• Stillhart@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    1 year ago

    Not a fan of market consolidation. It’s bad for the consumer at the end of the day.

    But if I were to look for a silver lining: 1 More quality Gamepass content and 2 Maybe MS can save Blizzard from itself.

    • abir_vandergriff@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      18
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I look forward to 5-10 years from now when the people who were kids now start pointing to this acquisition as the negative “turning point” for Blizzard because they liked Overwatch 2.

  • electromage@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    1 year ago

    Maybe they can make WoW expansions free with a subscription now, or make it all part of Xbox Game Pass?

    • SuiXi3D@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      WoW being included with a GamePass sub (similar to Fallout 76 or ESO) would be great, but don’t expect any expansions to be included.

      • Obi@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        All I want is the Xbox adaptation so I can do the grinding/leveling from the couch and only go to the PC for raids. I think with my current lifestyle (work work work, family family family), that’s the only way I could realistically play again.

  • terminhell@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    1 year ago

    I wonder if MS is more interested in the Activision side. MW/King etc. I think blizzard is just a baggage addon at this point.

    • Feydaikin@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      Activision has a ton of old unused IP’s under their name. Could be a treasure trove if handled correctly.

      But have no doubt, Blizzard is part of the prize. It’s just a matter if MS can turn the current “climate” around somehow.

    • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Im of the boat that believes innorder to boost gamepass subscription numbers for shareholders, WoW subs will eventually merge into gamepass

      • Feydaikin@beehaw.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I doubt it.

        WoW is too old and there’s more profit in keeping the subscriptions separate. You might get a couple more expansions though. Whatever is in the works currently.

        More likely they’ll be trying to bank on D4 and Overwatch to start with. Then, maybe, move on to something else.

        Either way they’ll try to milk whatever newest franchises are out for as much as they can before doing anything. But current WoW isn’t likely to be a flagship for anything.

        • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Its less about immedoate profit and more about pumping up gamepass numbers under one umbrella for investors to see a large number increase. Its part of the reason why Xbox Live Gold has been rebranded into Gamepass Core. Microsoft supposedly is under their sub projection (despite having about 40M subs) and trying to pump the numbers as much as possible.

          Overwatch makes no sense given its a feee game. Unless your implying gamepass pays for the battlepass, as the game moving to gamepass would be a detriment on console as it does not require gamepass core to play (as its free)

          • Feydaikin@beehaw.org
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            I am uncertain as to the cost/benefit projections for doing that.

            Yes, they get to bump subscriptions a bit. But the game would effectively go f2p in the process. And anyone that already pays for both, will not add to any numbers.

            I don’t know the current player count for WoW. Only MS can estimate as to it’s potential benefit.

            My money is on them just migrating everything to their storefronts to begin with and then waiting to see what effect it’ll have.

            • averyminya@beehaw.org
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              I’m with you and I don’t think the other person really gets just how expensive a WoW subscription is. It will never be integrated into Gamepass, it makes far too much money on its own.

              • Feydaikin@beehaw.org
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                It’s possible they might bundle up all the expansions and make the entire thing “free” with gamepass. They’re all bought and payed for as it is.

                It’d make it seem attractive and it costs MS $0. And they get to keep the monetization model that’s already in place.

                Having their cake and eating it too.

                The only ones eating the check, so to speak, would be everyone that already purchased all the dlc.

                It seems like a appropriate mega-corp thing to do.

  • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    1 year ago

    As somebody who has spent years and years working for ABK and Xbox, my prediction is this integration will be hardest for King.

      • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        AB and Xbox are both North American corporate culture companies, for better or worse. King is very much a Swedish company, and spends a lot of time on the softer side of management.

        King was already struggling fitting into AB culture. That work-24/7, Drive for Success™️, I-read-six-books-week-and-get-up-at-4-am-to-exercise culture will now be driven up to 11.

        • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          To be fair to Microsoft… Mojang has seemingly been doing gret as another Swedish company under their roof. This might actually be a reprieve from Activision Blizzard management?

          • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            100% Xbox is better lead than AB and Phil Spencer is an awesome person and an awesome leader. So in that respect there might be more time for King post-acquisition. But let’s wait and see

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    🤖 I’m a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:

    Click here to see the summary

    Microsoft has finalized its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo.

    The acquisition required 20 months of battles with regulators in the UK and US, but Microsoft has closed its Activision Blizzard deal after defeating the Federal Trade Commission in a US federal court and restructuring the deal to appease the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK.

    “As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people.

    “Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms,” says Spencer.

    Activision Blizzard made it clear earlier this week that Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo IV won’t be coming to Xbox Game Pass this year, though.

    After the FTC then failed to secure a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft from finalizing its Activision Blizzard acquisition, the CMA and Microsoft instantly agreed to pause their legal battles for a remedy in the UK and eventually negotiated an agreement over cloud gaming rights.


    Saved 63% of original text.

  • GreenMario@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    MS knows that everyone is gonna have their own Sub service just like how Netflix spawned all the Hulus and Disney+s., and it’s already started with EA and Ubisoft. To stay relevant they need to own the content, not just rent.

    To keep GP relevant they need to cater to all types of gamers. You need RPGs, shooters, indies, classics, strategys, casuals, sims etc. “Something for everyone”.

    I’ma be honest, I’ll consider this a win if Phil does actually get Raven on Hexen 3 like he kinda hinted at. Let’s get Warcraft 4 or Prototype 3, some new Tony Hawk. There are a lot of dead IPs that can use a comeback that isn’t just a remaster. Maybe they can go back and fix Warcraft 3 and make an Xbox port so that I can lay back on my couch and play that like I have done with AoE2.

    If they decide to keep things business as usual it’s gonna suck.