Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Is Being Scrutinised In The UK

This was going to happen eventually and has happened to other big corporations as well. This deal will just about go through though but I wouldn't be surprised if this will be last they are allowed to

What happens if it's approved in most countries, but not the UK? How could the UK subsidiaries keep separate when their US parent companies have merged, and any work they do will be dictated by them?

Harm competition…what competition? Xbox is always dead last in the uk sales. If anything this will help create competition here.

@PhileasFragg All Microsoft / Activision & Blizzard hardware & software will be withdrawn from sale. The Competition and Markets Authority will then push for exclusive sales of the superior Intellivision Amico instead...

To see if it would lead to “higher prices” for the consumer. Haha if only they knew how much gamers were saving.

It's just normal procedure. The EU will be looking into it as well just like any major merger/acquisition. Basically the deal is moving along to the next stage.

Big acquisitions have to be checked by all countries relevant authorities. It's less of a "competition check" and more just regulatory procedure. If Disney can buy 20th Century Fox globally without issue, then this deal is just a drop in the ocean compared to that.

i think ps is the one that always harm the competition with their timed exclusives and permanent 3rd party exclusives. xbox does nothing that will harm and activision nowdaways only make CoD anyway... with blizzard focusing on Overwatch 2 & WoW

All deals are looked at and they can 'recommend' that the deal does not go through. However, that is NOT them saying the Deal will never go through as its just a 'recommendation'.

That recommendation does carry 'weight' so that MS would need to go to Court (involving court fees etc) to try and get the deal through - where these organisations would have to provide evidence to prove their reasoning for their recommendation, just as MS would have to provide counters, and then let the court decide on whether the deal goes through. If the largest Union is backing the deal too, they would carry some weight in court too...

Basically, the FTC (and equivalent in other areas) are an independent organisation to investigate if there is any reason these deals shouldn't go through and their findings are 'recommendations'. If they don't recommend that the deal should go through, then it comes down to the Company to decide if their findings are 'fair/justified' and withdraw or take it to court to let them decide.

The fact that 'Xbox' is basically in every home now as Xbox is available in Console format, on PC and every iOS/Android supported device, its not exactly 'anti-consumer' where the Consumer has no 'choice' but to buy the Hardware or miss out. Everyone has 'access' to Xbox and don't need to buy MS hardware to play Xbox games.

@sikthvash That's probably for the best

What does the UK have to do with 2 American companies merging? It's the same as US would have nothing to do with a pub co buying another pub co

@Skedaddle MS do have offices in UK i suppose

@BAMozzy you do need to buy an Xbox if you want to play Xbox games natively & can't afford a gaming pc

@Bleachedsmiles
Xbox Series X/S is actually 2nd only behind Switch for console sales in the UK for 2022.
PS5 is in last place, although mostly due to stock issues.

@Bleachedsmiles no it's not. Why don't you go back to the PlayStation site fan boy

@Would_you_kindly That's not the point! The point is that you can still PLAY these games on any supported device, not necessarily made for 'running' games, never going to get a 'native' port with all the work needed and to suit pretty much any budget.

If you can't afford a Series X, then MS have a Series S for you - not as Graphically powerful so will compromise on visual quality, but you 'get what you pay for'. You'll need to spend 'more' to match an XSX with PC hardware. However, if you can't afford or justify buying a MS made console, you don't have to miss out.

Streaming XSX 'quality' at 1080/60 can be better than the Local experience - if the Hardware is 'weak'. If you have an XB1s for example, offering 900/30 for its own native performance, streaming would give a much better and richer visual presentation and a lower input lag due to 60fps game play. Obviously we know that games like MSFS wouldn't run Locally anyway, but they can still 'play' it on ANY supported device from as little as $10 a month...

Of course the more you are willing to spend, the more 'advantages' you get - whether its Visual enhancements, Frame Rates or the ability to play 'locally' (if that's always an advantage).

Streaming has its Advantages too -no need to wait to install or update, no need to juggle my limited storage to make room, can play on my slimline 'non gaming' laptop anywhere, can offer a 'better' experience than Local (depending on Hardware specs), available anywhere, not just where your heavy hardware set-up is located, Don't need to buy specific hardware to meet the games local requirements etc etc.

Yes its not as 'good' as playing Locally on 'some' Hardware but better than other hardware could offer (you'll never get Local 'mobile' versions of MSFS, FH5 etc) and whilst there must be some additional 'Lag', its basically imperceptible and as I stated, perhaps even better than playing at 30fps on weaker hardware...

Point is, MS has an OPTION regardless of your budget so that you don't have to miss out on ANY games they release. If that 'gamer' isn't willing or able to spend the 'minimum' of a Series S, then they can still play from as little as $10 a month. That's much more affordable than $250 + $6 a month for Gold + $60 for the game. With Nintendo and Sony, if you want to play their games Day 1, you have NO choice...

