What Will Microsoft Do If It Can't Buy Activision?

Microsoft! Xbox! Activision! Bobby! We all wanna know what happens if Microsoft buys Activision, but what if they don’t? Do we care about that? Should we? I don’t know!
Join me as I take some guesses about what happens if the Microsoft Activision acquisition is no more.
It might be interesting! Or maybe there’s a reason nobody is really talking about this.
Because it might not be interesting. I really don’t know.
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[@TheEpicShadowGaming]

Like how this is getting blocked but the disney and fox acquisition was approved

[@erickrasniewski567]

No company had the lobbying power to oppose it

[@GratefulRobin]

You forgot Disney has more money to bribe

[@nicholaswmitchell]

That happened before the administration switch. There's been a shake up at the FTC and they are starting to actually do their job again

[@ScrumbynPlumbo]

Also it was under a different administration

[@RangerNationDubs]

Because at the time fox could barely be considered a major studio. It was failing in all regards and was probably going to go under if it wasn't bought. Even with fox disneys movies output didn't really increase and neither did there market share. If Microsoft gets activation that is a hard core major industry who realese a good portion of the games that come out every year. And that's not counting the fact that they have bethseda ontop of that. And they are 1 3rd of the console market lol. These situations are whole ass different.

[@KajahaX]

It’s so funny how Microsoft can go from having “no exclusives” to a “complete monopoly” after a single acquisition

[@RevivedSaiyan]

That's not a monopoly. If Xbox bought ea and namco bandai and Activision would be that point.

[@KajahaX]

@@RevivedSaiyan that’s my point, bucko

[@iamarabicandiloveamericanp7137]

@@RevivedSaiyan that his point lmao

[@TSEDLE333]

Its funny how acquiring one of the biggest publishers on the industry, and the ACTION itself is quite dangerous, because it MAY force others - Amazon, Google, Tencent, Apple etc - to do THE SAME...but people simple dont want to understand/accept this very simple concept... Fanboys focused ONLY on PS/Sony, when the OTHER giants are on the prown just waiting to see what will happen. EITHER WAY, WE, the GAMERS, LOSE.... but fanboys JUST want to see PS/Sony burn...

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

@@RevivedSaiyan Not entirely true, if a group gains too much power they create a monopoly by default. Players will naturally have a bigger library to choose from and thus naturally go to it. The other things, such as Sony, would have less money to spend and in turn lower graphics. People eat graphics. The result is Microsoft would fly ahead as everything else around them withers faster and faster. The only way it doesn't become a monopoly is if people realize we are pushing graphics too hard for what our devices can do and it has led to games being more unstable, nightmarish loading times, and even sometimes just shorter games. It is similar to Disney, nothing can compete with them due to size.

[@grimmpickens5766]

Maybe the real Activision acquisition was the friends we made along the way

[@daRealB-Rex]

🫡

[@eN3RD]

oh brother this guy STINKS

[@joshuaknox2724]

cringe comment

[@treek10k]

Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. Repent and believe in him or you will be separated from God The Father for all eternity and face hell forever, never ending

[@superpie64]

@@treek10k people like you annoy me to no end

[@franciscogodoy3372]

The fact that the FTC stated the Bethesda buyout ending in games like starfield becoming exclusives, when Sony themselves was looking to make starfield a PS5 exclusive

[@strikingdiscussion5263]

They cited that in response to Microsofts claims that they “would not make AB IP’s exclusive.” Basically, Microsoft shot themselves in the foot by contradicting the promises they previously made to regulators. Exclusively in and of itself is not the issue. The concern is the course of action MS will take if the deal goes through and whether that course will constitute a monopolistic threat to the industry.

[@franciscogodoy3372]

@@strikingdiscussion5263 I doubt Microsoft would hurt themselves that badly, Sony is 57% of the industry. By making games like Cod exclusive they would lose massive revenue. I guess we’ll see where this goes

[@strikingdiscussion5263]

@@franciscogodoy3372 ive seen this argument before but im not sure where it comes from because it contradicts what we observe from exclusivity agreements. For instance, this logic could apply to any game such that any release would be more profitable if it were released on more consoles. So, why does exclusivity exist? It’s because it sells hardware, which then rakes in loads of revenue for consoles through purchases on their digital stores. In MS’s case it will sell gamepass, which is the long-term profitability goal they are really after. They said the exact same thing when they purchased bethesda. However, SF and elder scrolls are not going to other consoles, unlike what they promised. In the short-term keeping these titles multiplatform would increase net sails on games; but it would do nothing to substantially bolster gamepass or console sales, which is what they actually want to stake their business model going forward on.

[@De1usionsofGrandeur]

@@strikingdiscussion5263 Microsoft didnt contradict themselfs at all they never promised that all the games would be multiplatform nor do I see why they should. When Sony buys somthing people dont expect them to share shit with anyone afterwards but for some reason Microsoft should...ha

[@mikeh4818]

Sony has never bought publishers and made their traditionally multiplatform games exclusive. They have been building up their studios for years. Microsoft, for some reason, can't do that. They have to buy big publishers to compete. Which isn't good for the industry

[@ATalkingSock]

"Minecraft? That's gone" keeps playing on repeat in my head.

[@TheOldest]

Just saw Microsoft's formal reply to FTC, almost 40 pages of we're ready to go to court and you're gonna pay for our fees too.

[@arcanum3882]

Savage

[@victorkreig6089]

Good, the FTC has gone back to being a mouthpiece for the white house and I am HERE to see them get their shit pushed in for it

[@TimeMakerMan]

I hope that happens to FTC especially after turning a blind eye to disney

[@daryno9048]

@@TimeMakerMan that was under a different administration, also if you think the Disney acquiring Fox was bad, what make you think this would be any different?

[@TimeMakerMan]

@@daryno9048 Disney buying fox was a much bigger deal then this and no other publisher has a problem with Microsoft buying Activision. Sony is the only one crying to the ftc about this.

[@mclaine33]

If Activision-Blizzard deal falls through, I can see MS going directly for Ubisoft. Like all of Ubisoft. It’s the only publisher that is “big enough” for MS to buy that wouldn’t get significant pushback from regulators.

