Blizzard Activision Acquired by Microsoft

[Rath Darkblade]

From what I've read - Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could result in the company facing antitrust scrutiny from regulators...

Yes - that's what I meant when I said "monopoly". I was referring to this case: United States v. Microsoft Corp.

Yes, I'm aware there are many (many) other game companies, other than Microsoft. But isn't Microsoft much bigger than any of them, individually? How much bigger can it get before it becomes a concern?

[Tawmis]

From what I've read - Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could result in the company facing antitrust scrutiny from regulators...

Yes - that's what I meant when I said "monopoly". I was referring to this case: United States v. Microsoft Corp.
Yes, I'm aware there are many (many) other game companies, other than Microsoft. But isn't Microsoft much bigger than any of them, individually? How much bigger can it get before it becomes a concern?

I mean, SONY is pretty big. Having both SONY Pictures behind them, as well as the very successful chain of SONY PLAYSTATIONS, and a number of games under their belt (some of which they sold off when they did away with their SOE - Sony Online Entertainment division - but they used to have things like EverQuest under their belt).

[MusicallyInspired]

Microsoft is a bigger company than all of them, but I mean, they made Windows. But in terms of gaming revenue, Microsoft (with ActiVision/Blizzard's acquisition) has only bumped up to third place. Second place is Sony and first place is Tencent. But Microsoft has enough money to freaking BUY SONY if they wanted to.

[DeadPoolX]

From what I've read - Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could result in the company facing antitrust scrutiny from regulators...

Yes - that's what I meant when I said "monopoly". I was referring to this case: United States v. Microsoft Corp.

Yes, I'm aware there are many (many) other game companies, other than Microsoft. But isn't Microsoft much bigger than any of them, individually? How much bigger can it get before it becomes a concern?

Right, but it's not about how big each individual company is or how many divisions within there are in the company, it's about competition.

The case you cited wasn't about Microsoft itself being a monopoly, it was about Microsoft automatically bundling Internet Explorer (which meant people were more likely to use it out of ignorance and/or laziness) and not allowing end users to uninstall IE, while making it extremely difficult to install alternative browsers.

[Rath Darkblade]

The case you cited wasn't about Microsoft itself being a monopoly, it was about Microsoft automatically bundling Internet Explorer (which meant people were more likely to use it out of ignorance and/or laziness) and not allowing end users to uninstall IE, while making it extremely difficult to install alternative browsers.

Ah, right! The browser wars, sure. (If I remember rightly, the news of the time -- at least here in Australia -- trumpeted the words "Microsoft" and "monopoly" over and over again, which may be why I was confused).

Then again, I wouldn't trust the mainstream news to tell me anything right about technology. I shouldn't be surprised, though: IIRC, as late as 2005 I couldn't get ADSL - it was dial-up or nothing. I'd never forgotten a quote from our so-called 'technology minister' at the time, to the effect that no-one needed a high-speed internet connection except criminals and pornographers.

Wasn't it Microsoft's stubbornness over IE at the time that led to various pejorative names for IE (like Internet Exploder and Internet Exploiter)?

[DeadPoolX]

Ah, right! The browser wars, sure. (If I remember rightly, the news of the time -- at least here in Australia -- trumpeted the words "Microsoft" and "monopoly" over and over again, which may be why I was confused).

Key words like "Microsoft" and "monopoly" make for better headlines and soundbites than attempting to explain the entire story in an accurate and detailed manner. Unfortunately, this leads people to get the wrong idea... not that the media cares. As far as the media is concerned, truth is secondary to sales.

Then again, I wouldn't trust the mainstream news to tell me anything right about technology. I shouldn't be surprised, though: IIRC, as late as 2005 I couldn't get ADSL - it was dial-up or nothing.

Huh. I remember getting high-speed internet back in 1999 or so, but my Dad was huge into technology. We had at least two computers, a flatbed scanner, a Xerox copier, etc. We had equipment that most households at the time wouldn't have, either due to cost or just not seeing the need.

I'd never forgotten a quote from our so-called 'technology minister' at the time, to the effect that no-one needed a high-speed internet connection except criminals and pornographers.

I bet the Australian government (or any government) wouldn't have have any problems taking tax revenue from either, though.

Wasn't it Microsoft's stubbornness over IE at the time that led to various pejorative names for IE (like Internet Exploder and Internet Exploiter)?

Honestly, I'd never heard the term "Internet Exploiter" so that's a new one to me. I didn't see an issue with bundling IE in with the OS (it was, after all, Microsoft's operating system, so why shouldn't they include their own browser as well?) and neither did most people I imagine, but the real problem was Microsoft attempting to keep other browsers off their OS.

[MusicallyInspired]

People hated Internet Explorer because it sucked. Web users and web designers alike. Implementing their own HTML/CSS standards for years and incorrectly implementing conventional standards for everything else. This goes all the way back to the Netscape Navigator era. Microsoft earned their bad reputation for a good browser. They've been trying for a long time now to convince everyone that they've changed but that sting won't heal.

[Tawmis]

People hated Internet Explorer because it sucked. Web users and web designers alike. Implementing their own HTML/CSS standards for years and incorrectly implementing conventional standards for everything else. This goes all the way back to the Netscape Navigator era. Microsoft earned their bad reputation for a good browser. They've been trying for a long time now to convince everyone that they've changed but that sting won't heal.

