Microsoft Is Running Full-Page Newspaper Ads About Call Of Duty On Xbox

Newspapers are still a thing?

Well I suppose you need something to wrap your fish and chips in (not that they do that anymore either 🙂)

@BBB I miss them days ,have a lovely meal and keep up on news lol

@BBB It’s the perfect platform to make their case, though. Most of the people involved in regulating this are boomers who don’t understand technology and still have a newspaper dropped on their doorsteps every morning.

I'm not sure if readers of the Financial Times are their target market.

Come on UK just let the deal go through 👍🏻

I know that people hate Microsoft buying everyone but i think having maps, missions etc exclusives is worse....i hate that crap.
And Sony really loves this ....

I don't have have problem since i have series x, PS5 and switch so I'm good with whatever decision they will make.

So where's the image of a playstation 4/5 and nintendo switch? Or do they want the public to think its not on those consoles.

Good. May look like a desperate move, but least they’re finally getting the message out to people outside of their twitter page.

@Ginsama the thing everyone seems to forget is that MS used to have similar, arguably better exclusivity deals for Cod. They literally started the cod content arms race. Sony obviously offered Activision a better deal and now MS with the worlds shortest memory are pretending Sony invented the concept. https://www.eurogamer.net/after-five-years-of-xbox-exclusivity-call-of-duty-switches-to-playstation

Nowadays the only exclusive content PS players get is Weapon skins and a small xp bonus when playing with friends. It’s been a long time since there has been any actual gameplay bonuses.

@GeeEssEff

Ohhh yeah thats true... Microsoft used to be super tight with Activision back in the days....

But for example we have Hogwarts exclusive mission, avengers spider man, watch dogs, assassin's Creed back in the day ....

I still think that Sony uses a lot this than any other company...

But yeah thats pretty crap no matter who for me at least.

Is anyone seriously going to play mainline Call of Duty multiplayer cloud streamed on a mobile phone? That just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

@GeeEssEff I remember at the time that all the Xbox fans said that PlayStation was wasting their money and time signing exclusivity deals for COD. They also said COD was a terrible game. It’s crazy how the tables have turned now.

@Ginsama Yeh you’re right overall Sony probably do have more exclusive content deals but both will have their fair share. Also difficult to quantify because an exclusive character, level or mission is obviously more valuable than a character skin or something. I honestly think it’s rare that exclusive content is going to affect the purchasing habits of people who have both consoles though. Most will have their main console which they buy all their games on and probably won’t even be aware of exclusive content.

Respect to MS for saying they will put an end to exclusive content if the acquisition goes through but let’s be honest it’s mainly for show rather then for the gamers. If the acquisition wasn’t a thing and ABK offered Xbox exclusive maps and content Phil Spencer would bite their hands off for it. He wouldn’t turn it down saying he wants all gamers to have the same experience because he just loves the community. He’s a business man after all not our friend.

@GeeEssEff

the thing everyone seems to forget is that MS used to have similar, arguably better exclusivity deals for Cod

That is just factually not true.
Sony's deals with Activision for Destiny (1) alone included items and at least a game quest/misson exclusively to PlayStation console there were likely other things associated as well.

With regards to COD it became even more egregious. PlayStation had exclusive an game mode, XP boosts, early access to content and other exclusive titbits paid for by Sony while Xbox owners had to wait for or completley be excluded from up to a year.

Meanwhile Microsoft's COD deals during the X360 days were just early access to map packs for 30 days.
So no, Microsoft's deals with Activision most definitely were not better, it couldn't hold a candle to the s**t Sony pulled /are pulling.

@Sol4ris I mean what’s worse and better is down to opinion. What IS factual is that MS were the first to do the whole cod exclusive content thing way before Destiny (not sure why that’s been brought up?) was even being developed. If you punched me in the face but I punched you back harder you would be a bit of a hypocrite to moan about getting punched yes?

