Microsoft to buy Vivendi?

[MacRumors]

ComputerAndVideoGames.com (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php(que)id=85976) reports that Microsoft is rumored to buy Vivendi:


Rumours regarding potential buyout targets for Microsoft are nothing new, of course, and have been spreading for months, with the likes of Sega and Capcom both mentioned in dispatches. However, talk of the Microsoft/Vivendi deal seems far more serious, with one insider suggesting the buyout could be confirmed as early as Friday.


Vivendi Universal Games (http://www.vugames.com/vug/) publishes many popular games and owns Blizzard Entertainment (http://www.blizzard.com).

[Kid Red]

Well if they do and cancel the mac versions then the gloves are off and I hope Steve shoves an iPod up Bill's a$$

[ibjoshua]

Monopoly. What does that mean?

i_b_joshua

[MrMacMan]

There have been rumors like this before, but this one holds some water.

Be afraid, very afraid.

Remember the Halo.
Its coming next year! (one year later)
Well maybe it will come this year (Xbox comes out)
XBox users praise M$ for only letting them play!

Bah Vivendi haven't been all mac friendly either some of there more popular games never came for the mac; half life (including like 15 mods) and some of the more popular mods, counter-strike.

Bah, if M$ buys them were are gonna need to roll out the Petiton papers.

[trose]

Damn Microsoft and their huge cash bundles. They are losing billions (Yes,BILLIONS) on the Xbox,selling it way below production costs and bundling every good game with it while at the same time spending massive amounts of cash flooding the media with Xbox ad's. Meanwhile they still have less worldwide share than either the Nintendo GameCube or by an extreme longshot the Sony Playstation 2. Nintendo is making a hefty profit on their console,but I think they do need to be a bit more aggressive in their advertising,I almost never see Nintendo ads,and most of them are fairly short and not very catchy.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Terrific first bungie now blizzard i think apple needs to protect or buy some mac gaming companies or porters so they can keep games coming to the mac. Microsuck screwed us with bungie now Blizzard. So glad my son bought a gamecube when i was telling him xbox! Microsuck cant innovate so they just buy out everything they need or wants. And our govt is helping them with the deal they gave them on their monopoly! Iam running os 10.1.5 but i think ill update to jag just so i can get I.E out of my computer! :(

[Noiseboy]

Assuming that Vivendi's aquisition by M$ also includes UMG (Universal music group) it has enormous ramifications for the music industry. Look out for a major sea change in how you can use your music when M$ has a huge foot in the door at RIAA and the Palladium system is implemented.

[totally_fly]

Blizzard? this is terrible, blizzard releases the only games i ever buy because they are mac compatible and are released at the same time.. with all that gone.. i duno what ill do

microsoft is gay as hell

i hope marklar comes out at the same tiem as their gay new OS with all the music prevention crap and all that spyware.. half my friends use OS X themes on their windows machines.. microsoft cant do nething special, just advertise with all that cash

[MrMacMan]

Omg, I have a question, why would ANYONE rate this good news?
How would it be, companies are always better off seperated not one mega conglomate.
Whatever.

[vniow]

Originally posted by totally_fly
Blizzard? this is terrible, blizzard releases the only games i ever buy because they are mac compatible and are released at the same time.. with all that gone.. i duno what ill do

microsoft is gay as hell

i hope marklar comes out at the same tiem as their gay new OS with all the music prevention crap and all that spyware.. half my friends use OS X themes on their windows machines.. microsoft cant do nething special, just advertise with all that cash


You've got a funny definition of gay there.

[G4scott]

Originally posted by Kid Red
Well if they do and cancel the mac versions then the gloves are off and I hope Steve shoves an iPod up Bill's a$$

Not an iPod... One of these maybe... (http://www.archos.com/lang=en/products/prw_500375.html?country=us) I hope no iPod has to suffer that fate...

As for microsoft buying out bungie... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOx0^1000000000

[Nebrie]

French regulators and the EU have bones unlike their US counterparts, let's hope they block any possible deal.

[chewbaccapits]

booooooo.

[parkds]

If anyone has been reading the trades about Vivendi recently (working for them I try to keep up with the happenings), Vivendi has been looking to sell off its Interactive branch for a while now. I have no idea about this whole Microsoft thing, but I can pretty much assure you the headline is a bit misleading here, and might infact be refering to only the Interactive arm of VU.

