware providers should start profiting from their early involvement in our technology. Every possible source of leverage should be sought and turned to our advantage.”

Guy is a damn maniac!

I have no idea who Florian muller is, nor do I care. Yes, the CMA was “grilled“ by mps. Thats not my interpretation, thats the general consensus of what happened when the CMA were reminded that their job isn’t to prevent deals being made in the UK when all 37 international bodies who have looked at the deal approved it.

The UK is very much alone in their interpretation, and the Government is not happy about it.

https://www.eurogamer.net/uk-mps-grill-regulator-over-microsoft-activision-blizzard-deal-block-day-after-eu-grants-approval

Grilled.

Grilled = questioned.

CMA alone, yet.... Looks like you ARE IGNORING very important part

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/625b836d-971f-47ee-b4b5-e537eca5d70f

"at 11:00:15 the guy from parliament says that the government will give more powers to the CMA to prevent big tech takeovers and says that the Big tech are putting a lot of money into paying activists/lobbyist to try to influence the CMA and give them a bad image"

UK parliament gave them more powers. It is over 9000!!

And as i provided FT article

Financial Times ( paywalled ) :

UK regulator’s chiefs defend decision to block Microsoft-Activision merger

The heads of the UK’s competition regulator have insisted that they are not creating a “hostile” environment for tech companies after the agency was criticised for blocking Microsoft’s $75bn takeover of Activision Blizzard.

Answering questions from UK members of parliament on Tuesday, Marcus Bokkerink, chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, and its chief executive Sarah Cardell defended its stance on the video games industry’s largest deal, despite the European Commission accepting commitments from Microsoft and approving the tie-up on Monday.

“I think it’s absolutely critical that we maintain a constructive dialogue [with the tech industry] and that’s something that I seek to do and I’m doing regularly,” said Cardell, “so I don’t find that we are operating, sort of broadly speaking, in a hostile environment.”

Cardell added she had told tech companies in preparatory meetings ahead of the creation of a new digital markets unit, run by the CMA: “This is a sector where we want to work together.”

After executives at Microsoft and Activision suggested the CMA’s decision threatened to damage the UK’s profile among overseas businesses, Conservative MP Bim Afolami challenged the regulator’s top executives over how its decisions took account of Britain’s “international reputation”.

“I will challenge the premise that there is an impact on international confidence in doing business in the UK, that the best way that confidence is served is by turning a blind eye to anti-competitive mergers,” said Bokkerink. “We are vigilant . . . about investments that consolidate and entrench market power.”

In response to the CMA and EU’s contrasting decisions, Activision chief Bobby Kotick has said that “the UK is clearly closed for business” while saying his company would “meaningfully expand our investment and workforce throughout the EU”.

Cardell told MPs that officials at the CMA and in Brussels agreed about the potential harms of the Activision deal in the cloud gaming market but differed in their acceptance of Microsoft’s proposed remedies.

While the EU said that Microsoft had agreed to allow buyers of Activision’s games to stream them on rival cloud gaming platforms for up to 10 years, Cardell said that after “very carefully” considering “several iterations” of that proposal, CMA officials “ultimately concluded that remedy would not be effective to resolve the competition concerns”.

She also denied accusations levelled by Kotick that the CMA was acting as a “tool” of US antitrust enforcers, who have also opposed the deal.

“We are absolutely not doing the bidding of other agencies. We undertake our own analysis,” she said.

No, they already have it figured out. Which is why the acquisition is going through. I wouldn't bother listening to those alts that signed up another account this year. There is a reason they are hiding behind a new tag. They are lying to you through their teeth.

@kvallyx: stop lying bro. Microsoft does not have it figured out. If you’re so confident, ATVI is cheap right now. Put your money where your mouth is, otherwise you’re spreading bs.

Nah, it's all good to go.

SW hat off: I love you man

SW hat on: cope