Microsoft is restructuring its proposed Activision Blizzard deal to transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. The transfer of rights is designed to appease regulators in the UK that are concerned about the impact Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion deal will have on cloud gaming competition. The restructured deal has triggered a new regulatory investigation in the UK that could last until October 18th.

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[–] RightHandOfIkaros 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“This is not a green light. We will carefully and objectively assess the details of the restructured deal and its impact on competition, including in light of third-party comments,” says Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA. “Our goal has not changed – any future decision on this new deal will ensure that the growing cloud gaming market continues to benefit from open and effective competition driving innovation and choice.”

This just sounds like an organization who is totally unimportant and disregarded thinking they are important and trying to lord it over the whole world.

Its like a baseball team gloating over their first score in a game, after losing the last 300 games. At this point its gone beyond being a joke.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

What? The CMA is trying to prevent Microsoft from using their huge amounts of cash to create a gaming monopoly. A good thing for the consumer. The FTC also wants to block this deal from going through.

[–] bpmd 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ubisoft get the non-windows streaming rights to Activision games… so what happens with any Acti games that don’t have a PS5 or a Switch port? That means Microsoft maintain exclusivity on a title purely by not porting it to other consoles.

They’ll definitely port Call of Duty and likely any other multiplayer titles, but I can’t see them porting any single player games or new IPs they develop.

[–] imaBEES 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

From the article:

“Ubisoft will also be able, for a fee, to require Microsoft to adapt Activision’s titles to operating systems other than Windows, such as Linux, if it decides to use or license out the cloud streaming rights to Activision’s titles to a cloud gaming service that runs a non-Windows operating system.”

If Ubi is willing to pay a fee, they can force Microsoft to adapt any ActiBlizz games they want to another operating system for cloud gaming purposes.

[–] bpmd 1 points 1 year ago

Didn’t spot that at all, thanks for pointing it out. I can see them just developing with other platforms in mind then, unless that fee is large enough to cover all the porting costs involved.

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

When did the last PC only Activison game come out?

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

is xbox arguably enough windows?

[–] big_slap -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

i'd say no. many people that own an xbox don't see it as a windows device

[–] RightHandOfIkaros 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Xbox runs a modified version of Windows. Its a Windows device. It doesn't matter if "many people that own it don't see it as a Windows device."

[–] big_slap 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

ik it runs windows, but it is a modified version. if I can't run windows products out of the box, I wouldn't say it's a windows device.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Xbox OS is a modified version of I think Windows NT, and UWP (Universal Windows Programs) versions of software that is in the Xbox store can run on it.

It is a Windows device.

[–] big_slap 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I completely understand it runs windows at its core. no one is arguing otherwise. im simply stating an xbox isn't windows enough. I can't go on the web browser and start installing whatever I want on an xbox while i can on a windows pc. I have to go through a curated store.

to me, xbox is not a windows device and I wouldn't recommend anyone looking to purchase a desktop pc to buy an xbox because it's missing many features found only on windows

[–] RightHandOfIkaros 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

an xbox isn't windows enough

I mean, thats your opinion, but is not factually correct.

I wouldn't recommend anyone looking to purchase a desktop pc to buy an xbox because it's missing many features found only on windows

This demonstrates a pretty foundational misunderstanding of what a Windows device is. From your view, the only thing that is a Windows device is one that runs pure desktop Windows OS, which is not correct.

In 2009, the iTG xpPhone was a smartphone that ran embedded Windows XP. It had every feature that a desktop with XP had. Now, would you recommend that phone as a replacement for a desktop computer, since it has every feature a desktop computer has? If you were a moron, perhaps. But since I think you aren't a moron, why wouldn't you make that recommendation?

Application. A person uses a computer differently than they use a phone. And a person uses an Xbox console differently than they use a desktop computer. The Xbox cannot and should not replace a desktop computer, because it is designed for an entirely different purpose. The Xbox has the primary goal of gaming, and is built around that. It doesnt need every feature of Windows, just the ones that facilitate gaming. So the OS is streamlined for that. But it is still a Windows device. It is not a Linux device, or an Apple device. It is a device built on Windows, just like desktops with Windows OS, the xpPhone, and any other device that is built with a Windows based operating system.

Any device which is a Windows device can be transformed into a non-Windows device simply by removing all of its Windows components. Doing this to an Xbox would mean it would no longer function, since nobody has created an alternate OS for Xbox AFAIK.

[–] big_slap 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

you haven't grasped anything I've been saying. an xbox is not comparable to any windows device, point blank.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros 1 points 1 year ago

An Xbox IS a Windows device.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Tho legally I think could considered to be, cause it runs windows core and hyper-v

[–] slimerancher 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It would be really funny if they transfer the rights to Ubisoft, pass the regulators, and then buy Ubisoft 😀

[–] Tagger 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, the regulators would just then stop that acquisition.

[–] slimerancher 1 points 1 year ago

I know, that wasn't a realistic scenario, just an ironic one.

[–] empirical 4 points 1 year ago

The deal is beneficial to Ubisoft, but it is hard to see that this is good for UK.

[–] Katana314 2 points 1 year ago

Having the streaming rights sitting with Ubisoft but the games themselves owned by Microsoft feels bizarre. I guess it’s like handing the keys to your car off to a friend when you go out drinking because no one trusts you?

I still find myself curious if Ubisoft even has a logical way to integrate these rights with their offerings.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Just cut the UK out. Let their government deal with the fallout of angry consumers. It’s their fault anyway. Microsoft in no way is required to do business in the UK, after all, it is not an UK corporation. Edit: I guess what I’m trying to say is: y’all can VPN like China has to, if you’re going to allow your government to delve deeper beyond the shit our Trump has. I won’t cry for you. Neither will many of those that have been screwed by the UK. You’ll still game on, through a VPN, like the peasants you’re ok with being forced to be once again.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We're the sixth biggest market for games worldwide, the second biggest in Europe and one of Xboxs top five countries for market share. A platform holder in third place already isn't going to cut that off over the sake of cloud gaming rights.

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

I’d rather y’all get cut out than we have to deal with more bullshit. The world at large has dealt with enough of the UKs bullshit anyway. Get your government in order, then come back.

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

The CMA is an independent body, that's the point of it. The Government is currently Tory and they love money and big business so would pass this though in an instant if it was up to them, and would probably try to make bank of it if they could.

I don't agree with the CMAs decisions on this matter, but there's a good reason MS are going to such lengths to keep them happy in the long run.

At the end of the day, it's not like Gamepass is so bereft of releases this year we desperately need the Acti-Blizz catalogue, we can wait.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What were you born tomorrow? A capitalist willingly giving up even a buck 25 would supprise me

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

I would surely skip a lot of Microsoft content if I had to deal with Ubisoft’s bullshit just to appease the UK. Your empire no longer never sets. And the world should no longer deal with your bullshit. I’ll see you in F1, stfu otherwise.