@Bionic-Spencer
I remember at the time that all the Xbox fans said that PlayStation was wasting their money and time signing exclusivity deals for COD. They also said COD was a terrible game. It’s crazy how the tables have turned now

The irony of your post will not be lost on anyone who was gaming and visiting gaming sites during the X360 and PS3 generation. Except back then PlayStation fans were saying that only chavs play COD and the game is garbage. I personally don't see what your point was, but hey more power to you.

@GeeEssEff Here's the thing though, Microsoft aren't as against exclusive content as they would like you to believe, in fact the actively practice it within their one platform. Just earlier this week there was an article on this site about exclusive content in Halo for Game Pass members so clearly they are in favour of it when it suits them.

@GeeEssEff

I mean what’s worse and better is down to opinion

Well not quite. You erroneously claimed that Microsoft had a better Activision deal before Sony and that IS factually false. Opinions are or can be subjective.

Yes Microsoft did have a COD deal before Sony, but that's not what I'm responding to ( a bit selective there) . And the Sony Destiny deal does matter in the context of what is discussed here.

If you punched me in the face but I punched you back harder you would be a bit of a hypocrite to moan about getting punched yes?

Yeah, let's not do that, shall we? Also not an analogy I would use 😉.

@Sol4ris well you still have those Playstation fans today living in a bubble. I’ve seen it enough, they’ve said COD doesn’t matter only casuals play it, PlayStation doesn’t need it. They fail to realise casuals are like 90% of the gaming market 🤣 PlayStation exclusives alone aren’t enough to carry the brand, especially as Sonys games have such astronomical budgets now too for the most part.

Nobody wants to play a competitive shooter on their mobile through cloud streaming lol

@Fenbops that's the thing that amuses me. It's mainly the 'hardcore' minority that are really invested in the acquisition. Most of my friends I play online with either aren't aware of it, or never speak about it. I doubt they would even notice it after the deal goes through as long as Call of Duty still releases on all current platforms.

@Sol4ris My exact words were “Arguably better”. The key word there being arguably which I think covers the bases that it is down to opinion but will also happily retract the word better from my statement. My point wasn’t really meant to be about anything being better or worse it was about the hypocrisy of the situation.

For context I’m not here to start arguments. I am a pretty agnostic gamer with a Series X (gamepass user), PS5 and switch. I am just trying to show that pretty much all the “shady business practices” Sony gets accused of MS has done, is doing or plans to do. Neither are nice friendly local businesses. They are power houses that don’t care about us and just want to rinse us of money and they both do a particularly good job of it.

And to be clear I am the type of guy who would curl up in a ball crying after getting punched so nothing to worry about there 👍 😉

@Would_you_kindly
Not right now. But give it 3 years and with 5G and a lot of people will love playing Call of Duty on their phone.

They need to do more advertising in general. I always see Playstation ads, almost never Xbox.

@Romans12 if you are a front runner you want to stay in front so you keep your player base happy with look what we have while trying to impede others who you are catching up … if you are behind you need something amazing and exclusive then you can advertise. What for the massive Starfield marketing….

I'm disapointed about UK regulators still struggling to see how good this merger can be for the gaming industry and consumer at large without sony crossplay would already be a thing in the gaming industry, it's so much fun when a game got crossplay like wild heart.

Probably the most advertising the Xbox team have done

My biggest concern with Xbox is eventually them being just a gamepass app on other devices which is making me not want to invest in them

Which I know sounds odd but for some reason it’s just putting me off as I like to have dedicated hardware for my games as my internet isn’t the most stable

@Meehanuk_1987 that’s the end goal for sure…just an app on everything. The only reason that’s not yet a reality is that it depends on them having their own games - other platforms won’t accept gamepass with 3rd party games because they themselves make money off 3rd party games…and gamepass would take from that money. So it requires a steady consistent stream of Xbox content. Getting activision would help a lot in that…but MS as so inept at managing their teams productively that this vision won’t be for a long time yet. But make no mistake, this is why they go after publishers over just studios now.

I applaud MS. If Sony wants to take the obstructionist route I think they'll find MS will eat their lunch.

Sony has clearly realized thy have been out maneuvered in this fight and is basically now just throwing a tantrum. Their own anti-competitive actions are coming back to bite them in the @ss.