Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

[roun90]

2 minutes ago, CarbonCore said:

 

Big budget movies are actually moving out now that theatres are opening again, like HBO Max stuff. Because they know where the real money still is.

 

Don;t know how long that will last. Omicron has decimated US again. China has closed theaters I think (Not sure - heard they imposed strict lockdowns again). EU countries also planning lockdowns again last I heard. India is chugging along, but for how long I don't know (Not to mention, theater movies don't make as much - especially not since Omicron). Those are the big markets AFAIK. I don't know how long they can sustain Theater productions.

[Mr. Comingle]

5 minutes ago, Right said:

 

Obviously.

This likely to be last movie for Scorsese, for Bob De Nero and Joe Pesci.

Its being made for Netflix is super big deal....

 

Scorcese has already started on his next project. 

[Krazyniks]

Like Sam said the Market's big and there's room for everyone . 

Also those worried about Sony - stop worrying . The stock is already up 5% and will soon recover all its losses and make fresh highs soon . Sony is still the bigger fish and will continue to be so for this gen as well . The true effect of all these acquisitions and games on a subscription/service model will only be felt 3/4 years down the line . And pretty sure big company like Sony will find a way to grow (and not just survive) in coming years.

[hsk_colossus]

21 minutes ago, AnK said:

First & Foremost Sony was not alone on increasing the price from $60 to $70. 
It was a consortium which had Acti,EA,2K & others in it. 
 

Just like almost two decades ago it was increased from $50 to $60….

in reference you can go & check the inflation on other media prices like movie tickets & music cost in the gap of last 2 decades.

You’ll be surprised to know that on a percentage level games price has no where near inflated as others. 
 

Secondly charging $10 for a native port upgrade is not really something that is an “increase” rather it is a “decrease” as earlier gen (M$ included) everyone used to charge full price. 

& thirdly these references & examples are moot & dud & no where near to what M$ tried to pull off when it was in position of power. 
They f**ckin tried to put an unwanted camera device in your living/bedroom & wanted full control of your physically owned media. 
 

If you think I’m being irrational here then yeah..lol

fanboy glasses suit you well. 

you can try justifying all you want… fanboys on other side will also justify how  increased gamepass prices are good…with inflation and all and how much we are getting for our money and what not.. 

And come on man.. Tsushima’s 10$ upgrade pack was f**k all…even puny developers are offering free upgrades… 

maybe PC developers will start charging extra for ultra graphical setting soon.. 

 

I have No doubt MS will turn scummy if they reach a dominant position… 

They care about profits above all else.. 

 

[hsk_colossus]

5 minutes ago, Krazyniks said:

Like Sam said the Market's big and there's room for everyone . 

Also those worried about Sony - stop worrying . The stock is already up 5% and will soon recover all its losses and make fresh highs soon . Sony is still the bigger fish and will continue to be so for this gen as well . The true effect of all these acquisitions and games on a subscription/service model will only be felt 3/4 years down the line . And pretty sure big company like Sony will find a way to grow (and not just survive) in coming years.

Lolz ya….Sony is still bigger than Xbox…

[i_rock098]

I read in the news that Sony stock fell almost 13% post the news breaking out. Biggest fall since 2008, 13% is huge for a stable organization like Sony. The investors are seriously scared it seems. 

[rushab oswal]

1 hour ago, CarbonCore said:

Lol Netflix quality movies are dumpster fire, especially the sci-fi stuff. In fact, I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a Netflix produced movie. Maybe Trial of Chicago or Don't Look Up.

Yeah man , did not find anything new on netflix (Movies wise) , they are dropping ball on the quality.

[radicaldude]

2 minutes ago, rushaboswal said:

Yeah man , did not find anything new on netflix (Movies wise) , they are dropping ball on the quality.

 

 

Hope you don't say the same about another sub service in 2024.  :p 

Edited January 20 by radicaldude

[rushab oswal]

24 minutes ago, Krazyniks said:

Like Sam said the Market's big and there's room for everyone . 

Also those worried about Sony - stop worrying . The stock is already up 5% and will soon recover all its losses and make fresh highs soon . Sony is still the bigger fish and will continue to be so for this gen as well . The true effect of all these acquisitions and games on a subscription/service model will only be felt 3/4 years down the line . And pretty sure big company like Sony will find a way to grow (and not just survive) in coming years.

Sony still has some pretty famous IP's . God of war, Horizon , Ghost , Spiderman, they are getting wolverine. If the games have quality people will pay the 60$ (For now) . but if xbox comes with similar quality single player games (Which they might 3-4 years down the lin) then it would be a different game . Until then CHILL . 

9 minutes ago, i_rock098 said:

I read in the news that Sony stock fell almost 13% post the news breaking out. Biggest fall since 2008, 13% is huge for a stable organization like Sony. The investors are seriously scared it seems. 

Retailers are dumb , they reacted to something without knowing the actual affect . Stock up again 6% this keeps happening in the market.

