Microsoft CEO Nadella: ZeniMax/Bethesda acquisition is "all about future of software", will consider buying even more video game companies in future

[DFG]

Fuck yeah, Nadella. Show 'em how it's done. Those fools mocked you for years, but they didn't know the world is yours to take, King.

Wait, is this the same Satya Nadella that approved the use of Kinect to spy on Xbox owners, mostly children?

Microsoft Contractors Listened to Xbox Owners in Their Homes - Motherboard (VICE)





Microsoft's privacy policy admits contractors listen to Cortana, Skype recordings | PCWorld




Nah, it can't be. I'm sure it was S. Nadella, the same one that signed a $480m army contract using technology developed out of Kinect to "increase lethality" and defended it saying "we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies".

'We won't be war profiteers': Microsoft workers protest $480m army contract | The Guardian





Microsoft CEO defends Pentagon contract following employee outcry - The Verge

"We made a principled decision that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy,"? Fucking yikes, mate.

Well, that S. Nadella sure is an asshole. Maybe he was the one that was proud of the Azure cloud services they offer to ICE to "to accelerate facial recognition and identification"?

The employee letter denouncing Microsoft's ICE contract now has over 300 signatures - The Verge




I hope we hear less about S. Nadella and more about Xbox God Satya Nadella. Go forth, my sweet Conqueror. Embrace, extend and extinguish my deepest and darkest dreams and bring value to my Xbox Game Pass buying Sega Sammy, Square Enix, Warner Bros., Capcom, From Software, Bungie, Remedy and every developer and distributor who stands in your way. 'Cause that's all I care about (this week at least).

Sorry about the off-topic (or whataboutism idk 🤷‍♂️), but the takes I keep reading this couple of days idolizing and celebrating the CEO of a trillion-dollar corporation and their strategy to consolidate the industry are little bit disgusting. You do you, though.

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Wow damn. Well put comment

 

[Josh378]

Alot of MS fans here. I wonder if they felt the same way if Sony went out and brought Capcom and allowed them to publish on PC/Nintendo but not on the Xbox. I hope they have the same praises.

 

[Deleted member 13077]

You think I'm celebrating the Bethesda deal? I couldn't give less of a fuck, I have all platforms.

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Not at all, I'm saying the weeks on this board we had following the Spider Man exclusivity deal where the vast majority declared Sony anti-consumer suggests that their exclusivity deals are only celebrated by the most absolute militant fanboys. Most are either against them or just don't care.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I've said this a million times. Never compare the music biz with any other entertainment industry. It's been fucked way, way, way before streaming even existed.

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The music biz definitely had problems before streaming. Streaming just drove another nail in its coffin.

True we'll have to see, but tv/movie studios are more similar to video game studios than musicians/bands are. Microsoft is directly following the Netflix model, which has been wildly successful in enabling all kinds of content to flourish.

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True, movie studios are closer to video game studios. Netflix has been extremely successful, I'm just not a fan of streaming in general, where you pay to rent stuff. At least HBO release their series on DVD/BD, but no such luck with Netflix over here. If I want to watch Stranger Things, there's no option but to pay for a Netflix sub. Will have to see what Disney does with Mandalorian, if they'll release it on DVD/BD or if it'll be locked to Disney+

 

[Adrifi]

Not at all, I'm saying the weeks on this board we had following the Spider Man exclusivity deal where the vast majority declared Sony anti-consumer suggests that their exclusivity deals are only celebrated by the most absolute militant fanboys. Most are either against them or just don't care.

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Let's be honest: if Sony had bought Bethesda, Sony users would be celebrating, and if Spider-Man had been exclusive to Xbox, Microsoft fans would be celebrating. It's simple, really lmao

 

[Blaaaarrggghhh]

I have no idea how people can be so sure of their assertions of Microsoft especially with the awful track record the US has regulating corporations and in the tech industry. I'm also surprised at the people personifying and projecting on Microsoft as if it were person who is an underdog. The mental gymnastics there is real.


The whole "Sony has swooped in and taken things from poor Microsoft" narrative I think I can deal with. That comes to perspective. Another perspective is people (the world) know Microsoft and just like people reject Amazon/Walmart, they reject Microsoft. Until Microsoft buys out your investor/lease own/publisher/livelihood etc..