[@klonoafan2012]

Or maybe perhaps sega

[@SenorGuina]

@@klonoafan2012 the japanese gov would probably block the acquisition

[@blakedake19]

Ubisoft right now has a market cap of 3,3 billion euro. It's less than half of what Microsoft spent for Zenimax. And that would be pretty useless because there are already many Ubisoft games on Gamepass.

[@TheCh0wderp]

@@blakedake194 billion for Ubisoft gets them Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. Another ~$17 billion for Take Two Interactive gets them Rockstar games, 2K games, and Zynga for the mobile market. Another ~$34 billion for EA and they get the sports lineup and Battlefield. I can realistically see the first two getting acquired if ABK falls through, for EA though I can see the case for the sports titles as a reason to not let the deal through maybe? Battlefield apparently wasn’t seen as big enough to be a proper competitor to COD so that can’t be listed as a reason. I really think if Microsoft owned Bethesda, Ubisoft, Take Two, and EA, it would be much more detrimental to PlayStation than just ABK. Outside of COD, that gets them just about every blockbuster AAA western title. What else will Microsoft do with all that money if not go acquire other publishers?

[@blakedake19]

@@TheCh0wderp Ubisoft, EA and Take two games are already (the vast majority) on game pass. The only big publisher not present on the game pass is ABK.

[@Holammer]

I propose the "Ballistic option", MS headhunts EVERYONE working for Activision-Blizzard willing to join new MS run studios. Promise them a raise and the freedom to develop new IPs, be their own masters. Done right it could actually leave AB a husk unable to operate effectively for a year or more when everyone including the janitor jumps ship. It could actually collapse as shares plummet in value. Best of all, it's perfectly legal and it would only cost faction of the original deal. The 1000's of experienced artists and coders in Activision-Blizzard's employ is the true value. They have impeccable work ethic, probably the best in the business (the activision studios anyway, blizzard not so much).

[@professordetective807]

Promise them a functioning HR department and maybe unions and they'd come running.

[@mariodelrio1694]

@@professordetective807 100%

[@lildevin16]

@@professordetective807 they already have hahah

[@ryanmacdonald8267]

Interesting viewpoint.

[@EvilParagon4]

If that happened, this husk company would still own many IPs that Microsoft could not get their hands on unless the husk put up those IPs for auction, at which point they'd be competing a lot monetarily speaking for fractions of the IPs they would have wanted. And one IP in particular causes a big issue here. World of Warcraft. An MMO that has been running since 2004 being killed by a predatory Microsoft would not make people happy. Especially those that have already given money for a year's subscription and stuff. That just becomes a legal headache. Sure Call of Duty can have a spiritual successor and stuff, but taking WoW offline is just simply not feasible.

[@lizardguyNA]

We should probably worry about the ever-growing monopolies on entertainment everywhere. We could see Disney buy out Activision for all we know.

[@banjo9158]

Thing is, monopolies in gaming industry is near impossible, on the movies industry, not so much.

[@strikingdiscussion5263]

The FTC is, thankfully. Hence why this deal is being scrutinized by regulators. But people are so blinded by brand loyalty that they can’t see the forest for the trees

[@Dullahan00]

Disney don't have Activision money after they overspent for Fox. Not unless Bobby wants to take a 20 billion pay cut.

[@Hhhhhh-sz9ud]

@@banjo9158monopolies in gaming are very possible, just less in the short term

[@banjo9158]

@@Hhhhhh-sz9ud no they aren't, a monopoly is 1 single company dominating a market, and that is completely impossible on gaming, to microsoft turn into a monopoly they would have to buy at LEAST ubisoft, warner bros, take two, sega, capcom, bandai namco, konami, koei tecmo, tencent, sony, nintendo and valve. there's also the fact that google, amazon, netflix and apple are starting to join the gaming industry too, so they have to own than as well, and that definetly can't happen, and there are multiple indie companies as well, more and more indie companies being made every single year, and every single year there's a huge indie game that blows up, so they would have to buy not only indie company, but every random indie company that have a game that could blow up, which is pretty much impossible to guess, there's no way 1 single company can dominate the market in the gaming industry.

[@dialaskisel5929]

My preferred timeline is when Phil Spencer decides to fund a space colony as a philanthropic venture. And then, once it is complete, he proceeds to ride on top of it, laughing maniacally as he proceeds to aim it and crash it directly into Sony HQ

[@TSEDLE333]

Philanthropic? MS/Phil Spencer? in teh same sentence? he....

[@victorkreig6089]

@@TSEDLE333 Microsoft literally R&D'd and self funded an entire division dedicated to making a controller for the handicapped and it not only works but they give them away constantly Shut your mouth

[@astrocat14]

So he makes an irl bioshock sequel?

[@groovydespairgod5190]

Cringe

[@dejanjakobovic9803]

@@astrocat14 more like Prey or SystemShock

[@theswedishdude1]

the thing about the mobile games and the idea of starting yet another app store to have them exclusively there is that they WAY over estimate the consumers love of the games, these are the kind of games you play when you're on the bus or taking a shit, it's not a game you're attached to and if it were to disappear to another market then you would just chose another generic 3 in a row game.

[@alexkaplan6581]

And everything remotely popular has a thousand copies pop up overnight .

[@PhxSml]

Here yes, but in India and Japan Mobile gaming is huge. These are big markets and money makers. It’s also growing rapidly in North America.

[@_-ghostfps-_8651]

I see your point But candy crush players really love candy crush And i can see them using another stores to play it

[@Mr_Mistah]

You know there's a massive market of gacha mobile games? Genshin Impact, Blue Archive, Azur Lane, Arknights... These games literally earn BILLIONS globally

[@TetraBitGaming]

Love the Enter Sandman background noise in the Phil parts lmao

[@BXM922]

when i'm 80 and i go back to check out this channel, your title changes are going to mess with my dementia

[@GingerWritings]

I think, if the buyout fails, that Activision may slowly fall apart and Microsoft can pick apart the IP sold off piecemeal, maybe cheaper. And they may start using Sony's defenses in a manner to block Sony's growth.

