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FTC: Xbox-exclusive Starfield is “powerful evidence” against Activision deal (arstechnica.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The Federal Trade Commission's request for an injunction stopping that acquisition heads toward opening arguments this week, the federal regulator cites one piece of what it calls "powerful evidence" that it can't trust Microsoft's assurances. In short, as the FTC puts it, "Microsoft's actions following its 2021 acquisition of ZeniMax speak louder than Defendants' words."

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The difference is buying a massive multi platform developer and taking their future production away from the other platform.

Microsoft not publishing Gears of War or Sony not publishing Uncharted on the other platform are adding choice, because those games would have probably never existed without their investment. Microsoft buying Bethesda is taking choice away, because Bethesda was already a big publisher already making games and already had the processes for multiple platforms. They're not suddenly doing the hyper optimization Sony gets out of their funded platform exclusive developers, either. They're using the engine they already had that's already designed to support a bunch of platforms and just not supporting one for the sole purpose of that platform not having it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Bear in mind that Bethesda/Zenimax weren't in the best shape when MS brought them. They were increasingly focussing on GASS and love service titles after a string of critically loved but low selling titles like Prey. They were taking bags for Sony for times exclusivity on every title and were in talks to do so with Starfield too. We've just seen Bethesda be allowed a whole extra year on SF to polish under MS, where as if they were still independent we may have got a multi format but it would have been rushed out buggy and unfinished by Zenimax last year.