Microsoft Announces They Moved Activision-Blizzard Offices to International Watershttps://t.co/Gh9TvjwLnH
— Hard Drive (@HardDriveMag) February 6, 2023
Seriously though.
Update: MS/ABK
— Post Up (@PostUp_bbb) February 6, 2023
It seems that the NYT article has been updated.
“Microsoft said that it believes it has a strong case in Britain and it has not predetermined, nor been advised by its lawyers, that the merger will be blocked.” pic.twitter.com/96akA9MMoS
New article from Bloomberg, although nothing really new beyond a couple of opinions and a new statement from MS:
"The CMA's decision is key because if it chooses to block the deal, there is little recourse for the companies — UK courts rarely overturn a CMA merger decision," said Jennifer Rie, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. "Conditions will have to be thorough, beyond just licenses for Call of Duty," she said, adding that "an unconditional clearance is unlikely."
"The FTC may rely on the CMA to block it," said Anne C Witt, a professor of law at EDHEC Business School. "The European Commission just sent out a statement of objections, so there's no way they can get there before the CMA. The CMA is going to win this one and it will be interesting."
"To advance the gaming market to the benefit of all stakeholders, we believe it is important to consider clear and easily enforceable solutions to potential competition concerns," a Microsoft spokesperson said.
"Our commitment to grant long-term access to Call of Duty to Sony, as well as Nintendo and Steam, accomplishes this be preserving the deal's benefits to consumers and developers and promoting competition in the market," they said.
Why Microsoft’s $69 Billion Activision Deal Hinges on London Not Washington - Bloomberg
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, talks about cloud gaming and subscription services:
"We're believers in cloud gaming. We were one of the first licensors, if not the first licensor for Google Stadia to support that product."
"But remember, cloud gaming is a technology. It's not a business model. It's a distribution technology. And our view is broader distribution is always a good thing in the entertainment business. If we can reach more consumers with our properties, we're happy to do it as long as the terms make sense," he said. "I think broader distribution over time probably benefits us in any number of ways, including the cost of distribution, which I believe will go down over time. That said, never felt like cloud gaming would represent a seismic change because I think if you're prepared to pay $60 or $70 for a frontline title, you're also prepared to buy a console. And I think Stadia found that out."
He added, "So bringing high-quality titles to consumers who don't own consoles will probably have an effect around the edges, but I don't think it'll be hard revolution in the business. I think it will be more and the evolution of the business, and there's still technical challenges to be addressed."
Asked if subscriptions are taking a toll on sales of individual games and changing the way people engage with new titles, Zelnick said he is thrilled to be in the subscription business for catalogue titles at the appropriate time.
"We think that is the right way to support subscription," he said. "I think the last announcement was that Game Pass was 25 million subscribers. We're not talking a huge broad-based business yet. I don't believe that businesses cannibalizing our business."
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