[rushab oswal]

2 minutes ago, radicaldude said:

 

 

Hope you don't say the same about another sub service in 2024.  :p 

Honestly dont care. i got 36 months for 2600 something , they can drop goti if they want 

[i_rock098]

5 minutes ago, rushaboswal said:

 

Retailers are dumb , they reacted to something without knowing the actual affect . Stock up again 6% this keeps happening in the market.

13% is way too steep for just dumb retailers to make that much move, especially since Sony is a bluechip stock and not some meme stock like GameSpot. 

 

Anyway Sony is already on the right direction in terms of getting their games on PC and hopefully launching something similar to gamepass soon. 

[CarbonCore]

4 minutes ago, HundredProofSam said:

If you want to use the Netflix analogy, what we should really care about is that irrespective of the platform (purchase, subscription, stream), the types of films and shows that were being made 20 years ago (from big budget to indie to niche sub-genres) are still being made today. So even if gaming goes the subscription and/or streaming way, we'll still get the types of games we enjoy enjoy. Isn't that what matters?

 

I'm not sure about that, like how this guys explains it.

 

 

Its No Way Home on one end, and garbage like Red Notice on other end, and a big gap in between.

[Pacifier]

25 minutes ago, HundredProofSam said:

If you want to use the Netflix analogy, what we should really care about is that irrespective of the platform (purchase, subscription, stream), the types of films and shows that were being made 20 years ago (from big budget to indie to niche sub-genres) are still being made today. So even if gaming goes the subscription and/or streaming way, we'll still get the types of games we enjoy enjoy. Isn't that what matters?

Yup, Just like how Netflix will co-exist with Block buster Theatrical releases,   Subscription Games will co-exist with general 60-70$ games 

[Mysteryman]

15 minutes ago, Pacifier said:

Yup, Just like how Netflix will co-exist with Block buster Theatrical releases,   Subscription Games will co-exist with general 60-70$ games 

That’s for sure. However theatres have advantages which is a big audience feel and a large screen with some customizations like 4D and IMAX. That’s an experience you won’t get at home. And it also provide additional revenues. In game and movie subscriptions, the revenues are limited to a percentage per contracts. 

[AnK]

You know what , premium TV content even existed before Netflix.

 

It’s just that the medium has changed from cable to internet streaming.

 

This actually has no correlation to high budget AAA movies.

 

It’s just the basic math that’s play at here,movies of that sort never dreamt of releasing direct to cable no matter how huge the number of subscribers or “pay per views” was. 
 

& no one tried to buy mega production houses & put them to work on releasing movies on its channel/subscription service either.

(not before the Pandemic & closing of theatres) 

 

So yeah what M$ is trying to do is not really something done before,even if you compare it to Movies. 

[Guest]

Reportedly EA was also in the mix

 

Quote

"But I think that even if we were to have consolidated within EA, that wouldn’t have given us what we’re going to need going forward," Kotick added. "And so you needed to have a big partner in order to be able to make it work." Although Kotick acknowledged a possible merger with EA, he didn't divulge any further details about whether an official deal was on the table.

 

Quote

"You realize, we may have been a big company in video gaming, but now, when you look at the landscape of who the competitors are, it’s a different world today than ever before.

 

"As we thought about possible partners, all roads ultimately led to Microsoft," he said. "Microsoft has all the important technologies we need to deliver the next generation of games. And like Activision, Microsoft has a cultural passion for gaming that goes back to the 1980s. Microsoft’s culture of inspiring people through caring and empathy is a powerful motivator, and one we embrace as we renew our resolve in the work we’re now doing to set a new standard for a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture.”

 

[Bird Bird Bird]

2 hours ago, triggr happy ss said:

Even sega had a history look where it is now ,nintendo has no cloud infrastructure as it is . You really think people will buy the switch or whatever comes next rather than play games on their mobile phones? 
 

Games through cloud and services is where everything will eventually end up so the traditional gaming as you know wont last for long.

 

2 hours ago, AnK said:

You are not getting the larger picture here. 
The point is not that PS can’t exist without COD. 
 

It did so quite well & efficiently during PS2 era. 
 

The point is yesterday it was Bathesda,today it was Acti-Bliz & tmrw it might be EA or Ubi. 
 

If all third parties start getting acquired & all their content are blocked for a single ecosystem be it XB,Luna or Stafia or Meta then what will Sony & Nintendo do just with their handful of IPs & Studios?!? 
 

The market is getting way bigger with bigger players investing large to block content for themselves. 
(instead of creating themselves through either first or third party studios like what Sony & Nintendo historically did) 

 

There is no end to it going forth till the mega Giants of the Cloud have their own war. 

 

A bit tired of regurgitating the same thing again and again, but both of you need to look outside the PS and MS world to realise that none of them have the same IP power as Nintendo. Quite literally Mario has a better pull and brand recognition than GoW, Halo etc combined. 