[@smg4reblooperd182]

Would be funny if embracer gets the rights to Spyro and crash bandicoot

[@kingofgames2992]

Activision won't fall apart, they are a very stable company from an economical standard point. They have CoD and King which both print them a fortune

[@pontiusporcius8430]

Sort of like marvel in the 90s

[@TheCh0wderp]

I don’t see that happening but I see Sony severely damaging their relationship with Activision. Likely Xbox gets exclusive COD content after the contract with Sony ends. I do see Microsoft going on a buying spree with the billions they couldn’t spend to buy ABK and go after other publishers. Would not be shocked if they go after Take Two and GTA 6 no longer comes to PlayStation. I don’t like exclusivity at all but Microsoft seems intent on acquiring something big. Maybe we’d at least get Bully 2 under Microsoft.

[@shenhue7041]

Funny i just dont care about shooters so i couldnt care less... Even if they buy Rockstar i would still buy a playstation .

[@vullord666]

Microsoft would just move on and could arguably make more valuable smaller purchases (like Sony does). The real question is what ABK would do, because the payout Microsoft owes if the deal falls through wouldn’t save them.

[@daryno9048]

I would say it would force them to clean house (get rid of Bobby Kotick and other member of the board who was involved with the scandal cover up) if no one can acquire them

[@RyokoAsakuraLastFan]

Don't forget that If Blocked Activision may go under because its stock will tank upsetting shareholders more

[@TSEDLE333]

Actvision would get 3 billion out of the deal if it falls trough...and seeing quite a few of said shareholders were not all that happy with the sellout, that may make some of those somewhat happy... Dont get it wrong..this was all Kotick wanting to get out with a few hundred million on his pocket after he fucked the company over...and MS was just there to foot the bill for a 'good and long time' friend...

[@viysnjor4811]

a blocked acquisition isn't going to tank the company that controls call of duty and world of warcraft, tf you smoking lol

[@sharpie3811]

@@viysnjor4811 Do you have any idea what stock is? How old are you?

[@viysnjor4811]

@@sharpie3811 Do *you*? Do you know what "go under" means? I'd bet youre in your early 20's, going around playing like youre some big grown adult who knows how the world works when the truth is you know less than when you were a child.

[@sharpie3811]

@@viysnjor4811 lmao your comment got deleted, also shareholders are gonna be mighty upset if the deal doesn’t go through, leading to a chain reaction.

[@harryballsak1123]

You left out one scenario. If MS and Activision agreed just to sell Blizzard and King regulators would likely let that pass since it seems CoD was the issue. Or in a worse case scenario MS buys King. The FTC would have no reason to turn down MS buying King since it has zero presence in mobile gaming

[@megaman37456]

FTC has no reason to stop the buyout anyway other than their bias against big tech.

[@harryballsak1123]

@@megaman37456 No they don't but here they are filing a lawsuit

[@megaman37456]

@@harryballsak1123 Yeah, because of their bias against big tech. They'll file, they'll lose, the deal will go through and Sony can just sit in the timeout corner and fucking cry about it.

[@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et]

@@megaman37456 you toxic ass fanboys will be crying too if it was Sony doing this, we are talking not just one but DOZENS of popular IPs that are not only very popular on playstation but sell more too, and you expect the fans and Sony to just let that happen? When has Sony done something of this level huh? Single game TIMED exclusives? That all you guys got? Final fantasy, sunset overdrive?, sales show that xbox fans dont give a crap about those games. You guys want Microsoft to own more than double the studios Sony has?, can you really picture Sony being able to compete then? Ha! what I'm wasting my breath for, you fanboys just want sony forcefully out of the industry just to laugh. THAT'S the reason you guys want Microsoft to buy more studios and will probably not even play half of the games they'll release.

[@megaman37456]

@@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et First off I'm not a fanboy, I own several different consoles from several different companies, I'm just calling it as I see it. Secondly, for someone calling out a fanboy your arguments sure reek of fanboy logic. Sony dominates 70% of the industry atm, Microsoft only 30%, with Actibliz under their belt, they'd still most likely still own under 50%. Thirdly, Playstation can 100% compete with CoD, let's be real, that's why you're as salty as you are, if Sony would pull their heads out of their lazy complacent asses and actually design a game to compete WITH CoD rather than making exclusivity deals to stifle competition. I doubt you'll see my point of view so I won't bother going on.

[@KennyFrierson]

This slap fight has been quite entertaining

[@cactusman1771]

Sony has put on the best performance. By falling to the ground and crying faster than even soccer players can.

[@Sr.Pirulito]

2:22 So what you are saying is that there's an alternative universe where Elon Musk bought ActivisionBlizzard?

[@smg4reblooperd182]

Still might be possible

[@TsukatsukiRio]

He still trying to find a way to recover the money from buying Twitter

[@agentc7020]

A world where he tanks 3 big ass companies in a row, a fucking genius.

[@victorkreig6089]

That's already thing and it's called Cloud Imperium

[@TheErikjsm]

if it doesnt go through i really want the punished phil timeline with that music being his theme.

[@TSEDLE333]

Chances are Phil getting canned if the deal doesnt work...so thats pretty much a lovely dream for you...

[@AcdraStation]

@@TSEDLE333 Phil is defo not getting canned, he is doing a lot of things correctly and especially public perception wise any sort of failure of this deal would be seen as Sony's doing. I genuinely think Phil would go scortched earth to spite Sony especially since they have their eyes on the East as well

[@nuggetgod2618]

@@AcdraStation so your telling me they have their eyes on japanese/chinese studios?, well nintendo's obviously out the picture since they have no reason to be accquired, i'd say RGG is too since its a pretty big development studio, but its not big enough for sony or microsoft to really care i think (thats a good thing as yakuza nor judgement should go exclusive) fromsoftware would be a VERY good choice from microsoft as dark souls is a very big franchise, although i think its out of the picture as fromsoftware isnt really doing bad, they have no reason to let themselves be accquired by microsft and or sony, capcom would be a VERY VERY VERY VERY good choice, you could literally do an MCU with street fighter lol, though like ALOT of studio's, they have literally no reason to let themselves be accquired, oh and konami is an ok choice i guess, not alot to offer if you ask me though.

