Microsoft Tries to Buy Activision Blizzard

[Lebowski]

Some interesting tid bits from game industry biz,

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-01-19-the-deal-that-will-change-the-industry-forever-analysts-on-microsofts-activision-acquisition

billz/acti share price was down 28% before the acquisition

Call of Duty and Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto -- played by 55% and 41% of console gamers, respectively. Nothing else in MIDiA's games tracker comes close. Fortnite and Assassin's Creed were played by 28% of console gamers, FIFA at 23%, Spider-Man at 17%

and

"At the time of writing, Microsoft's market cap is $2.3 trillion. Market cap-wise, making a $68.7 billion acquisition is like for Sony ($146 billion market cap) to make a $4.4 billion acquisition. So, there are not many meaningful content plays Sony can answer with, without potentially overstretching itself financially, in comparison to Microsoft.

Any one thinking that Sony can buy take two and shore up GTA are in for a disappointment as they just don't have the money to do that.

[Cassius_Smoke]

MS do, and I'm sure they're sniffing around...

[wakka]

Some interesting tid bits from game industry biz,

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-01-19-the-deal-that-will-change-the-industry-forever-analysts-on-microsofts-activision-acquisition

and



Any one thinking that Sony can buy take two and shore up GTA are in for a disappointment as they just don't have the money to do that.

Great article, thanks for sharing that.

Can't believe 55% of console players play COD, and it's twice as popular as Fortnite. That's insane. I would not have guessed it was that popular.

[wakka]

oops double post

[Neon Ignition]

MS - "Can't believe we own GTA! Okay, how many of these bad boys can we add to the schedu... oh..."

[teddymeow]

If the adage that "you buy a Nintendo console to play Nintendo games" is true then very soon it could also be "you buy a Sony console to play Sony games".

[wakka]

My whole perspective on how the two players are positioned has changed massively based on how aggressive Microsoft are right now.

Six months ago I'd have said Sony were very well positioned with a very strong line-up of first party games. Microsoft, meanwhile, well, a couple of good things on the horizon, but a lacklustre first year and the same unconvincing first party pipeline they've had since the death of the 360.

Now I'm thinking that it's Sony who could be lacking. As strong as titles like Horizon 2, God of War 2, and Spiderman 2 are, there's a big problem they all share, in the shape of that number 2. They're basically more of the same. They need to go back to the aggressiveness they had last gen in producing these original titles in the first place, rather than just iterating on them, to really make the impact needed.

Sony's pipeline is still good, but it's going to need to be fricking incredible in the coming years.

It's all good news for gamers though. The race to produce genuine killer app quality software is absolutely red hot now.

[eastyy]

Think what i find frustrating is so many companies like Activison,Sega,Sony, Capcom for example have so many IP's available to them but they just do not use them.

Think someone pointed out how many game studios Activision blizzard have just soley working on Call of duty and the fact the games they release are sparse......I want Lost Vikings and Blackthorne dammit

[wakka]

Yeah, it's bonkers. I read a tweet by Jason Schreier a while ago where he mentioned he'd been reliably informed that an insane percentage of ActiBlizz was focused just on developing stuff for various Call of Dutys. And considering that apparently 55% of console players play it, you can kinda see why.

I think a more balanced approach to sweating the various IPs and not just rinsing the ones that make the most quick cash could well be a positive outcome of the acquisition.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Do people buy COD because its on the console they already own, or do they buy a console for COD? That's the question.
I guess if the players do follow the game, then all their mates will too.

[teddymeow]

BITD when I worked for GameStation, people would by a 360 because that format got the map packs first.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Someone needs to do some maths.
55% of console gamers...
What's the split between consoles?
How many of those also play the exclusives tied to that console because they like the console too?
How many play COD on that console because their mates play on that console too?
How many only play COD and nothing else?

If you buy COD and only play COD, then you are probably a small percentage. Someone who plays competitively online.
Not a big concern for Sony.

If you play COD, but you also want to play Spiderman and Horizon etc. They might buy a seriesS to carry on with COD but also have a PS5.
Not a big concern for Sony also.

The ones that buy the console because all they mates are playing COD on it are the concern. They'll probably just buy one console, stick with it because the are pretty casual in their play, or play competitively online. It's this percentage that Sony need to win back. How big a percentage is it?
*Migrators.... That's the word.

[Neon Ignition]

Apparently this is the studio line up currently:

Shanghai - COD
Beenox - COD and support
Demonware - COD
Digital Legends - COD
High Moon - COD
Infinity Ward - COD
Radical - COD
Raven - COD
Sledgehammer - COD
Solid State - COD
Toys for Bob - COD
Treyarch - COD

So either MS will have to back all the way off on Call of Duty and make it operate like other first party games or maintain this insane level of resource hogging and let studios elsewhere in the company use other IP.

Just think too - As of next summer Halo's days of being Microsoft's premier franchise and premier FPS series are over

[fishbowlhead]

Cod hogging every studio is completely unsustainable long term.

[nonny]

Apparently this is the studio line up currently:

Shanghai - COD
Beenox - COD and support
Demonware - COD
Digital Legends - COD
High Moon - COD
Infinity Ward - COD
Radical - COD
Raven - COD
Sledgehammer - COD
Solid State - COD
Toys for Bob - COD
Treyarch - COD

So either MS will have to back all the way off on Call of Duty and make it operate like other first party games or maintain this insane level of resource hogging and let studios elsewhere in the company use other IP.

Just think too - As of next summer Halo's days of being Microsoft's premier franchise and premier FPS series are over

I wouldn't worry about this. COD and Halo may both be FPS but they are totally different... I don't think it really matters that much.

I think given any existing deals and the way the studios are currently structured (and the way Vanguard performed) we might not even expect a new COD next year and MS will look to strip all those periphery teams away from those support roles.

Really you only need Warzone supported as it's own thing and keep Infinity Ward and/or Treyarch on the main campaign job.