Microsoft to acquire video game maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

[dangh]

Console gamers don't matter bud. This is techspot.

buying and monopolizing market matter, and that will only push for developer un-friendly GP, unfortunately.
Market was kinda healthy with a proper competition, now it is going to be heavily biased and largely controlled by a single company which btw control mayor OS. If that is still not your problem, then I'm admire your carelesness.

 

[dirtyferret]

And so many of you said I was nuts when I mentioned this last fall.
And I also stand by my statement back then that MS\EA is coming up.

If it makes you feel any better, I for one have always felt you were nuts regardless of any previous statements about MS/EA.

 

[Pastuch]

I like it because now if Sony goes crazy on "exclusive titles", Microsoft can just hit right back. Credit where it's due, at least Sony is started to publish games for PC.

 

[scavengerspc]

If it makes you feel any better, I for one have always felt you were nuts regardless of any previous statements about MS/EA.

You honor me sir.

 

[Bamda]

This should be a HUGE No by FCC. file complaints people. FCC.gov do you really want MS to take over another company and ruin it even more?
probably end to steam on linux which is probably what they are really scared of. not sure if Blizzard own Valve. lol

LOL. Zero chance of this not happening! YOU heard it first from me!

 

[Pastuch]

This should be a HUGE No by FCC. file complaints people. FCC.gov do you really want MS to take over another company and ruin it even more?
probably end to steam on linux which is probably what they are really scared of. not sure if Blizzard own Valve. lol

Are you kidding me? I'll never understand peoples hate of Microsoft. In the last 5 years they've released a bunch of good games, moved away from console exclusives and really stepped up game pass to include PC. Linux is irrelevant in gaming, it always has been and it always will be. Blizzard don't own Valve.

 

[sac39507]

It already had that: it's called servers. As in, back over a decade ago when we were able to host and run servers and didn't have to rely on the stupidity of peer-2-peer multiplayer which after the initial couple games, CoD and Activision helped popularize.

Yea I know. I miss those days when admins actively booted off the losers. Now they blatantly hack without fear.

 

[TheDevopsGuy]

Will blizzard be keeping their current infrastructure or with the new changes move all game hosting to azure?

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

One thing is for sure the previous Directors and owners got a hefty pay from MS.

 

[toxicfiend]

Horrible thing. The touch of M$ will ruin Activision Blizzard.

Not like Activision haven't done any damage to themselves and gaming in general and not like they haven't ruined WoW pushing Blizzard to turn she'll of itself.

 

[trparky]

You can't ruin Activision Blizzard any more than it already has been, Bobby Kotick has made sure of that. He ran that company into the ground and has cemented himself as one of the most hated men in the game industry. They really can't do any worse.

 

[Alex1105]

As a Wow, Diablo and Starcraft player, I was/still am partly a Blizzard fan. In some way I feel sorry for them that they lost almost all the important people there, but maybe having Microsoft instead of Activision as an owner will push them a little forward ? I don't know...in my impression it would be a waste for such an old and renowned name to be swept under the rug, and a foolish step from Microsoft to do so. What I'd like to have is their old devs there or at least their mentality to live on, to create games for the player to enjoy, for them to be actively invested in the game they're developing, to play it and make something that both them and us as gamers would be proud to call it "our virtual home" at times.

 

[EdmondRC]

Okay, MS, there needs to be independent studios. Also, game pass is going to get more expensive isn't it?

 

[DubiousFishHook]

Obviously their marketing director is a little behind. This is such a stupid news man.

 

[Ravey]

Diablo is the new minecraft lol

I thought the same thing! Diablocraft... Mine-oblo? lol

At the very least it's safe to assume Diablo skins might start popping up in minecraft

 

[Puiu]

I actually thins will be a good thing. It can't get any worse than it is now (well, ms could become worse because of activision)

 

[Watzupken]

Horrible thing. The touch of M$ will ruin Activision Blizzard.

I actually think that Activision Blizzard is already on a downward trend for some years now. Not sure if it is worth this much money at this point in time. They've released very few games in the past few years, and recent ones are mostly remaster of old games with newer graphics. Diablo 4 is probably the most anticipated title from them, but I have no idea when it will actually be released, and if it is any fun. May be I've outgrown this genre of game and find it quite boring after awhile grinding level and rare items/ weapons/ armour.

