Can Xbox Game Studios acquire more developers?

The European Commission (EC), that approved Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is one of the regulators who has decided to define game markets by genre. As explained by ResetEra user Idas (via Wccftech), in layman’s terms this means that should Microsoft attempt to acquire another shooter or RPG studio despite having acquired a number of them via ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard, it could face opposition from EC.

It’s worth noting that EC previously refused to define the video game market by genre when approving Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media. According to Idas, the Chilean regulator has also adopted similar market definitions.

“The Advisory Committee agrees with the conclusions reached by the Commission in the draft decision in relation to the definition of the relevant product markets for development and publishing of video games segmented by platform (PC, console, mobile), by types of video game (AAA games vs. non-AAA games) and by genre (action and adventure, shooter/battle royale, role-playing games, sports, racing, fighting, and strategy),” reads the document in question from EC dated May 2023.

This move may also have implications for Sony. However, PlayStation has not made an acquisition as big as ZeniMax or Activision Blizzard.

The post Microsoft May Have Trouble Acquiring More Shooter and RPG Studios appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Does the Switch really compete with the PS5 and Xbox?

The definition of console market has been hotly debated, with some defining a “high-end” console market where only PlayStation and Xbox compete with one another. It has long been said that the Switch targets a completely different audience than PlayStation and Xbox, but Microsoft says that its Xbox Series S is priced to compete with the Switch.

“There are functionality differences between the Switch and the PlayStation and Xbox consoles – the Switch is portable, and it has its own screen and less powerful hardware,” Judge Corley acknowledged. “However, neither the FTC nor its expert consider the extent to which the Switch’s differentiated features including its price, portability, and battery are factors the customer balances when deciding which console to purchase.”

Judge Corley also acknowledged “content differences” between the Switch and PlayStation/Xbox, but noted that many of the games available on Sony and Microsoft platforms are also available on Switch.

The post Switch Is a PS5 and Xbox Competitor, Says US Judge appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Microsoft has some more work to do, though

As reported by The Verge, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled in favor of Microsoft over the Federal Trade Commission. Her statement lays out the ruling, citing the deals Microsoft made to keep Call of Duty on other platforms (and bring it to the Nintendo Switch):

“Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been described as the largest in tech history. It deserves scrutiny. That scrutiny has paid off: Microsoft has committed in writing, in public, and in court to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years on parity with Xbox. It made an agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to Switch. And it entered several agreements to for the first time bring Activision’s content to several cloud gaming services.

“This Court’s responsibility in this case is narrow. It is to decide if, notwithstanding these current circumstances, the merger should be halted—perhaps even terminated—pending resolution of the FTC administrative action. For the reasons explained, the Court finds the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger in this specific industry may substantially lessen competition. To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content. The motion for a preliminary injunction is therefore DENIED.”

A few Microsoft and Xbox executives reacted warmly to the news. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer tweeted that he was “grateful” for the decision and said it was “good for the industry.”

President Brad Smith also tweeted that he was grateful for the swift decision. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick even released a positive statement. Kotick, who was reportedly aware of abuse happening at Activision and allegedly left a voicemail that threatened to have an assistant killed, said this merger would benefit the workers.

“Our merger will benefit consumers and workers,” said Kotick. “It will enable competition rather than allow entrenched market leaders to continue to dominate our rapidly growing industry.”

The FTC, understandably, wasn’t as elated. And while the FTC can appeal the decision until 11:59 p.m. PT on July 14, FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar noted that the commission was looking to its next stage of this fight.

“We are disappointed in this outcome given the clear threat this merger poses to open competition in cloud gaming, subscription services, and consoles,” said Farrar. “In the coming days we’ll be announcing our next step to continue our fight to preserve competition and protect consumers.”

Corley’s ruling lets Microsoft close the deal ahead of its July 18 deadline, but it still has to deal with the United Kingdom. The Competition and Markets Authority is still standing in the way, but it’s possible the two parties will negotiate some sort of deal. The CMA moved to block the deal back in April, but Microsoft is reportedly looking to sealing the deal anyway.

