Not 100% nor 0%. But it's impossible to discuss anything since fingers always start pointing in different directions. 
He's right this thread started about Microsoft, but everything gets countered with, but Sony, but Google, but Apple, that's in the past, and so on.

The idea that somehow MS having Acti/Blizz/King is somehow better instead of Sony, Google or Apple is not something I agree with nor really relevant to the question. Just a smokescreen to avoid talking about what the consequences can be.

I can see some parallels between GoG to how CP2077 ended up, and Gamepass and the Halo Infinite mess up. Now grow gamepass further and add a lot more IPs, yeah I'm slightly worried about this acquisition. Personally I don't have much stake in it anyway, Blizzard and Activision have been unwelcome in my house for a long time now. So imo, that 69 billion is better spend elsewhere! But for MS it's a good deal, lot of old stuff to throw on gamepass including new cash cows, while getting an inroad to mobile gaming to spread gamepass there.

Anyway you know how fond I am of subscriptions, mobile gaming and streaming, not at all. MS is heading away from my interests.

Have you read the OP?. He gave people the right to bring other companys into the question. Your taking a bad take from ConservagameR who is using qa case thats around 20 years old to try make his point and failing badly at even doing that but yet he or you it seems dont want to hear about stuff more recent from other companys. If your going to pass judgement on one you might as well pass it on them all your fav company should not be excluded..

And to try say since Halo Inf and CP2077 that wasnt even in a sub service turned out means all games will be half baked is very silly on your behalf and a bad argument to make unless you have prove to show your right something you dont have as many games launch on PS/XB/Nin and Pc platforms thqats not in a sub service and needs patches after the fact to fix them. But where your argument falls very short here is plenty of users of XB gamepass can point out all the games thats on the service that doesnt have the problems you are trying to paint. Really you shouldnt be following bad takes.

The OP is saying the same, pre-empting exactly what people are doing in this thread "Obviously, the usual counter points since the acquisition has been announced are still being used to justify this have been the same. SONY money hatted timed exclusive, SONY paid third parties to prevent games from making it to the xbox platforms. SONY is doing this and that..... yeah, and I see your point on how this is wrong and shouldn't continue to happen, however, the question becomes;"

how is the solution to objectionable practices is an even bigger objectionable practice?

The OP is asking to discuss the acquisition, not to deviate by blaming other companies.

The parallels between CP2077 and Halo Infinite are not about the sub service. It's about relying on GoG / Gamepass for reputation / cash flow instead of making sure to pump out quality, bug free, complete games on day 1. FH5 didn't launch in a great state either, plenty online problems, I never saw any traffic on the road between races, broken AI. I went back to finish FH4 instead.

And yes most games on gamepass don't have problems since the majority are older already actually finished games, next to 3rd party games that still rely on their reputation by pumping out quality at release. However the whole day one on gamepass has become an excuse for shoddy releases. It's alright, it's 'free' on gamepass. It's early access! At least MS is doing the right thing now with Forza 8, delay until it is finished. (Which Sony should have done with GT7, just saying since that always come up as soon as you mention Forza)

The OP is saying the same, pre-empting exactly what people are doing in this thread "Obviously, the usual counter points since the acquisition has been announced are still being used to justify this have been the same. SONY money hatted timed exclusive, SONY paid third parties to prevent games from making it to the xbox platforms. SONY is doing this and that..... yeah, and I see your point on how this is wrong and shouldn't continue to happen, however, the question becomes;"

how is the solution to objectionable practices is an even bigger objectionable practice?

The OP is asking to discuss the acquisition, not to deviate by blaming other companies.

The parallels between CP2077 and Halo Infinite are not about the sub service. It's about relying on GoG / Gamepass for reputation / cash flow instead of making sure to pump out quality, bug free, complete games on day 1. FH5 didn't launch in a great state either, plenty online problems, I never saw any traffic on the road between races, broken AI. I went back to finish FH4 instead.