[@Gadalac]

This is a very good video. Thoughtful insights, funny animations

[@paulchapman8023]

I think the bigger question is what will Activision do if Microsoft can't buy it. The latest I've heard is that Microsoft will be fine either way, but Activision is (still) going to be in big trouble if it can't get bought.

[@louiepikmin3184]

@bftbg7778 I mean, they're literally setting up for lots of short term money, not the long term. Look at overwatch 2, with the way the shop is set up they're setting up for lots of money in the short term, not getting customers into the habit of checking the shop constantly for the long term

[@highoctanesynx7950]

Punished phil sounds like a terrifying anime villain 🤣🤣

[@Ren722]

Not once would I have expected to see a Phil Spencer go Death Note mode.

[@ProtocolAbyss]

This is why you don’t fuck with Phil

[@SPONGEBOB20]

I doubt it will fail, but if it does and the reason is beyond Microsoft's control, I can see a couple of things happening: 1. Microsoft goes on a buying spree of as many smaller studios as they can to spite Sony and try to reach an equivalence of their HUGE investment they set aside that did not go through. 2. Someone will come after Activision, that is still a given. I am not sure who at this point.

[@jkakaqw]

If anyone is to buy Activison it should be Microsoft. Anyone else will not utilize the IPs to to their fullest. Sony really shot themselves in the foot.

[@banjo9158]

@@michaele1654 Sony is also a movie studio, so there's actually 5. but microsoft ain't buying sony, that's for sure.

[@animevideogames1869]

@@jkakaqw Yeah, because Microsoft has the best track record for handling ip's with care. 😂

[@LOLxUnique]

No one else is paying 70billuon for activision

[@wubbers662]

@@banjo9158 Sony started making movies after making Playstation

[@jamez6398]

I just hope if Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard there's another Hexen game. That's all I want...

[@econoinner_force954]

What they want now is a Maximum of MICROTRANSACTIONS licenses, but you can't see the bad they've been doing to the video games for years... Do you think 1080p streaming with ADs is a nice futur ?

[@reethardio6432]

@@econoinner_force954 keep crying bozo

[@valletas]

Didnt phill say he wants to make one as well? I hope the heretic franchise finalky gets out of legal purgatory so we can get an hd port of heretic and maybe even a remake Id has the rights to it but only raven is allowed to develop the games

[@patternedpike3746]

I absolutely love the reference that darkPhil has a Deathmole shirt. That got me

[@antgrantrant]

That ending instrumental is the most Reason ass beat I've ever heard. Love it

[@damustermann]

So, you as a lawyer and financial advisor suggest buying more Mountain Dew? Got it!

[@noctis129]

Why can’t MS just spend the 70 billion on making games?

[@maxpawa9282]

making games takes time! and sony is playing dirty!

[@kavky]

Because they're intellectually and creatively bankrupt.

[@daryno9048]

@@maxpawa9282 while Sony does pay for third party exclusives, they also actually make their own games too.

[@daryno9048]

Because why put in the effort and take risks when you can bet on the safe thing?

[@ericwheton6935]

@@daryno9048 name one that didn't outsource a majority of its workload

[@diablomozart]

think outside the box...warner bros discovery...you get game studios (nether realm, rocksteady i think?), movie studios, ip's...that's a wild thought with absolutely zero basis in reality

[@GGutium]

Keep up the hard work!

[@puppytracks8997]

Microsoft needs to go back to their roots: Microsoft Bob 2 Make it happen!!!

[@dmagik8]

Good as always. I wish consolidation wasn't the express "endgame" for most studios/publishers, but it is the way. The companies get too big, or too much talent leaves, and starts new things. I kinda remember that ebb and flow, but I wonder if we will have that again, or even if it will be as powerful. I guess, there will always be "indies" but at what point does an indie become...no longer indie? Anyways, love the video.

[@hkh4-onehandedvidya]

Venice is an ecinomic story everyone should know it was a powerhouse until a few familys owned everything

[@andresgarfias7746]

Finally you talk about alternate history!

[@TheYugilicious]

As an added point: The acquisition falling through would be sad for the Activision Blizzard workers. They would get a union, like Bethesda did, after the take over of Microsoft and thus gaining more rights and work security.

[@usern4metak3ns]

Eh... They been doing a good job already? Lol. No one legit cares if they're fired.

[@TheYugilicious]

@@usern4metak3ns I'm sorry, your comment doesn't make any sense to me in regards to what I wrote. But thnx for sharing anyway.

[@usern4metak3ns]

@@TheYugilicious well let me explain it more in detail for you, the current employees of blizzavision suck at their jobs and no legit fan of the company would shed a single tear or even care if they were fired or replaced. Does that make more sense?

[@TheYugilicious]

@@usern4metak3ns It is nonsense in my opinion, but I see that that is your opinion. Thnx for sharing.

[@usern4metak3ns]

@@TheYugilicious well as a fan of blizzard and activision before they got corporate sabotaged and have several friends that are also fans. I would consider my opinion more informed than yours

[@De1usionsofGrandeur]

My guess is use the money to completely bury sony in tons of full and multi year timed exclusive deals instead

[@econoinner_force954]

Microsoft always did, except they forgot to make their own games over the years... and let many of their studios wither away. What they want now is a Maximum of MICROTRANSACTIONS licenses, but you can't see the bad they've been doing to the video games for years...

[@De1usionsofGrandeur]

@@econoinner_force954 absolutely no clue what your talking about with the whole microtransaction stuff. Also how did they forget to make games when they are currently making a bunch

[@thecameraman8648]

Phil Spencer in the revenge timeline with the eyepatch, deathnote shirt, and goofy music. It makes me giggle so much. Favorite parts of the video! 😂XD

[@kaylenscurrah5435]

Oh my, anyone remember the windows phone? I actually kinda liked mine back in the day. When Microsoft actually did have a mobile storefront. Actually u should make video on the magical story of the windows phone. Bc maybe they’ll try again soon, with the X phone.

