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Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by TheCaptain4815 on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @03:36PM (#36315735)
Don't want to comment on the legally or market forces bit on this, just want to comment as a gamer I'm elated.

Microsoft has destroyed pretty much every franchise it touches, with Azure being able to subsidize huge losses for the garbage they've been producing.

Halo infinite might literally be the biggest flop in entertainment history. 500 million dollars spent and within a FEW MONTHS you had the player count for a FREE multiplayer game in the 5 digits.

These studios and game managers know their jobs are very secure, especially if they fall into Microsoft's ESG requirements, so game quality has taken a complete nosedive.

Gone are the small, nerdy, and passionate studios building these games that existed even during the Xbox 360 era from Microsoft.

Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by SuperMario1758 on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @04:41PM (#36316882)
Any other studio and I would agree with you, but as an old school Blizzard fan I was hoping Microsoft could right the ship.

The Blizzard of today is not a studio that is small, nerdy, and passionate, so what's to lose?

Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by Akronymus on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @06:24PM (#36318456)
I wouldn't even call it Blizzard. It's simply activision to me.
Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by lockhouse on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @07:53PM (#36319340)
Be careful what you wish for. Who else is going to be able to compete with Sony?

If Microsoft never makes another XBox generation, how good do you think the PS6 will be? Would they even bother making a PS7?

Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by tapoxi on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @08:27PM (#36319619)
Nintendo? They're way out front in terms of hardware and game sales.

Not to mention Microsoft makes Windows, and has significant control of PC gaming.

Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by ragequittah on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @11:26PM (#36321061)
Sitting over here playing flight sim, aoe 4 (and 2 every now and then cuz that remaster was fantastic), Forza horizon, looking forward to starfall after the epic gameplay trailer, and wondering someone can have such a drastically different view. Not to mention all of these games are on gamepass, which saved me 100s of dollars.
Re:US moves to block Microsoft's Activision takeover by solardev on Wednesday June 14, 2023 @11:15AM (#36327242)
Is Microsoft really that bad with franchises? Fable was pretty great. Halo until recently? Age of Empires? Flight Sim? Gears of War?

And it's not like Call of Duty is some beloved indie franchise anyway. I'd much prefer that than Microsoft gobbling up a bunch of small indie developers. Even the Blizzard games (Diablo, for example) are way less innovative than their indie counterparts.

And whatever their financials, Microsoft has continued sinking a lot of money into their gaming products, thankfully. They could've surrendered but then we'd lose the one major competitor to Playstation, and maybe even Windows gaming. Until and unless Valve/Steam becomes a vertically integrated platform, Microsoft has a purpose.