Following Corley’s ruling, the CMA and Microsoft, as reported by The Verge, have agreed to halt their battle in order to negotiate and look at the CMA’s concerns around cloud gaming. Smith even tweeted that Microsoft is looking into ways to alter the deal to appease the CMA.

The CMA confirmed this to The Verge, noting that it was “ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in [its] Final Report.” The Competition Appeal Tribunal has to decide on whether this goes forward, but it will likely be approved, as the CAT denied the CMA the ability to delay Microsoft’s appeal of its decision regarding the Activision acquisition.

The post Microsoft Wins FTC Case Over Activision Acquisition appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Sega says it has a good relationship with Microsoft

When Bloomberg asked Utsumi if Microsoft had made a formal offer of acquisition to Sega, he understandably declined to comment. Nevertheless, Sega Sammy’s shares rose to their highest since 2007 following this week’s revelation.

“No, not now,” Utsumi said when asked if Sega was interested in acquisition talks. However, he did say that the company enjoys a good relationship with Microsoft. “We are very close with Microsoft and have a great relationship with its management team,” he said. “Microsoft particularly has a high regard for us. Xbox’s Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are really serious about values that video game fans emphasize.”

Sega has indeed strengthened its ties with Microsoft as evidenced by games like Persona and Yakuza landing on Xbox Game Pass. Both companies announced a strategic alliance in 2021 but made it clear that the alliance did not revolve around exclusive games.

The post Sega Not Interested in Acquisition Talks, Prefers Independence appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

In the ongoing legal challenge to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard brought by the Federal Trade Commission, a chat between Microsoft CFO Tim Stuart and Xbox executive Matt Booty revealed that sometime in November 2021, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer decided to make all ZeniMax games exclusive going forward — no exceptions.

Phil Spencer originally said releasing Bethesda/ZeniMax games on PS5 will be decided on a case-by-case basis

After the announcement of ZeniMax’s acquisition, Spencer said on multiple occasions that the status of publisher’s future releases will be decided on a case by case basis. In court this week, Microsoft went on record to say that “many” future ZeniMax games will release on PlayStation platforms. But Spencer had already decided in a November 2021 meeting that this won’t be the case.

“Phil [Spencer] told them all titles going forward, Xbox exclusive,” Booty said to Stuart in a chat. “All games going forward?” Stuart asked. “Not just new IP, but ALL games going forward? Wow.” The two then went on to discuss the negative financial impact of this decision.

When the FTC brought this up in front of Judge Jacqueline Corley during Spencer’s testimony, he claimed that he didn’t remember the specifics of the meeting.

The post Xbox Decided to Make All Bethesda/ZeniMax Games Exclusive Despite Stating Otherwise appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Microsoft wanted to launch Square Enix games on Xbox Game Pass

In a “highly confidential” presentation in 2019, Microsoft mulled over a strategy for acquiring Square Enix. Its idea was to continue supporting existing Square Enix games and shipping already announced titles on multiple platforms. However, future releases were to be exclusively launched day-and-date on Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft then goes on to admit that its plan would have a negative impact on game sales and revenue due to Game Pass “cannibalizing” sales.

In 2020, when reports first emerged that Microsoft was considering purchasing a major Japanese publisher, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer went on record to deny this. Thanks to the poorly-redacted court documents — which have now been pulled after someone realized the blooper a little too late — we now know that Square Enix and Sega were both on Microsoft’s radar.

The post Microsoft Considered Acquiring Square Enix and Making Its Games Exclusive appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Satya Nadella says Sony has “defined market competition using exclusives”

As reported by The Verge, Nadella said he would even get rid of exclusives, but it wasn’t Microsoft’s place to define those terms, given its status as a “low share player in the console market.” He then said Sony’s prominence has “defined market competition using exclusives,” so that is the standard.

“If it was up to me, I would love to get rid of the entire exclusives on consoles, but that’s not for me to define especially as a low share player in the console market,” said Nadella. “The dominant player there [Sony] has defined market competition using exclusives, so that’s the world we live in. I have no love for that world.”