@tartanross 🫢🤭🙃

@dsar9012 They care about Xbox exclusives…what they don’t care about is Xbox console sales. The console is not their primary platform - gamepass is. Trust that if Phil could get gamepass on PlayStation and Nintendo he would in a heart beat…and then it will be interesting to see what happens to the Xbox fanboys…basically cheerleading Netflix at that point. Netfix for games yo!

Wait King is in the deal too? Good revenue stream there.

@BAMozzy not everyone has a good enough internet connection to stream games

@Bleachedsmiles they could easily put gamepass on firesticks & Chromecasts but they want to make their own 'streaming stick' & I seriously doubt both Amazon & Google have said they wouldn't allow it especially seen as the apps already available on android devices

@Would_you_kindly must be a reason beyond ‘wanting to make their own streaming stick’…otherwise why start putting gamepass on smart TV? Maybe it’s not compatible. Or maybe it has to be the right deal…there’s a reason why the gamepass app (as in play games)is on android and not apple.

Also, what does this have to do with what I said? They want gamepass everywhere…if they bring out a streaming stick it doesn’t mean they no longer want it on smart tvs and PlayStation and Nintendo consoles

@Bleachedsmiles they're putting the app on select Samsung model TVs because they have a deal with Samsung & of course Nintendo & Sony aren't going to want gamepass on their systems when they're selling most of the games that are on the subscription on their own storefronts I bet they wouldn't have a problem with a watered down version of gamepass being on their consoles that only includes games that are first party Microsoft & not available to buy on Nintendo or playstation

@Would_you_kindly Yet the majority of people do - That's partly why they stream at 1080p as you don't need 40Gbps or more just to have enough bandwidth to stream. 20Gbps is enough - if you can stream Netflix with decent performance, you'll be fine.

If there are people that haven't upgraded their internet package from the 90's, or in some 'remote' areas, then I'd believe they would struggle - but in most places, internet speeds are more than adequate. It was built to work with 4G mobile networks so the Majority have good enough, even if its not the fastest fibre optic broadband speeds.

If someone 'has' to play locally for whatever reason, that's where the Consoles comes in but they are NOT the only option. They are an 'Option' depending on Budget, Preference and/or situation. Can't afford or justify buying a Series X or PC, you have the cheap Series S.

Xbox games can be played on so many different devices and available in 'every' household as everyone has a Smart Phone. Streaming may not be the 'best' way to play, but it is the 'cheapest' way in and, like with PC's, the more you can spend, the more 'features' and 'Performance' you get. The Series S may well be the Cheapest 'local' option, but if you spend more on a Series X, you get more features and performance, spend more on a high end Gaming PC, you get more features and performance...

Streaming is an Option. It means that people can play Xbox games basically anywhere and on any supported device. I can go from Console to PC to Mobile and keep my Progress, don't need to buy the same game for different platforms etc. Its all one 'ecosystem' and there are many more options for Consumers to choose how they want to access that ecosystem. With Sony or Nintendo, you have 1 choice - their hardware - at least for Day 1 access.

All I said was Streaming is a viable option and that every gamer basically has the tools to jump into the Xbox Ecosystem at any point in time from as little as $10 a month. They already have a Smart Phone and/or PC (doesn't need to be a gaming PC either - a cheap Laptop works too). OK so it doesn't have the 'same' features as a Series S/X (Option to play Locally and limited choice of games available to stream) but its $10 a month and can jump into '$100's' worth of Games with 100's hrs worth of entertainment. Xbox also offer 'All Access' options too - a Series S or X with Game Pass Ultimate from £22 - £29 a month.

If 'streaming' really is a problem for you, there are options available - it really is YOUR choice. You are NOT forced to buy a MS branded console just to play the 'few' exclusives you actually want to play. You can Sub to Game Pass for a month to play a specific title or 3, then cancel until you see other titles you want to play - just $10 a month. Its 'an' option!!!

@BAMozzy I wasn't talking about bandwidth I was talking about the actual download speed the top speed I can currently get is about 50mbps & the streaming quality is very hit & miss

@Would_you_kindly Bandwidth/Speed is pretty much the same thing - the amount of Data that can be transferred per second. According to Xbox, Best performance will be achieved at rates of 10 Mbps on mobile devices, 20 Mbps on consoles, PCs and tablets and 5GHz WiFi or mobile data connection.

You have to remember, this was built initially for 4g Mobile networks. The 'speed/bandwidth' isn't making the game run faster/slower - its sending the 'image' to your device, much like a Console sends its fully rendered image to a TV via a HDMI cable. As long as your internet has the 'bandwidth/speed' to transfer the image data to your display, its like watching Netflix. The difference of course is that you are also sending your controller input in the opposite direction but your 'internet' is not that dissimilar from a HDMI cable - transferring image data from hardware to a display.

The main difference is that a HDMI cable is a constant, Internet speeds are not due to fluctuations of demand. At peak times, your internet is not as fast as it could be but as long as its over 20Mbps consistently, you are good to go.