Submitted by Zepanda66 t3_xv3akh in technology
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzcxsl wrote
Reply to comment by rasper_lightly in Microsoft has launched a website to explain its Activision Blizzard acquisition by Zepanda66
Probably the least sketchy major tech company tbh. They mostly deal in data centers, and Xbox is the most consumer friendly console.
They sell your data through windows but that's probs the worst they do.
rasper_lightly t1_iqzebqw wrote
I very much disagree, but I am mostly focused on how the business progresses. Being the “least sketchy”, that doesn’t make for a just or even acceptable organization. I won’t say they don’t do some things right, because certain parts of the company seem better than others, but man: their business practices are shit, classic American capitalism. Devoid of creativity, which is a part of Microsoft’s legacy, they instead aggressively throw money around and purchase the work of others, claiming it as their own. Theft or a bill of sale, these are the two options they have historically relied upon.
Fgoat t1_iqzgq6v wrote
Very true. What they do for gaming as a whole is a net negative. The 360 era was great when they were actually funding creativity. Now they buy companies because their studios are unable to make good games.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzhx3n wrote
That's absolutely not true lol. They bought double fine right as psychonauts 2 came out, that game is amazing. They bought Bethesda right when one of their studios released Deathloop which then won game of the year.
Ur talking out of your ass my dude.
Fgoat t1_iqzi6mb wrote
You just admitted that they basically had 0 input in those games. They bought them. Those games were coming out whether MS bought them or not.
Buying gaming companies does not help the industry unless you fund and improve them. What gaming company has Microsoft EVER improved?
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzizpi wrote
Oh my bad I read that wrong.
Double fine is continuing to do exactly what they did before, now they won't have to do things like crowdfund every one of their games.
I'm not saying they are amazing I'm just saying they aren't any better than Sony.
Sony bought every one of those studios too my dude lol
Fgoat t1_iqzjcze wrote
Sony bought studios like naughty dog, guerilla Santa Monica, polyphony etc in the 90s and built them into the industry leaders they are today. That’s the difference. Most modern purchases are companies they have worked extremely closely with throughout like insomniac who were predominantly PlayStation developers until (sunset) or in response to MS trying to buy up the whole gaming landscape (bungie response).
All you have to do is look at their track records, they are not the same at all.
extra_rice t1_iqznmaf wrote
This. People seem to forget that most of the studios that have become part of PlayStation Studios, were at one point independent studios that had very close relationships with Sony, as in doing collaborative creative work. This is the same for Nintendo.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzq0vs wrote
I mean, do we actually have evidence Microsoft is not doing this with their current acquisitions? It's not as if double fine was the biggest studio ever. Minecraft seems to be doing great under Microsoft. The Forza series are great.
Like ya I'll give you the kinect days were rough but they havent given any reason to worry considering the quality of their current first party titles.
They even pulled sea of thieves together.
Fgoat t1_ir03ysl wrote
I’m just talking about their track record. The past says no. Not much to go on with their recent acquisitions. But let’s look at their bread and butter, Halo infinite is an absolute shambles. We’re on whatever season now and the game still has no content , no coop and the stories of outsourced developing is a joke.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_ir0640i wrote
You mean the game by 343, the studio Microsoft gave multiple chances and multiple extensions plus a massive budget too to make what should have been a slam dunk?
I don't really see how that's Microsofts fault.
What about Minecraft? It's been continuously updated, gotten spinoff games and maybe movies I can't remember. It remains a titan of the gaming industry under Microscoft owned Mojang.
Flight sim is arguably the best looking game ever made and clearly had a pretty large budget even tho it's a niche sim game. (Tho, Microsoft doesn't own asobo.. yet.. somehow)
They continued to fund sea of thieves after a rocky launch and it's great now.
Grounded has been largely developed under Microsoft and just came out with rave reviews.
And again, both Forza and Forza Motorsport are amazing not to mention Turn 10 is making the next Fable game now..
Like ya during the kinect games before Phil Spencer they were trash to their studios but they have been making bangers now, and when double fine sold to them Tim Chaffer even said they intended to be mostly hands off. Their current track record is great.. their biggest fuck up is perfect dark.
Fgoat t1_ir079vc wrote
There’s more to owning video game companies than throwing money at them. You don’t think the owner of the company is responsible for what they output?