This comes just as Final Fantasy 16 released exclusively on PlayStation 5, and has been a pattern for Sony. Ghostwire: Tokyo, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Sifu, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Deathloop, Humanity, Stray, Tchia, Bugsnax, and Forspoken are just some of the exclusives or console exclusives Sony has nabbed in the last few years, only a handful of which have made their way to Xbox. And these, of course, sit alongside Sony’s slate of first-party exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Marvel’s Wolverine, God of War Ragnarök, and Horizon Forbidden West.

Nadella also once again committed to shipping Call of Duty on PlayStation, which is not only consistent with his stance on exclusives, but also with the other Xbox employees who have said the same thing.

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan couldn’t quite commit to the same stance in a hypothetical scenario presented by Microsoft’s lawyer. When asked if he would put Call of Duty and other Activision games on PlayStation if he were at Xbox, he said he “[didn’t] wish to answer” and that he “[didn’t] have enough knowledge to answer that question.”

The post Microsoft CEO Says He Wants to End Exclusive War, Blames PlayStation appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Jim Ryan and Chris Deering emailed each other about the acquisition

As reported on by The Verge senior editor Tom Warren, this email exchange occurred between Ryan and Deering in January 2022. In the emails, Ryan noted that he was confident that Call of Duty would stay on PlayStation “for many years to come” and that Sony had some “good stuff cooking.” He even stated that he wasn’t “complacent” that it happened, but that Sony will be “more than OK.” This email from Ryan came out during the first week of the Federal Trade Commission trial with Microsoft and Activision.

However, Deering’s reply is new. Deering then responded about Xbox’s play in the mobile space and noted that the buyout would “lure most of the talent to take the money and run as fast as their contracts will allow.” He then said Microsoft is massively overpaying and signed off stating Microsoft would have “been better off announcing a new Electric Car.”

Deering worked at Sony for 15 years. He started in Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 1990 and went to the PlayStation side in 1995 until 2005.

The post Former PlayStation President: Xbox Would Have Been Better Off Announcing an Electric Car Over Activision Acquisition appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Is Payday 3 coming out on PS5?

Yes, Payday 3 is coming out on PS5.

As detailed in the FAQ on the game’s official website, Payday 3 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will cost $39.99 at launch and can be pre-ordered on all these platforms at various retailers and storefronts.

Is Payday 3 an Xbox exclusive?

No, Payday 3 is not an Xbox exclusive.

Perhaps some of the confusion comes from Payday 3 gameplay being featured during the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase. But it’s become clear that the game will be multiplatform. Payday 3 will support crossplay and cross-progression across all platforms, so that you can form a party easily.

The game’s synopsis reads:

“The PAYDAY Gang once struck fear into the hearts of law enforcement and citizenry all across the United States, with some reports accusing them of crimes as far away as Russia. The seemingly unstoppable criminals were responsible for a spree of audacious heists, made even more remarkable by the fact that the gang was never caught.

Then, one day, the robberies that shook the world suddenly ceased. The PAYDAY Gang seemed to vanish off the face of the Earth. This peaceful reprieve has lasted years… But peacetime never lasts forever.”

For more Payday 3 updates, check out whether the original Payday crew will be in the game.

The post Is Payday 3 Coming to PS5 or Is It Xbox Exclusive? appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Is Fable coming out on PS5?

No, Fable isn’t coming out on PS5.

Since Xbox Game Studios owns Playground Games, Fable is an Xbox exclusive. It has been announced for release on Xbox Series X|S and PC. While other Xbox-owned studios like Mojang have still created games for PlayStation platforms, with Minecraft Legends releasing on PS5 and PS4, there’s no indication that this Fable reboot will be doing the same.

Is Fable an Xbox & PC exclusive?

Yes, Fable is a Xbox & PC exclusive.

This isn’t terrible surprising, not alone for the reasons already stated, but because the Fable franchise has never been on PlayStation in the first place. From the original Fable released in 2004, Fable II in 2008, and Fable III in 2010, the game has been exclusive to Xbox platforms and/or PC.

The game’s synopsis reads:

“What does it mean to be a Hero? Well, in the fairytale land of Albion, that is entirely up to you. With a dark threat looming, and in a world where your reputation precedes you, your choices will change Albion forever.”

For more Fable updates, you can check out the game’s trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase and our review for Fable: The Journey which was built from the ground up to use the Kinect.

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