 

[MisterEu]

Any one here with knowledge about an such an acquisition stuff like this, I wanted to know:
Who has the final right to co-determination and decision-making after a company acquisition to the projects, IP’s, employees, etc..?

 

[Pastuch]

buying and monopolizing market matter, and that will only push for developer un-friendly GP, unfortunately.
Market was kinda healthy with a proper competition, now it is going to be heavily biased and largely controlled by a single company which btw control mayor OS. If that is still not your problem, then I'm admire your carelesness.

Microsoft has made it very clear that they are against XBOX exclusives, every new game that is available on XBOX is also available on PC. Sony on the other hand is just starting to offer it's games on PC and their ports come out years after the games release. If you're talking about Xbox/playstation cross platform... who cares? PC gaming is all that matters anyway.

 

[Ohnooze]

Horrible thing. The touch of M$ will ruin Activision Blizzard.

huh? Activision and especially Blizzard is a shadow of what it used to be.
I think this is a good thing really. Blizzard needs a good shake up imo.
COD is nothing but a cut and paste project and WoW is in terrible shape. Blizzard is living off of nothing but old titles and has lost all it's ingenuity. They have talent but no vision anymore.

 

[Shaitan]

Horrible thing. The touch of M$ will ruin Activision Blizzard.

Ruin what mate?! What can go lower than this?
Oh wait: DIVERSITY. INCLUSION. Not good games: INCLUSIVE GAMES.
DIVERSITY. TOXIC MASCULINITY.
We'll see some trans elves and some black gay Russian soldiers fighting white Nazi supremacists in the new CoD.
Of course, the Orcs aren't bad in Warcraft IV, they are just misgendered and the human weapons are cultural appropriation of the Elven culture.
Yeah. Eff that.

 

[Pastuch]

Ruin what mate?! What can go lower than this?
Oh wait: DIVERSITY. INCLUSION. Not good games: INCLUSIVE GAMES.
DIVERSITY. TOXIC MASCULINITY.
We'll see some trans elves and some black gay Russian soldiers fighting white Nazi supremacists in the new CoD.
Of course, the Orcs aren't bad in Warcraft IV, they are just misgendered and the human weapons are cultural appropriation of the Elven culture.
Yeah. Eff that.

Dude, you sound like a guy that actually expects realism in COD. The only thing good about COD is warzone and it already has a diverse mix of characters. Personally, bring on the Trans elves, anything but Crampus.

 

[Ohnooze]

I actually think that Activision Blizzard is already on a downward trend for some years now. Not sure if it is worth this much money at this point in time. They've released very few games in the past few years, and recent ones are mostly remaster of old games with newer graphics. Diablo 4 is probably the most anticipated title from them, but I have no idea when it will actually be released, and if it is any fun. May be I've outgrown this genre of game and find it quite boring after awhile grinding level and rare items/ weapons/ armour.

Exactly. Blizzard is living off of old titles now and can't come up with a new idea to save their lives.

 

[Shaitan]

As a Wow, Diablo and Starcraft player, I was/still am partly a Blizzard fan. In some way I feel sorry for them that they lost almost all the important people there, but maybe having Microsoft instead of Activision as an owner will push them a little forward ? I don't know...in my impression it would be a waste for such an old and renowned name to be swept under the rug, and a foolish step from Microsoft to do so. What I'd like to have is their old devs there or at least their mentality to live on, to create games for the player to enjoy, for them to be actively invested in the game they're developing, to play it and make something that both them and us as gamers would be proud to call it "our virtual home" at times.

Hopefully the former devs will manage to pull a stunt and create some RTS which can be compared to the old Starcraft.
I really, really really want an old-school, dark, grim, Warhammer-esque universe, a ton of lore and sexualized female characters, cheesy jokes and brutal, bloody fights.
None of the modern "not offensive" take on the genre.

 

[mbrowne5061]

And so many of you said I was nuts when I mentioned this last fall.
And I also stand by my statement back then that MS\EA is coming up.

I would bet that they buy Ubisoft before EA. But I agree that Microsoft's video game shopping spree likely is not over. It seems like they're determined to over-take Sony.