Microsoft small? Not a monopoly anymore? Not relevant? Microsoft was and still is what we call a near monopoly. Microsoft runs 87% of the worlds PC's with Windows 10 projecting to reach 75% of the world's PC's by July 2021. (Microsoft's own projections are more specific and actually even more optimistic across other services.) Microsoft is still Microsoft just bigger than before and going into more places.

...

Sorry about the off-topic (or whataboutism idk 🤷‍♂️), but the takes I keep reading this couple of days idolizing and celebrating the CEO of a trillion-dollar corporation and their strategy to consolidate the industry are little bit disgusting. You do you, though.

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I'm completely grossed out too.

 

[Spish!]

Let's be honest: if Sony had bought Bethesda, Sony users would be celebrating, and if Spider-Man had been exclusive to Xbox, Microsoft fans would be celebrating. It's simple, really lmao

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Yeah, the dumb ones. These kinds of acquisitions are bad for the industry.

Edit: Still, let's not equate Sony making an exclusive Spider-Man game to Microsoft buying Zenimax. Smh.

 

[clay_ghost]

Can MS somehow revive Mistwalker or at least make a sequel to Blue Dragon and lost odyssey with their moneies =(

 

[Scarecrow]

Alot of MS fans here. I wonder if they felt the same way if Sony went out and brought Capcom and allowed them to publish on PC/Nintendo but not on the Xbox. I hope they have the same praises.

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Don't be silly. Sony would never allow anyone to publish on anything besides a Playstation.

 

[Adrifi]

Yeah, the dumb ones. These kinds of acquisitions are bad for the industry.

Edit: Still, let's not equate Sony making an exclusive Spider-Man game to Microsoft buying Zenimax. Smh.

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I don't see how Microsoft being more competitive can be bad for the industry, a PlayStation monopoly in Europe is bad for consumers (80€ for a game etc.).

 

[Paulogy]

Just buy Playstation and Nintendo and be done with it.

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I assure you, you do not want that

 

[Dreazy]

SO much anger in here my god lol

 

[Eeyore]

I don't see how Microsoft being more competitive can be bad for the industry, a PlayStation monopoly in Europe is bad for consumers (80€ for a game etc.).

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Nintendo is killing it. There's no chance of that.

 

[nekkid]

The best part of this is how squarely it's Jim Ryan's fault.

Sony was going brutally hard after third-party exclusives in an effort to exacerbate the hole in MS' first-party offerings for 2021. And he was so eager to try to replicate the anti-MS sentiment from the dawn of the current gen by disingenuously emphasizing how Sony "believes in generations."

$7.5B is a big fucking check to cut, even for MS. I think if Sony hadn't been so aggressive over the past six months or so Microsoft wouldn't have felt such urgency to push forward with that kind of expensive acquisition. (Frankly, you can do a lot of Gamepass bolstering with $7.5B without needing to buy a publisher.)

Just a complete mis-read of the strength of his hand.

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I feel like this is more about bolstering themselves against growing organisations like Tencent than some petty retaliation against Sony.

 

[Spish!]

I don't see how Microsoft being more competitive can be bad for the industry, a PlayStation monopoly in Europe is bad for consumers (80€ for a game etc.).

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Competitive? That's what we're calling buying up publishers?

Honestly if Apple bought Take Two, Epic, and, I dunno, CDPR people wouldn't be cheerleading this shit. What if Sony consolidates a bunch of Japanese publishers? You're literally advocating shrinking the industry and making it less competitive.

 

[Deleted member 79970]

Alot of MS fans here. I wonder if they felt the same way if Sony went out and brought Capcom and allowed them to publish on PC/Nintendo but not on the Xbox. I hope they have the same praises.

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I'd just buy a PS5?

 

[Deleted member 79970]

Don't be silly. Sony would never allow anyone to publish on anything besides a Playstation.

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You'll get some shitty PC ports months/years later if you're lucky.

 

[eathdemon]

Competitive? That's what we're calling buying up publishers?

