So is the preference to fight this for an extended period of time or move to plan B. Since this is being blocked from the cloud perspective, should Microsoft focus more on buying say Ubisoft, Sega, and CD Project with that money, or should they try to go the moneyhat direction and give Activision a bag of cash, to make COD exclusive to Xbox?

You just have to laugh off how ridiculous this entire thing is.

I am waiting for Jim Ryan to make some statements. I know he is smiling from ear to ear.

This is what worries me the most. I would like to think that they would not be able to afford another 2022, but that's very well what they might do. Another year of cruise control. 

Microsoft is fighting it.

It being blocked from a Cloud perspective due to the ability to put CoD, Overwatch, WoW, etc. Onto xCloud makes me convinced that Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed/Far Cry) would be blocked for the same reasons. 50/50 on CD Projekt Red and Sega as they both have very big IPs as well, although Sega more for PC.

Think I'd rather they dropped the deal but I understand why they won't. If they continue to acquire smaller independent developers in the meantime then I'd neither care or have an opinion on them dropping the deal, it can just be worked on in the background and I'd be fine with that.

I just don't think they should let certain studios get away from them, I also think they need to bulk up their support network, the majority of XGS and Bethesda big guns have yet to release so it remains to be seen how that helps, moneyhatting would be a dangerous move but if the deal is ultimately blocked then I'd say go for it, since that is deemed totally fine, however there's no way they would put the money down for CoD.

I am waiting for this too, they called CMA "irrational" just days ago so I wonder if they'll flip-flop on this position.

Doubt he says anything, he'd look like a tool after calling CMA irrational recently, Lol.

Plus the deal being blocked has nothing to do with him.

I'll say again, I'll laugh when Luna shuts down...xCloud is only surviving because of Game Pass, Lol.

Literally impossible with Starfield in 2023, and Redfall, even despite the bumps, the business continues to grow.

ABK would have added to an already packed future pipeline, it wasn't essential to make it packed, as ABK is fairly slow.

What it was for is massively expanding the Gaming business in a quick way, it was an opportunity that fell into their lap, Microsoft had no intention of acquiring Activision-Blizzard or accounted for it in their plans until Activision-Blizzard put themselves on the market in late 2021.

So whatever held previously should still remain true, if Starfield is Holiday, it will remain Holiday, if Hellblade is Holiday, it will remain Holiday, if Avowed is early 2023, it will remain early 2023, etc. They aren't going to delay those titles for the benefit of the acquisition.

What I think is being delayed is other potential acquisitions to further increase their pipeline, their marketing is muted but then again they didn't have any major AAAs to market, I also think they're delaying some Game Pass specific stuff such as Family Plan and the ability to play all your owned titles on xCloud.

The former should be dumped, they should start acquiring smaller independent studios again, all the xCloud boosting stuff can be delayed for all I care.

I'm going to paint a picture of what this is like...

Imagine in 2028 Witcher 4 comes out. It features two playable characters (I don't remember the name of the dancing dude with the sword and the lady friend). So let's call them Ryuu and Noble. 

Witcher 4 has two stories from the perspective of Ryuu and Noble, that are also separated. Not within the same party. Now throughout the game you have a timer at the bottom of the screen and once it hits zero it switches to the other person. 

Imagine you as Ryuu, in an epic boss fight against some deranged evil horse monster. You about to finish it off and the timer hits zero and you auto switch to Noble doing whatever the f he's doing.

This is Dream Drop Distance, and it's pissing me off. 

Well the only hope is the EU now, the fact that the CMA blocked this over Cloud only means that they were dead set in blocking this deal from the start.

If this decision stays then we can say goodbye to MS going to “Plan B” and potentially going after another smaller publisher.

As long as Sony isn't allowed to do the same thing (lol), then I'd be somewhat ok with it. But they also continue to moneyhat shit.