[@Mr_Mistah]

I remember that

[@holitinne]

…and here we are…

[@Gygesdcom]

Next purchase for Microsoft will not be a game developer on surface but they will have game studios. They will buy Warner Media. Yes discovery just bought them and it has been reported they are preparing to merge with a larger business in 2024. The article said Comcast would be the main contender but I think it is Microsoft

[@banjo9158]

Also Comcast have 95 billion dollars in debt, they themselves are an 150 billion dollar company, WB being valued at a little more than 20 and they also have 55 billion dollars in debt. if they merge it would be... 150 - 20 = 130 billion dollar company, would have a debt of 95 + 55 billion dollars. 130 billion dollar company with 150 billion in debt. whoever made that speculation about comcast forgot to do the count. that definetly wouldn't happen, comcast would be in too much debt.

[@relevanttangent8442]

It isn't in the realm of impossiblity but what makes you feel that Microsoft investors would want to see their tech company purchase a failing film/TV business? Microsoft has no experience in the field and would be dependent on the people who made Warner Media a failure to somehow turn that ship around. Microsoft also doesn't have anything to gain from purchasing a failing television channel and no streaming service that could benefit from the content backlog.

[@banjo9158]

​@@relevanttangent8442 I think you forgot that WB own multiple gaming studios that would be valuable to microsoft, also the HUGE amount of ip they would own, like all of DC, mortal kombat, cartoon network, etc... the amount of ip alone is worth it all. sure WB is failling in hollywood, but with the huge budget of microsoft, they would stop failling and get better budget to their movies. and even if they keep failling on that business, it means not for microsoft because they can afford to lose that money easily.

[@ProtocolAbyss]

@@banjo9158 “comcast will be in too much debt” exactly as they deserve

[@banjo9158]

@@ProtocolAbyss idk if they deserve, but comcast in too much debt or getting bankrupt would affect universal a lot, and i don't want universal to get bankrupt, much less warner getting bankrupt too.

[@Ritchian]

The deal will probably go through in the end with big assurances and ironclad contracts that Call of Duty will be everywhere for at least some years to come. But if it doesn't, yeah. Probably the boring timetine from Microsoft is the most likely. But, I can totally see Acti-Blizz snubbing Sony on maybe not full games, but options and addons that they might give to other platforms. I doubt they'd flip CoD to Microsoft exclusive unilaterally (only way that happens is if there's a payday to make up for the lost Sony sales). But I could easily see timing shenanigans or bonus features that simply aren't in the PlayStation versions. Or games that end up on the game pass that in turn never go on sale or on streaming on the Sony side. Petty things that won't shift the bottom line so Bobby can keep buying his yachts.

[@soulsmith4787]

The complaint the FTC issued doesn't block the deal from progressing (iirc) and the complaint included incorrect statements about Microsoft's talks with EU regulators during the Bethesda purchase. I think the acquisition will proceed according to Microsoft's timeline.

[@Anarcho_Ingsoc]

damn I used to have that monopoly game at 8:09. Got it in a box of honey nut cheerios, along with rollercoaster tycoon and tonka raceway/rescue. Good times.

[@danramirez8553]

we should be cheering for Microsoft. If they get Activision. then Sony will have to bring back their SoCom series!

[@superninja252]

not jist SOCOM, lots of FPS they have like Killzone

[@mattgowrie8580]

ik the real world is harder to grasp than Anime, but you never want to be cheering for microsoft unless you want your own children scammed away from you

[@Shaker1000]

UbiSoft Ghost Recon series will smash SoCom. Tom Clancy put a hurt on that IP and it's why it failed

[@92HazelMocha]

@@Shaker1000 GR franchise today? Because it's pretty dead now. GR 15 years ago yeah, but GR is a shadow of itself TC is rolling in his grave.

[@RyokoAsakuraLastFan]

I mean Sony did just buy Bungee

[@Stupetin]

Supercell will be the one to buy Activision, screenshot this. Clash of Clans x Call of Duty.

[@ABR]

Your vision of youtube in the future is astounding

[@Granox]

I wanted to go through for one reason imagine the excitement of having so many people on modern warfare 1 once again

[@lorenzowilson7222]

They can just shut down activision plus The ceo and employees can quit so they can just join Microsoft for free and make similar titles from activision just give the titles a different name

[@KnightSlasher]

Even if Microsoft doesn't get them they still own alot of ips now they can push out alot of good games, and lets be honest cod has been going downhill

[@kingofgames2992]

CoD has consistantly been one of the most successful and popular IPs too and modern warfare 2 is one of their best CoDs to date so...

[@kevinzurek3431]

>Going down hill >Just had its largest release Pick one

[@GAMIR_SFM]

Downhill since when? Ghost? Infinite Warfare? CoD will never die. MWII is proof of that

[@BevaToothTiger]

people have been saying cod has been going downhill for over a decade now.

[@AbsoleteAim]

CoD is having a resurgence more than anything.

[@jaws1698]

Punished Phil is my favorite timeline outside of the purchase going through

[@WoolyNips]

I love how people have been bringing up the Sony exclusivity with Activision. I swear I remember, on the 360 days. Microsoft had a month early exclusive with COD DLC.

[@RadioNocturnus]

they definitely did lol it switched right around the launch of the PS4/XBOne. i remember because i went from 360 to PS4 and thought it was really convenient they happened to switch the same time i did

[@foolish-808]

The longest Microsoft ever lockdown cod dlc was a month. what Sony is doing is bullshit, you don’t even wanna talk about Sony locking down destiny’s DLC for two years or more … when Microsoft was making those deals that was under a different management at Xbox.

[@WoolyNips]

@@RadioNocturnus but heyyyyy, Sony is the new bad guy because this multimillion dollar company is threatening a multiBillion dollar company… (Phil keeps saying it has nothing to do with Sony… sureeeee) not saying Sony is a glorious company. They’re all the same at the end of the day

[@juliansmith4153]

thank you. how has no one mentioned this

[@BruhMoment-cu4gp]

A month not a year like we have now

[@gmgz]

Honestly I feel like this will be the final major battle of the console wars.