Honestly if Apple bought Take Two, Epic, and, I dunno, CDPR people wouldn't be cheerleading this shit. What if Sony consolidates a bunch of Japanese publishers? You're literally advocating shrinking the industry and making it less competitive.

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most people expect sony to buy at least one dev, also capcom got saved by mhw otherwise they likelly would have been bought. and yes, I totaly expect amazon and google at some point to stop mewssing around the edges of gamming and buy a big publisher. who I dont know.

 

[Rhaknar]

Why?

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Something something monopolies I imagine.

 

[24thFrame]

I think consolidation and these kind of massive corporate buyouts are a bad thing. That said, I do think there is value in Microsoft putting themselves in a position to put up more of a fighting chance against Sony, cause lord knows the console space needs a little more competition between the platform holders.

If some of the reporting by Grubb and others was correct, that Zenimax was looking for a buyer, I think in terms of fostering the studios and talent, that being snatched up and made into a first-party by a platform holder is preferable to getting absorbed into something like EA or Ubisoft.

 

[Tapiozona]

I feel like this is more about bolstering themselves against growing organisations like Tencent than some petty retaliation against Sony.

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Retaliation? These are billion dollar business decisions not petty playground arguments. Come on

 

[Deleted member 79970]

most people expect sony to buy at least one dev, also capcom got saved by mhw otherwise they likelly would have been bought. and yes, I totaly expect amazon and google at some point to stop mewssing around the edges of gamming and buy a big publisher. who I dont know.

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Google horrifies me, you know that anything they buy will end up here https://killedbygoogle.com/

 

[eathdemon]

Something something monopolies I imagine.

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again they seem to be ignoring sony's 70% marketshare here.

 

[Wheatly]

Even so, PlayStation gamers might benefit. Game Pass got us the PlayStation Plus Collection. Sony didn't need to be competitive before because it was the market leader by far. Now they might actually have to give a shit about their consumers and match Xbox on consumer-friendly practices.

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I could easily say that if Sony wasn't such a threat, Xbox wouldn't have been forced to adopt these "consumer-friendly practices" (I can easily create a narrative too)

 

[nekkid]

Retaliation? These are billion dollar business decisions not petty playground arguments. Come on

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Did you not read my post properly or something?

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

It's hilarious how many people claiming this is good completely ignore knock on impacts and how Microsoft doesn't "compete" rather they suffocate competition. But, guys, I'm sure it'll be different this time.

 

[Adrifi]

Nintendo is killing it. There's no chance of that.

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Nintendo doesn't compete with PlayStation. Different demographics.

 

[Tapiozona]

Did you not read my post properly or something?

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Obviously not

 

[Doctor Avatar]

Alot of MS fans here. I wonder if they felt the same way if Sony went out and brought Capcom and allowed them to publish on PC/Nintendo but not on the Xbox. I hope they have the same praises.

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MS PR have down a great job brainwashing their fans. Literally everything Sony does is anti competitive and anti consumer while MS can buy freaking Bethesda specifically to deny those games to PS players and it's a great thing, they're improving the industry etc etc

Make no mistake had it been Sony that had bought Zenimax the same people would be screaming bloody murder about how anti consumer it is.

 

[Eeyore]

Nintendo doesn't compete with PlayStation. Different demographics.

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What.

 

[eathdemon]

MS PR have down a great job brainwashing their fans. Literally everything Sony does is anti competitive and anti consumer while MS can buy freaking Bethesda specifically to deny those games to PS players and it's a great thing, they're improving the industry etc etc

Make no mistake had it been Sony that had bought Zenimax the same people would be screaming bloody murder about how anti consumer it is.

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I rember the ff16 thread being mostly positive, same with twitter.

 

[BringBackSonics]

SO much anger in here my god lol

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Yeah it is pretty crazy, it is a nice distraction from the world being on fire though.

 

[M4xim1l1ano]

MS PR have down a great job brainwashing their fans. Literally everything Sony does is anti competitive and anti consumer while MS can buy freaking Bethesda specifically to deny those games to PS players and it's a great thing, they're improving the industry etc etc

Make no mistake had it been Sony that had bought Zenimax the same people would be screaming bloody murder about how anti consumer it is.

