Re:Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
by doikor on Wednesday July 12, 2023 @01:57AM
(#36690919)
Because they want to sell their games without paying a 30% cut to someone (Sony/Nintendo/Valve/Apple/Google/etc) if possible. Also getting the 30% cut from someone else selling on their platform is really nice.
Re:Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
by pjmlp on Wednesday July 12, 2023 @02:30AM
(#36691073)
Because game studios prefer to target fix hardware like game consoles instead of the computer hardware jungle.
Re:Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
by johnnyanmac on Wednesday July 12, 2023 @11:06AM
(#36695645)
>why don't they just stop making Xboxes entirely?
because at this point, even if Xbox's weren't profitable, ending the Xbox brand would harm confidence in Gamepass.
Not that Xbox isn't profitable. But even in the worst case they have negative incentive to pull out.
Microsoft's subscription push can't work without winning the console wars since Sony isn't about to let them put GamePass on PS since that kills Sony's revenue model. (That would itself be a very interesting antitrust case.)
So they still want to win the console wars, they just want to monetize that victory differently. But pulling things like Starfield - and eventually COD - off of other platforms is 10000% still aligned with "making as much money as possible."