A 2020 email from Xbox chief Phil Spencer to both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood requested approval to approach Sega Sammy about a…
A 2020 email from Xbox chief Phil Spencer to both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood requested approval to approach Sega Sammy about a…
Do they actually think they can do that?
It all depends on whether they got caught. Problem is, Microsoft has always been on the monopoly radar because of Windows and their suit in 2001 They were kinda screwed from the start.
Not that it’s a fair comparison because both companies are much more than their gaming divisions, but… Sony’s market cap is around $114 billion. Microsoft’s is $2.49 trillion.
If MS really decided they wanted full control of the console gaming space, they absolutely have the means to spend Sony into oblivion.
All that said, you’d like to think that government regulators would step in and stop the acquisition train in its tracks if they did try to buy everything up like that.
Definitely, the Activision acquisition has already been blocked so far in the US by the FTC, and looks to be on very shaky ground there.
Initially it was only the UK opposing it. While I may put my tinfoil hat for this, I wonder if the EU Commission was paid off or just clueless. I read their supposed reasoning for this, and all it focuses on is “game streaming” because apparently that’s a thing that EU Commissions cares or knows anything about. Worked out real good with Stadia, didn’t it.
So what I suspect will happen, if the acquisition goes through is that microsoft gonna set up a shitty game streaming service nobody will want to use, eventually make everything exclusive to ms store and xbox and laugh at the clueless bastards that allow that to happen.
Microsoft’s streaming service has been running for a few years. I can play games I already own on a web browser, or a phone without having to buy a special copy like stadia required.
I can purchase any halo game on steam. I can play Minecraft on pretty much every device ever made. When playing those games I’ve been able to cross play multiplayer across platforms for years.
This acquisition is going to far and is rightfully being blocked, but I feel like everyone has a hate boner for Microsoft while forgetting how actually walled off Sony and Nintendo have been forever.
I can’t even play last generations games on my switch (without repurchasing). Sony didn’t allow cross play until just recently and they’re still the kings of exclusives.