Nintendo never works like Sony or MS. For the later, gaming is ONE of the pillars they stand on. For Nintendo, it is the ONLY pillar they stand on. And that's why they approach gaming from a much different perspective. They are never looking at a big budget cinematic approach, but rather appealing and approachable gameplay, which can be enjoyed by everyone from a 5 year old to 90 year old. 

Their core gamers are not concerned about graphics, rather innovative gameplay. 

I keep on saying that you'll not realise the power of Nintendo till you play a certain segment of games - Zelda games through the ages, 3D Mario games through the ages (specially Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, SM3D World + BF and SMO, Animal Crossing, among others). The sheer variety of gameplay in 2 hours of SMG surpasses what you'll find in most AAA cinematic games. And that's what keeps their core audience hooked. 

Most of their games will also have a local coop mechanic, since they are one of the rare companies still focussing on family play. A typical "hardcore" gamer might not think much about it, but Nintendo has a wide and varied audience, and thanks to Switch and Lite, it'll most likely be the first consoles for young ones to play on, further cementing their position. Heck, my daughter loves playing MK8 and Mario Party on Switch, and she cannot even read ! 

With a combination of unique culture, approach of gameplay, extremely powerful IPs, and innovative hardware, Nintendo is a company least bothered by such issues. A plethora of 3rd party publishers have seen the success of their games on Switch, and for all its underpowered HW, their are millions of people who still prefer to play Doom and Witcher on Switch vs a TV based console. 

There's a reason why it sells like hot cakes, outselling the other consoles by double or triple numbers. 

Sony or Nintendo are not going anywhere. They have ample experience to pivot based on market trends, and continue their march, and even create segments of their own. 

[Mr. Comingle]

50 minutes ago, HundredProofSam said:

 

 

Look at the quality of Indian content on Netflix/Prime. It's miles ahead of anything we saw on Indian TV. When you don't have to go through the traditional studio setup and fundraising process, it can also be a good thing. 

Don't forget Ullu 

[CarbonCore]

4 minutes ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

 

 

A bit tired of regurgitating the same thing again and again, but both of you need to look outside the PS and MS world to realise that none of them have the same IP power as Nintendo. Quite literally Mario has a better pull and brand recognition than GoW, Halo etc combined. 

Nintendo never works like Sony or MS. For the later, gaming is ONE of the pillars they stand on. For Nintendo, it is the ONLY pillar they stand on. And that's why they approach gaming from a much different perspective. They are never looking at a big budget cinematic approach, but rather appealing and approachable gameplay, which can be enjoyed by everyone from a 5 year old to 90 year old. 

Their core gamers are not concerned about graphics, rather innovative gameplay. 

I keep on saying that you'll not realise the power of Nintendo till you play a certain segment of games - Zelda games through the ages, 3D Mario games through the ages (specially Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, SM3D World + BF and SMO, Animal Crossing, among others). The sheer variety of gameplay in 2 hours of SMG surpasses what you'll find in most AAA cinematic games. And that's what keeps their core audience hooked. 

Most of their games will also have a local coop mechanic, since they are one of the rare companies still focussing on family play. A typical "hardcore" gamer might not think much about it, but Nintendo has a wide and varied audience, and thanks to Switch and Lite, it'll most likely be the first consoles for young ones to play on, further cementing their position. Heck, my daughter loves playing MK8 and Mario Party on Switch, and she cannot even read ! 

With a combination of unique culture, approach of gameplay, extremely powerful IPs, and innovative hardware, Nintendo is a company least bothered by such issues. A plethora of 3rd party publishers have seen the success of their games on Switch, and for all its underpowered HW, their are millions of people who still prefer to play Doom and Witcher on Switch vs a TV based console. 

There's a reason why it sells like hot cakes, outselling the other consoles by double or triple numbers. 

Sony or Nintendo are not going anywhere. They have ample experience to pivot based on market trends, and continue their march, and even create segments of their own. 

 

Nintendo has been doomed since 1995. A whole generation of people have grown up, made babies and gotten old saying "Nintendo will shut down soon". The company's been around since before your great grandfather was born  

[Mysteryman]

56 minutes ago, HundredProofSam said:

It's an interesting point. But also, like he says, those films don't get made anymore because the people who want to watch them are either not many, or they don't support those very films. There will continue to be Marvel films and shows like Game of Thrones, which are massive in budget, scale and fandom. That hasn't changed because of streaming or subscriptions. Also, he uses production budgets to make his point. But CG has made production cheaper, so they're now able to achieve a lot more by spending a lot less. Spending less to make a film doesn't mean that sort of film isn't getting made anymore.

 

Look at the quality of Indian content on Netflix/Prime. It's miles ahead of anything we saw on Indian TV. When you don't have to go through the traditional studio setup and fundraising process, it can also be a good thing. Doubly so for games. There are more indie game developers than ever before, because as Game Pass evolves, there will also be many ways for indie developers to keep putting their games out and be discovered.

Agreed. Obviously every Netflix/Prime film cannot be critically acclaimed. They have to test the waters for new IPs before pulling in more money for sequels and additional seasons. Same goes for gaming.