[@econoinner_force954]

before full of Microtransactions, Ads and Mobile Games in the Gamepass trap...

[@zwei3179]

IT was already kinda stated by phil if they fail to get acivision. He and I quite said "If we fail in our efforts to gett Activision we will keep buying studios as that is part of our goals." and if they do fail most likely activision will sell their studios bit by bit to mircosoft.

[@johng808]

microsoft should just start their own game dev company, and break it into 4 different studios: xbox red, xbox blue, xbox yellow, and xbox green. ( the 4 xbox icon colors) then they could do it netflix original style and work with game script writers to make exclusives that rival playstation. they got the money to do some crazy shit like that

[@kingofgames2992]

Actually, not saying it will happen, but the FTC, CMA and EU are all trying to dismiss Nintendo makes them a really easy acquisition from a regulatory stand point since the regulators would of already confirmed they aren't part of the same market. Not saying it will happen but it is 100% possible from the regulatory perspective since MS could easily just pull out those quotes and say they already confirmed they are fine to buy

[@ironicdivinemandatestan4262]

The only problem is that unlike Zenimax or Activision-Blizzard, Nintendo is a Japanese company, and a pretty famous one at that. There's no doubt that the Japanese government would fight tooth and nail to prevent such an acquisition of a major cultural icon. They're not on the list because they're too big for Microsoft to acquire, but because such an acquisition would never be allowed to happen.

[@wubbers662]

Using said logic, everyone besides Sony is up for an easy grab since besides Sony and Microsoft's competitors in tech, everyone else in the gaming industry sees this as a good/acceptable thing

[@SPONGEBOB20]

Every Nintendo executive will commit Seppukku live on camera before ever selling to Microsoft, you can count on that.

[@wubbers662]

@@ironicdivinemandatestan4262 Also isn't Nintendo the biggest company in Japan now?

[@FF9F00]

Nintendo makes hardware, XBOX needs games. Also, they are not for sale, things have been going great for them ever since Nintendo Switch came out

[@NeedforMine1]

I want Blizzard to get acquired by Microsoft. I yearn for at least a smidge of quality content after it all went to the shitter

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Same... And Activiistion seems to be living the high life right now same for that to end.

[@googamp32]

If you want quality content, the LAST thing you want is for Microsoft to acquire your favorite games studio! After how they ruined Rare, they shouldn't be allowed to acquire ANYTHING!

[@redline841]

@@googamp32 Its a fucking gamble now... Game Pass was phenomenal but Microsoft ruined Rare and Minecraft

[@ismaelapellido2666]

Idk man Microsoft has a bad record of how manage their studios, his release schedule is fucked up, rebooted games or games that took too long, rare and 343i. The only companies doing good are the ones that were already doing a good job before acquisition like obsidian

[@KingAgniKai]

Microsoft has shit management rn so I doubt that would change.

[@godmorza6819]

I know this is a long shot and probably not gonna happen but I hope cod comes to Meta quest like, it would be so fun for a cod game in VR, sort of like cod mobile but cod VR

[@machineistic]

They’ll have to actually put in the work to create and nurture their own IP which they’re awful at. Bethesda can only do so much of the work for them lmao.

[@elvangulley3210]

gears forza flight sim are better than any of the trash on ps right now

[@machineistic]

@@elvangulley3210 Gears has gotten progressively weaker since the first 2 or 3 games, it hasn’t felt relevant for the past decade.

[@JimmyPizzaDelivery]

@@elvangulley3210 What having no p**** does to a mfer

[@elvangulley3210]

@@machineistic and it's still better than anything on ps5 the remake console

[@Patterrz]

Honestly if they made Crash Bash 2 happen Microsoft can have whatever they want

[@banjo9158]

Nah man, we need a Crash Twinsanity 2

[@ProtocolAbyss]

Didn’t expect you here Patterz?

[@Ekatkid]

Of course I’ve heard of Luna, it’s the funny pictures at the bottom of the prime gaming website!

[@superninja252]

WELP CMA just blocked the deam and suddenly this video feels relevant again

[@midimusicforever]

It makes no sense for it to fall through, but you never know what lawyers cook up.

[@sayeshi1]

It kinda blows my mind that console exclusivity is still a thing in this the year of our lord 2022

[@axolotl1777]

Is not that deep

[@sayeshi1]

@@axolotl1777 Says who?

[@axolotl1777]

@@sayeshi1 i did

[@sayeshi1]

@@axolotl1777 who died and made you Captain Depth-Decider?

[@axolotl1777]

@@sayeshi1 jesus

[@dainess2919]

In the end maybe the real value of the Microsoft-ABK deal is the friends we made along the way

[@HK47_115]

Even if Microsoft doesn't get activision, there are a ton of properties that Activision owns that are non call of duty and non blizzard-related that maybe they could at least buy those from them. Cuz if it did go through that alone would give them so many freaking titles to put on The game pass in reverse compatible titles alone. This is not including the juggernauts that blizzard has or call of duty or OverWatch.

[@m.b.7560]

I find it hilarious that Playstation, of all people, are saying someone else getting exclusives is 'anti consumer'.

[@KSProxy]

Buying publishers to lock up IPs is, anti consumer.

[@wanderingwobb6300]

I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a hint of punished Phil would come out from the acquisition failing and thus is probably the worst thing that could happen to PlayStation fans. It seems pretty clear that CoD exclusivity is just not in the stars for Microsoft to begin with to it's only the smaller Acti IPs like Spyro, Crash, Tony Hawk, etcetera that will be Xbox leverage, the ones Jim Ryan clearly doesn't give a damn about. If this fails it means that some more highly sought after stuff by fans will likely become Xbox exclusive and we already saw what happened with Tomb Raider some time ago as well as the general reactions from the Sony field regarding Starfield and ES6. PC stays winning through all of this though so yay?