I loved Netscape (great article about how it changed the way the web works! Even today!)

I mean, how could the pirate in me not love this?

[Rath Darkblade]

Yep, I liked it too, and for the same reason. To start with, at least.

I think I was in my first year of uni when I first found Netscape Navigator. I taught myself HTML (and the basics of web design) using it. Sure, things have come a long way since then (and I've learned a lot more than just HTML), but still...

[Tawmis]

Ken Williams weighs in -
https://cygnusentertainment.com/2022/01 ... ng-bigger/

Big Fish Getting Bigger

I’ve received a LOT of email, social media contacts, texts, and more over the last two days asking about the just-announced Microsoft acquisition of Activision.

For those who may not be aware, Sierra (Roberta’s and my company) was acquired by a company named CUC, that was acquired by a company called HFS, who sold Sierra to a company called Vivendi, who then sold Sierra to Activision. And now, Sierra will become part of Microsoft.

Many people are asking me, “Does this mean there’s a chance that some of Sierra’s old games might make a comeback?” The quick, and only truthful answer I can give, is, “I don’t know.” If I were pushed for a bit longer answer I would supplement it by saying, “Probably not.”

And, if someone wanted an even longer answer, I might say…

I’m not sure that Microsoft knows, or even cares, that Activision owns Sierra. When a company gets as large as Microsoft, a product needs to bring in an enormous amount of revenue to merit attention. Sierra’s products were an infinitesimal percentage of Activision’s revenue. They should have been, and could have been, a much larger piece of Activision’s revenue, but for whatever reason, they weren’t.

There are some products that Sierra had which might have significant revenue potential, and that I do think Microsoft should take a look at. For example: The Incredible Machine, Aces Of The Pacific, Red Baron, King’s Quest, Dr. Brain, EcoQuest, Johnny Castaway, Laura Bow, Quest for Glory, Mixed Up Mother Goose, Trophy Bass, Driver’s Training, 3d Ultra Pinball, You Don’t Know Jack, etc.

Some of the better properties were apparently sold off or allowed to slip out of Sierra’s grasp after the company was sold: Nascar Racing, Hoyle’s Card Games, Half-Life, Leisure-Suit Larry.

It is possible that Sierra’s old series will never be brought back simply due to a lack of clarity over rights. My guess is that Activision isn’t 100% sure exactly what Sierra intellectual property it owns. I doubt any of the old artwork or source code was carefully preserved. Maybe it was? I really don’t know, but my sense is that Sierra went through a period, maybe even several periods, of anarchy after the company was sold and I left.

There is a market for some of Sierra’s old products. But I don’t know if it is a big enough market for Microsoft to be interested. And realistically, there’s a great argument that “times have changed.” Most of Sierra’s products were designed for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. The game we’re now working on is a traditional game, and very fun to play, and Sierra fans will cherish the game. It will bring back a lot of great memories for everyone and is the right game for Roberta’s and my “comeback.”

But, to the extent Roberta and I get to the end of this project and feel we have another product (or more) in us, I’d start by thinking about where the future of interactive entertainment is going and not worry about where it has been. I suspect this would mean giving some thought to the whole rapidly evolving concept of a Metaverse. I am starting to visualize how the Metaverse might evolve and where there might be opportunities to push the envelope. That said, I’m deliberately forcing myself not to think beyond the end of this game. We’re building a great game and I need to avoid distractions, or we’ll never finish it.

Anyway, back to the game. Lots of debugging to do!

[MusicallyInspired]

I guess Ken was not aware that Phil Spencer specifically named out King's Quest in the list of properties he attained for Xbox that he was excited about.

[DeadPoolX]

I guess Ken was not aware that Phil Spencer specifically named out King's Quest in the list of properties he attained for Xbox that he was excited about.

Would that be the original King's Quest and its sequels, or the new King's Quest released in 2015? I imagine Spencer was talking about the latter, especially since the earlier games would be unplayable with a controller (some of them didn't even have mouse support!) and that wouldn't be conducive to releasing them on a console.

That said... Microsoft hasn't completely given up on PC gaming, so maybe the older games will get released on whatever digital platforms they have on the PC. This also makes me wonder if Microsoft would pull the Sierra titles (and in fact, anything currently owned by Activision) from other store fronts, like Steam and GOG.

[Rath Darkblade]

This sounds like a good time to get as many Sierra titles as I can from Steam and GOG, just in case M$ does do that. (At least, the Sierra titles I don't already have...)

[Tawmis]

I guess Ken was not aware that Phil Spencer specifically named out King's Quest in the list of properties he attained for Xbox that he was excited about.

I mean, he could have been handed a piece of paper to "say these buzz word games" to get people talking.

[DeadPoolX]

I guess Ken was not aware that Phil Spencer specifically named out King's Quest in the list of properties he attained for Xbox that he was excited about.

I mean, he could have been handed a piece of paper to "say these buzz word games" to get people talking.

Somehow I doubt King's Quest (or any Sierra Adventure game) is on a list of noteworthy buzzwords that'll spark interest in the majority of gamers.

It may be difficult for some of us to believe, but the majority of the modern gaming audience — the market most publishers and developers aim to catch and probably grew up on consoles only — wouldn't even know what a true Adventure game is, let alone classic ones from decades ago.