Minecraft was a cashcow when they bought it, nothing incredible has come from Minecraft since it’s inception. People like Minecraft, kids love it. You could release a turd and slap Minecraft on it and it would do well.
Flight sim is great if you are into that sort of thing but it isn’t relevant here, as you said yourself MS don’t even own them. Outside talent.
Sea of thieves is alright, I played it a bit a few years ago but it certainly isn’t Rare’s magnum opus. I mean it’s a 5 year old game now…. Why are we even still talking about it.
Forza is the exception, great games and I love the spin-offs. Truly the only studio to thrive under MS imo.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_ir0afk2 wrote
If its only the owners fault how come EA releases fun games sometimes
Fgoat t1_ir0be94 wrote
Talking about a specific franchise. Microsoft had Halo, arguably one of the best FPS franchises. I loved halo 2 and 3 , even reach. It’s Microsoft’s fault that this franchise has gone to shit. They choose who works on the game, they created 343, so any mismanagement and lack of staff is their fault.
Comparing some companies within EA to 343 a studio created by Microsoft, not really comparable.
rasper_lightly t1_iqzhgp7 wrote
My thoughts exactly. Thank you for this ✊ On that subject, how Phil Spencer is not seen as extremely suspect, that is beyond me. I wish the gaming portion of the company would truly turn around and, as you so put it, fund and encourage creativity as they once did, rather than holding an unflinching focus on solely the bottom line, but the dollar is manipulative and even some of the “very best” have fallen prey to its appeal. None of this is going to have a positive end result and it’s a shame to watch it happen.
Fgoat t1_iqzho2b wrote
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Phil, just your classic mouthpiece. He doesn’t have the charisma of J Allard though! Bring back allard!!!!
rasper_lightly t1_iqzj0ev wrote
That’s a fair perspective. The guy just screams suspicious to me. He reminds of a Bond villain, but like a mid trilogy big bad, no starter or ender skills. J Allard does seem cool as all hell, though: with you.
Fgoat t1_iqzgllm wrote
Consumer friendly as in you can get a bunch of indies on sub. Plus has a better catalogue, and Sony and Nintendo actually make new and interesting games and IPs. All Microsoft does is buy companies and run them into the ground.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzhrp7 wrote
Game pass absolutely destroys PS plus or any other game service. It's not "a bunch of indies" - every Bethesda game is in there basically, that also means ID games like doom eternal, EA games like battlefield and BioWare RPGs, Forza games, assassins screed odyssey got added recently.
It's pretty clear you have never once even looked at game pass lmao.
Look, I'm. PC gamer. I don't care about your stupid console wars lol. I'm not part of this fanboy shit. Game pass is better, it just is.
Fgoat t1_iqzhz24 wrote
I am a PC gamer, I’ve subscribed to gamepass. I have all consoles, including recently a steamdeck. Lifelong gamer here.
There are roughly 700 games on plus, 400 on gamepass. I personally don’t like much of EAs catalogue, not to mention there’s ubi and EA shit on plus too, and that leaves not much else. Sony catalogue is immense in comparison. You yourself admitted to not even having anything but gamepass.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzisql wrote
My brother has a ps5 I borrow.
the AAA games on PS plus have basically all either been on game pass or are currently on game pass and it's way cheaper. The only ones they don't have are Sony exclusives.
The ratio of indie games to not indie games is honestly larger on PS plus lol.
Like ya, PS plus is cool too but it's also almost twice as expensive.
Saying shit like "other than the EA games there's nothing" is ignoring 90% of their catalog lol.
Bethesda alone owns ID software and Arkane studios. It's just not "all Indies"
gabzox t1_iqzwboy wrote
They are the most sketchy of them all. They created a near monopoly on the computer OS market and the way they viciously try and keep trying to find new ways to make it impossible for competition is insane.
FeFiFoShizzle t1_iqzxsjj wrote
Bro that was in the 90s lol
They exist in an ecosystem where you can put anything you want on your computer, apple is way worse for this.
Someone just launched a Linux based gaming machine, recently a great API called vulkan came out that isn't made by Microsoft and it's slowly picking up speed with some very major games being made on it. What did microsoft do to stop any of that?
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