[@psykorobot6807]

Ryan doesn't give a habe that much concerned about COD either. Not really. They know it was never going to leave PS. What Sony is afraid of is Game Pass. This fight is to stop Sony form having to compete against Game Pass. They know they will have to in the future. Ryan is just trying to hold of that inevitable future as long as he can. But with Xbox putting COD in Game Pass that will force Sony to react ahead of schedule. Which may actually be good for consumers on Sony 's eocosystem. As for Tomb Raider example you may be right. If this deal fails MS will still be spending a large chunk of those billions on gaming. They an Embracer have good relationship. I wouldn't be surprised of some of that Embracer IP becomes exclujsive. I think MS might even take a page out of Embracer's play book and just buy studios but buy IP. I actually see this deal failing be worse for Sony . At least with respect to COD. Sony has burnt bridges that wil never recover. MS will buy the marketing rights to COD. Maybe even go in the EA FC rights. And unlike with MS buying ABK and promising parity of content in COD there is no such guarantee if they don't own ABK but have marketing rights to COD. They will do exactly what Sony does and lock away content for a year (until the next COD shows up).

[@GamerBoy-yf4ou]

I just want the cod collection, something like MCC where we can play all the old cods together with their multiplayers. it would be so sick

[@madjoe8622]

Bots are clinching on that deal like if their life depended on it. What you gonna do when that deal is stopped? Take antidepressant?

[@Hellfox777]

You know everyone wonders what Microsoft is going to do. The real question is what is Sony going to do if it DOES go through? I think Microsoft has a plan if it doesn't. I don't think Sony has one if it goes through

[@De1usionsofGrandeur]

Weather it goes through or not I believe that sony has pissed off Microsoft over this and they most likely wont be playing nice anymore... so I hope sonys ready to get back what they give

[@dammyoyesanya4656]

@@De1usionsofGrandeur Yes, Microsoft, the god that you fanboys worship would buy the whole of Japan if it is pissed. They should also thrown in South Korea into the mix too to piss of Sony more.

[@De1usionsofGrandeur]

@@dammyoyesanya4656 ya I am just a gamer dont drag me into that whole fanboy crap ha

[@dammyoyesanya4656]

@@De1usionsofGrandeur Bro don't try to cover up. Its very easy to see. Nothing wrong with being a fan of a platform or company. But you do realise that both Sony and Microsoft don't care about you and do scummy things. They just switch positions after successful generations. The view that Microsoft is this mighty company with infinite pockets that can do whatever is exhausting to see from you fanboys.

[@De1usionsofGrandeur]

@@dammyoyesanya4656 oh I definitely have my preference but I am not a fanboy. I go with whatever is best for me. Right now that's xbox but if somone else steps up and ends up offering me more for less I may hop on over or at the very least pick up their product too if I see value in it.

[@richardbarrett4488]

I can imagine COD Mobile but with Halo. That might be their long game

[@fredo0084]

When he said "what if " i thought that Cody was gonna make a cameo

[@KSProxy]

So pathetic the comments are full of “If this falls through they should by blah blah blah” how about they make some GAMES? 23 studios and their output is pathetic, what would more studios do for their management?

[@nathanhargenrader645]

MS will be fine. I think the more interesting question is what happens to Activision/Blizzard if MS doesn't buy them.

[@afa1515]

I doubt that the Gamepass is making a lot of cash for MS, and Activision would be a printing cashcow. So it will surely hurt MS enought to change their strategy on that one. Gamepass is only sustainable with DLCs or F2P-microtransactions.

[@louiepikmin3184]

@afa1515 You got any proof for that? Because every dev that partners with Microsoft seems to disagree. It's great for consumers and developers and it's not great for Microsoft right now, but they're setting up for the long term when it will absolutely be

[@nathanhargenrader645]

@@afa1515 You understand that Microsoft is a publicaly traded company and all that information is out there? The gaming division went from being a massive money sink that traders wanted MS to spin off and sell to it being massive money maker and one the companies biggest strategies for the company. The majority of that turn around was because of game pass.

[@JimmyPizzaDelivery]

@@afa1515 MS is already a multi-billion dollar company, they just buy shit to buy it.

[@afa1515]

@@louiepikmin3184 It will suck for consumer in long term, and of course devs are happy. Hoewever paid addons etc. will increase strongly.

[@darkclownKellen]

Temps got down to -48° last night

[@artistwithouttalent]

15:40 Don't give them ideas, Tyler.

[@computecore5149]

Your mother

[@consolemans]

At the very least it's going to take multiple years for this to get resolved in court in which time MS can't really promise shit during it. It's a big deal no matter what the outcome is and the worst that can happen is that they demand Xbox become a seperate company to Microsoft.

[@TSEDLE333]

Which would SHOW to EVERYONE how completely INCOMPETENT/INSOLVENT that division IS. Xbox have, RIGHT NOW, 23 studios (2-3 MORE than Sony) and still CANNOT keep development and launch windows under practical times... And they want to buy more....remember also that Xbox NEVER made a profit to MS...at least that what a representative of Xbox said the US government in early 2021 in that Apple vs Epic thingy that was going at the time...

[@victorkreig6089]

Microsoft can give them the finger, they literally have no grounds to demand that

[@louiepikmin3184]

@TSEDLE333 Dude literally every comment you're just spamming "Waaaah, Microsoft bad"

[@Rakonax]

Can't they just make a deal to directly sell CoD and the related studios, if this was about King and Candy Crush? Like Disney agreed to sell a bunch of Fox's stuff directly after the buyout

[@psykorobot6807]

No Fox/Disney didn't sell off a lot of stuff. What Fox had to do is sell off Fox Sports separately because Disney owns ESPN. Those two combined would be 90% of the sports entertainment market and in the US would have left no competition in certain regions. Like in Los Angles it was either Fox or Epsn that shared the market. There is nothing in this deal that is even similar. ABK (including C0D) only represents 3% of the gaming market. That very fact regulators are worried over COD is ridiculous on its face. Also, Fox to divested themselves of their Sky holdings as well but that was not because of Disney. Comcast bought those as part of another deal .

[@Rakonax]

@@psykorobot6807 they had to sell way more then just fox sports or give up licences

[@renewagain6956]

Qoya 2 is gonna sweep in and clean up house, you just wait.