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With console warriors, this is true on all sides. Yes, MS fans would have reacted the same way as Sony fans are doing now, this is the nature of console warriors/fanboys.

because I hope you are not implying that one sides console warriors are somehow better than the other side, right?

 

[Doctor Avatar]

I rember the ff16 thread being mostly positive, same with twitter.

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The apples to orchard comparison of a timed exclusivity deal for a single game to this are also rather hilarious.

Remember Sony were raked over the coals for paying for an exclusive character in a game? How evil and anti competitive and anti consumer they were?

But buying one of the biggest publishers in the world to keep those games permanently off PlayStation? That's a good thing right?

 

[Adrifi]

Competitive? That's what we're calling buying up publishers?

Honestly if Apple bought Take Two, Epic, and, I dunno, CDPR people wouldn't be cheerleading this shit. What if Sony consolidates a bunch of Japanese publishers? You're literally advocating shrinking the industry and making it less competitive.

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New publishers will appear, new big publishers have appeared in the last years like Focus Home and probably CDPR in the future too. People saying this is bad assume that publishers are limited and that no new big publishers appear every few years, Focus Home was very small until like two years and now they are competitive and producing pretty big games like A Plague Tale.

 

[Deleted member 10612]

Exactly its like I said, Microsoft are looking towards the future while it's competitors remain in the present.

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If Hollywood is anything to go buy, fuck that future.

 

[T0kenAussie]

Sorry about the off-topic (or whataboutism idk 🤷‍♂️), but the takes I keep reading this couple of days idolizing and celebrating the CEO of a trillion-dollar corporation and their strategy to consolidate the industry are little bit disgusting. You do you, though.

Click to shrink...

Are you ok? This isn't the biggest platform holder buying the biggest publisher. The biggest platform is still Sony even after this deal and I was told by fans of that platform that you just have to lockdown exclusive content to be successful?

but keep those John Oliver style rants coming, I appreciate the energy

 

[RSTEIN]

I feel like this is more about bolstering themselves against growing organisations like Tencent than some petty retaliation against Sony.

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I agree. This purchase reminds us how small Sony is compared to the companies that will own the future of gaming—tencent, Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. MS was serious when they said Sony is not competition. These companies are going after the 3 billion global gamers, not relatively niche console business.

 

[CarpetSalesman]

Competitive? That's what we're calling buying up publishers?

Honestly if Apple bought Take Two, Epic, and, I dunno, CDPR people wouldn't be cheerleading this shit. What if Sony consolidates a bunch of Japanese publishers? You're literally advocating shrinking the industry and making it less competitive.

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I see your point but the internet has been rolling with "Microsoft has no games" for the past however long.

Last gen started with endless 900p memes.

Now they have the most powerful console, and they have more games.

They took the feedback and acted upon it. If they hadn't, there's a good chance that Sony would have increased their market share further and that they'd have become the monster you're fearing now.

Personally, I don't particularly care about the games Microsoft have just added to their roster (but I'll play some of them on gamepass for sure). But if I wanted to look for a positive, Microsoft could be a force for good here. Single player story games are becoming less plentiful vs F2P fortnight, apex legends, the endless online FPS', etc.

If Microsoft can provide more incentive to make great single player games, vs making very profitable games, which is what some of the titles in this acquisition arguably represent, we might see some positive steps towards more interesting games being developed more often (assuming you don't think Fortnite, etc. Represent the pinnacle of the form).

It'll be interesting to see what happens, hopefully Microsoft's portfolio will mean they focus on delivering great experiences for their customers, and if those games are any good, we might see more studios making more of those games to compete but also maybe to sell to the people who don't want to buy into Microsoft's platforms.

 

[Adrifi]

What.

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Wanna play COD, Cyberpunk, Assassin's Creed, and basically any major third party game that is not 3 years old? Good luck doing so with a Switch.

 

[Mukrab]

I could easily say that if Sony wasn't such a threat, Xbox wouldn't have been forced to adopt these "consumer-friendly practices" (I can easily create a narrative too)

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Good thing that we dont care where the motivations for consumer friendliness comes from, as long as it exists.