And yes most games on gamepass don't have problems since the majority are older already actually finished games, next to 3rd party games that still rely on their reputation by pumping out quality at release. However the whole day one on gamepass has become an excuse for shoddy releases. It's alright, it's 'free' on gamepass. It's early access! At least MS is doing the right thing now with Forza 8, delay until it is finished. (Which Sony should have done with GT7, just saying since that always come up as soon as you mention Forza)

Using Sony and other big tech isn't about blaming them for anything it's about asserting context.

So far I have referred to Sony as being the most vocal complainant to the deal, which it clearly is, and contextualize regulatory bodies findings which the OP invited US to discuss.

I also referred to Sony as being about the sole actor on the losing end of the deal (though not without mitigation), which I don't believe is unfair or a blame of some sort or unjustified by the context of the thread.

I also referred to Sony and every other big tech when substantiating my claim that the behavior MS were tried for are tolerated today and is used by pretty much all said big tech including Sony. This is not blaming Sony this is simply putting the 20 years old court case in context and asserting that I don't believe it is of any relevance to the deal.

If you believe that I or other referred to Sony or any other actor in an unjustified or innaprotiate way, by all mean quote it directly, explain why the reference was unjustified.

Also you say It's about relying on GoG / Gamepass for reputation / cash flow instead of making sure to pump out quality, bug free, complete games on day 1. and However the whole day one on gamepass has become an excuse for shoddy releases. It's alright, it's 'free' on gamepass. It's early access!

I don't understand it to be the case, MS isn't taking quality lightly by using GP reputation as said reputation is dependant on the quality of it content and there's literally no incentive from GP's perspective of rushing a game out, sure mishaps happen but I have played many day 1 title on GP without any major issues.

No games are bug free and completeness is only a matter of point of view. Games like Grounded add new features and content every patch, does that mean the game will never be considered complete or that each and every version can be considered a slightly different complete game? A game like Destiny uses extension through DLC does that mean the game isn't complete at launch or the fact that you have to pay for extension mean it was complete?

All in all, as I understand it, Xbox titles are not handled in any different ways than prior to GP and is certainly not unlike the overall industry. I don't blame anyone here except when the game has been clearly rushed out (GTA trilogy remaster, CP2077) which I don't believe is a major concern with MS and Xbox. Of course, MS isn't perfect either and can get better but the situation problematic overall.

So the answer still is, but others do it too / are just as bad or worse, so it's ok?
I guess that's an answer to how is the solution to objectionable practices is an even bigger objectionable practice?
No solution needed, just keep one upping until there's nothing left to one up with.

All in all, as I understand it, Xbox titles are not handled in any different ways than prior to GP
Where are they though, XBox had more (AAA) games coming out before gamepass...
Also they are much more life service now instead of complete day 1, that's different since GP.
Both last end year's AAA XBox releases have/had problems as I said, not a good track record.

Anyway enough whataboutism, this escalation of buying up bigger and bigger studios / publishers needs to stop. My 'fear' is that if this gets green lit, what's Google/Amazon/Apple/Sony going to gobble up next...

So the answer still is, but others do it too / are just as bad or worse, so it's ok?
I guess that's an answer to how is the solution to objectionable practices is an even bigger objectionable practice?
No solution needed, just keep one upping until there's nothing left to one up with.

All in all, as I understand it, Xbox titles are not handled in any different ways than prior to GP
Where are they though, XBox had more (AAA) games coming out before gamepass...
Also they are much more life service now instead of complete day 1, that's different since GP.
Both last end year's AAA XBox releases have/had problems as I said, not a good track record.

Anyway enough whataboutism, this escalation of buying up bigger and bigger studios / publishers needs to stop. My 'fear' is that if this gets green lit, what's Google/Amazon/Apple/Sony going to gobble up next...

Alby_da_Wolf said:

I'm a PC gamer, so I should get the games anyway, but I'm against as I don't trust MS. Since the beginiing, MS only owned one part of the x86 PC, the OS, but it always tried to behave as if it owned the whole platform, and I'm against this.

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Azzanation said:

Ill assume you don't game on Windows than. Would be an odd relationship if you did.

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Alby_da_Wolf said:

It surely is!

I game on Windows, Android and Linux, but I try to give MS as little power as possible.

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Azzanation said:

That would require you to not buy their games or use their ecosystems. 

You're just proving my point, thanks.