[@ooiiooiiooii]

Sony isn’t the only one who doesn’t want them to buy Blizzard. Look what happened to Blizz when Activision merged with them? I cannot believe this deal wasn’t shut down immediately but that’s late stage capitalism for ya

[@sunscream2112]

Well they approved Disney Fox, they will approve this one. Microsoft got many studios and huge IPs, they really just need time. They'll be fine.

[@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et]

Yes and they don't need Activision you're right.

[@econoinner_force954]

You want even worse Microtransactions? because that's Microsoft's goal + 1080p streaming full ads. Just look at Xbox and their many studios and dead IPs and false promises with CGI... their management sucks, they don't care about games quality, it's only marketing lies. Their Mobiles focus (and APP store) is also for Microtransactions

[@jokerbattle7331]

@@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et Activision blizzard needs Microsoft.

[@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et]

@@jokerbattle7331 That doesn't mean Microsoft has to make every IP they own exclusive, the fact that they are NOT being clear on that makes it obvious they are planning to do it. Maybe they would've had an easier time with this acquisition if they didn't acquire Bethesda and made their games exclusive.

[@Jollofmuncher2000]

@@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et trust me, it'll benefit them greatly console wise . If they buy it they will get a good return on it because so many people have bought an xbox from Christmas and black Friday lol. If they are smart, xbox will make a move and use the great influence games blizzard and Activision have and the increase of xboxs to put themselves into of the gaming world with a monopoly. If they screw this up things will be alot different

[@BillehBobJoe]

The idea of exclusivity concerns around COD is ridiculous . Ever since I believe the “stimulus” map package for mw2 in late 2009 sony has always had an exclusivity period with call of duty content. Now its a concern the reverse might happen? Absurd

[@Suhadisgood]

They already bought them I’m hoping nothing goes wrong cause Microsoft just made my life a lot hell easier putting first party games on day 1 on game pass who doesn’t want to play first party games on day 1 if Sony owns them well don’t expect to play all the call of duty games on plus extra I hope Microsoft owns every publisher I love so my favorite games will be on game pass

[@diablomozart]

well...they're going to want to invest that money somewhere to avoid paying a higher tax rate...that's as far as i can speculate

[@zmbdog]

6:12 That would be fair enough. I mean, remember when M$ was forced to suggest alternative browsers to Windows users because IE was so omnipresent? Why is that same reasoning not being applied to Apple?

[@jaylenadegoke]

The simple truth is that Xbox is jealous of PlayStation. PlayStation has always been the more popular consoles, their consoles always outsell, they offer the best games. It’s really just jealousy. After the mediocre success of the niche series X console that was outsold by the quest 2, Microsoft finds itself in a desperate fight for survival.

[@GetDaDrawsDawg]

Just imagine all the consumer data microsoft will gather from the Activision deal. Yeah they already have a lot but Blizzard has been making its business to gather consumer info.

[@procrastinatingpuma]

What song was used for the outro of this video?

[@georgerockwell6124]

I hope this doesn't go through

[@joshuamoore553]

this deal will go through and when it does Sony will be hurting really bad for the most part. This relationship between the two companies are just about dead in the water now and Microsoft will make them pay for all of this, in which I do not blame them. Microsoft will not buy another publisher after this because there will be no reason two at all. However they can buy the rights to franchise like Final Fantasy if they choose too.

[@Sykon20]

Are you high? You realize Square Enix abhors Microsoft yea?

[@joshuamoore553]

@@Sykon20 First off that was just an example, lastly if they choose to go after that franchise there is little to no one that can stop them.

[@TSEDLE333]

@@joshuamoore553 hahahahahahaahah When 95% of you userbase is NOT on Xbox, it wont matter how much money MS BURNS to try and get your IPs on that platform...it simply doesn't make ECONOMICAL SENSE. But keep believeing SE or ANY Japanese studio will blindly accept money to make games that WONT SELL SHIT in Japan....

[@jacobnapkins1155]

@@joshuamoore553 Japanese regulators square enix isn't even American they would sell to Sony tencent or Nintendo before doing that same with Konami and fromsoftware

[@joshuamoore553]

@@jacobnapkins1155 With the amount of cash that Nintendo has they probably could, however with the amount of cash that Sony has it would be a near impossible buy for them.

[@jacke_RS]

I kinda want it to go through, activision blizzard already hates consumers, at least Microsoft will ease my wallet making COD free on game pass, or better yet, breaking the yearly cod cycle to focus on quality over quantity

[@Itshadow306]

I can’t wait for this deal to not go through and I can’t wait for Microsoft to leave the hardware business so that Xbox Game Studios can become a 3rd party publisher so Halo, Gears, Forza and all of Rareware and Bethesda come to all platforms PC, Switch and PlayStation.

[@fernandokuzunoha8844]

nintendo and sony are the REAL competition, the only guy that said that was sakurai (nintendo) when banjo was shown in smash

[@drax7950]

I know certain people have stepped in but it's not going to matter they're going to get the company because they're Microsoft

[@MukiMuki688]

Just playing Devil's Advocate here: Microsoft buying ActiBliz and potentially making Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive, is like if a large supermarket chain (Walmart) buys the Coca-Cola corporation and making Coca-Cola, the soda, buyable only at their store. And Sony's argument is that while, yes, they do have a history of denying other consoles with their exclusives (Spider-Man or Street Fighter), these titles are like Shasta, or at most Dr. Pepper, compared to the behemoth that is Coke (Call of Duty). But yeah, the way Sony is going about this, is full of horse crap.

[@Unalochy]

I would happily pay that much to get my hands on Banjo Kazooie Threeie! Bring back Mumbo Jumbo!!

[@bunnyonabunwithagunnicepun5689]

They'll make some Candy Crush knockoff for the Microsoft Phone.

[@leobaker-tf2andmusic520]

what i hate is everyone keeps forgetting that activision atm (i didn't watch the video but i just need to mention) atm owns Spyro and Crash bandicoot, so if microsoft manages to buy activison, they'll own crash and spyo and we already know whats going to happen there based on the past experince with banjo kazooie and conker basicly being locked in a dungeon never to be seen again or have an actual sequal and stuff again