 

[eathdemon]

I agree. This purchase reminds us how small Sony is compared to the companies that will own the future of gaming—tencent, Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. MS was serious when they said Sony is not competition. These companies are going after the 3 billion global gamers, not relatively niche console business.

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also we are talking 6 studios in the deal, its not like ms picked up a dozen studios.

 

[Infcabbage]

In the future we don't buy video games, we just sub to gamepass.

 

[Dphex]

Fuck yeah, Nadella. Show 'em how it's done. Those fools mocked you for years, but they didn't know the world is yours to take, King.

Wait, is this the same Satya Nadella that approved the use of Kinect to spy on Xbox owners, mostly children?

Microsoft Contractors Listened to Xbox Owners in Their Homes - Motherboard (VICE)





Microsoft's privacy policy admits contractors listen to Cortana, Skype recordings | PCWorld




Nah, it can't be. I'm sure it was S. Nadella, the same one that signed a $480m army contract using technology developed out of Kinect to "increase lethality" and defended it saying "we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies".

'We won't be war profiteers': Microsoft workers protest $480m army contract | The Guardian





Microsoft CEO defends Pentagon contract following employee outcry - The Verge

"We made a principled decision that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy,"? Fucking yikes, mate.

Well, that S. Nadella sure is an asshole. Maybe he was the one that was proud of the Azure cloud services they offer to ICE to "to accelerate facial recognition and identification"?

The employee letter denouncing Microsoft's ICE contract now has over 300 signatures - The Verge




I hope we hear less about S. Nadella and more about Xbox God Satya Nadella. Go forth, my sweet Conqueror. Embrace, extend and extinguish my deepest and darkest dreams and bring value to my Xbox Game Pass buying Sega Sammy, Square Enix, Warner Bros., Capcom, From Software, Bungie, Remedy and every developer and distributor who stands in your way. 'Cause that's all I care about (this week at least).

Sorry about the off-topic (or whataboutism idk 🤷‍♂️), but the takes I keep reading this couple of days idolizing and celebrating the CEO of a trillion-dollar corporation and their strategy to consolidate the industry are little bit disgusting. You do you, though.

Click to shrink...

 

[PianoBlack]

The music biz definitely had problems before streaming. Streaming just drove another nail in its coffin.



True, movie studios are closer to video game studios. Netflix has been extremely successful, I'm just not a fan of streaming in general, where you pay to rent stuff. At least HBO release their series on DVD/BD, but no such luck with Netflix over here. If I want to watch Stranger Things, there's no option but to pay for a Netflix sub. Will have to see what Disney does with Mandalorian, if they'll release it on DVD/BD or if it'll be locked to Disney+

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FYI https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Thi...08BJ9HC57/ref=pd_sbs_74_6/132-4295962-3524139

 

[M4xim1l1ano]

also we are talking 6 studios in the deal, its not like ms picked up a dozen studios.

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actually, in a 1-2 year period, they have bought 12-13 studios. That does send some signal at least.. and apparently they are not done yet.

 

[Brrandon]

also we are talking 6 studios in the deal, its not like ms picked up a dozen studios.

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8 studios*

 

[T0kenAussie]

Alot of MS fans here. I wonder if they felt the same way if Sony went out and brought Capcom and allowed them to publish on PC/Nintendo but not on the Xbox. I hope they have the same praises.

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I'd appreciate Sony making any meaningful moves to pc tbh

instead they seem intent on locking things in their walled garden which they just raised the price of entry too

 

[Eeyore]

Are you ok? This isn't the biggest platform holder buying the biggest publisher. The biggest platform is still Sony even after this deal and I was told by fans of that platform that you just have to lockdown exclusive content to be successful?

but keep those John Oliver style rants coming, I appreciate the energy

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Microsoft has practically bought more studios in the last four years than Sony has in total. They are not the underdog.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

FYI https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Thi...08BJ9HC57/ref=pd_sbs_74_6/132-4295962-3524139

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Those are US region 1 releases AFAIK. I'd have to buy a region free DVD or BD player to watch them over here in ye olde Yurop since Netflix doesn't release ST on physical media here.