[FelixDerKater]

Doh! One of the very few companies that releases Mac and PC versions of their games at the same time... They took Bungie, which I am still angry over. If they take SEGA and Capcom, the GameCube will take a pretty big hit.

If Microsoft can't win the console wars on hardware superiority and marketing, they will buy out all the major game makers and put out the games with the "ONLY ON XBOX" stamp.

Stupid Micro$oft!

[totally_fly]

Originally posted by vniow



You've got a funny definition of gay there.

lol - I was attempting to sound very young and immature.. i didnt use those words cuz im stupid.. just wtv proving my thoughts is kinda impossible :P

[topicolo]

Ouch. This is really harsh. I guess this rumor just kicks us mac users in the nuts. Blizzard has been good to the mac community with all of their mac-compatible game releases. Let's hope this doesn't happen and that they don't pull another Bungie.

[trose]

Well doesnt really mean that they have to stop developing for MacOS I guess. Microsoft still makes alot of products for the Macintosh (infact,I think the Mac counterparts are better sometimes) and Warcraft III sold alot of copies on the Mac, and not just alot in comparison to Mac games. Anyway, the reason I hate MS so much isnt because they totaly suck, they make some pretty good stuff, its that they dont deserve to do so well with those products. Example: Windows isnt HORRIBLE,itd definately be my choice if I didnt have a Mac,but MacOS (especialy X) is SO much better,and it doesnt get nearly as much recognition.

[daRAT]

Originally posted by MrMacman
Omg, I have a question, why would ANYONE rate this good news?
How would it be, companies are always better off seperated not one mega conglomate.
Whatever.


You mean like Apple recently buying up all those companies? Wasn't it "Shake" that SJ and Co bought, and will discontinue the Windows version? Or was it the Windows version that cost twice what the Mac ones does?

Hmmm...speaking of unfair practices.


News flash for ya all, Apple, will and has done all the same things, just not at MS's scale. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for MS we all would be using slow 10,000$ Mac's and told to live with it.

:cool:

[ear2ear]

I read the title of the article and was very scared. Then I read all your posts and I realized we're only talking about a computer software branch of Vivendi-Universal. I just finished writing an article of how Sony, Bertelsmann, Vivendi-Universal & Viacom have complete comtrol over the music industry. As bad as that seems, I think I'd keel over and die if I was to swap Microsoft into that list.

:eek:

[springscansing]

Well.. it would suck, but personally I could live without Warcraft IV or this crazy Starcraft FPS.

Face it, the mac is going to suck for games for at LEAST 3-4 more years.

At least it is still butt kicking for audio, whee!

[awulf]

Originally posted by daRAT



You mean like Apple recently buying up all those companies? Wasn't it "Shake" that SJ and Co bought, and will discontinue the Windows version? Or was it the Windows version that cost twice what the Mac ones does?

Hmmm...speaking of unfair practices.


News flash for ya all, Apple, will and has done all the same things, just not at MS's scale. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for MS we all would be using slow 10,000$ Mac's and told to live with it.

:cool:

When apple bought Shake, Apple reduced the price of the mac version by 50% and kept the rest of the versions as they are.

Who the hell would buy a $10,000 computer for personal use, and the macs are slow now due to Motorola.

Microsoft is anti non-microsoft, Apple is just anti Microsoft and is respects all the other platforms.

[rjrufo]

Originally posted by G4scott

Not an iPod... One of these maybe... (http://www.archos.com/lang=en/products/prw_500375.html?country=us) I hope no iPod has to suffer that fate...


Can't we find something bigger - with sharp edges? I've got an old Gateway (Gateway 2000 for those that remember the time when that was their name) that might do the trick.;)

[MacQuest]

Originally posted by daRAT



You mean like Apple recently buying up all those companies? Wasn't it "Shake" that SJ and Co bought, and will discontinue the Windows version? Or was it the Windows version that cost twice what the Mac ones does?

Hmmm...speaking of unfair practices.


News flash for ya all, Apple, will and has done all the same things, just not at MS's scale. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for MS we all would be using slow 10,000$ Mac's and told to live with it.

:cool:

I think the main point that daRat is trying to make here is the old argument: "If it wasn't for Bill Gates and Microshaft investing that $150 million back in mid '97, Apple wouldn't exist."

Oh, please:rolleyes:

My answer to that is "Payback's A Beeyatch!!":D

It was the least that they could do after having stolen [feebly copied is more appropriate] and exploited our operating system. Luckily it was and still is a vastly inferior OS.:p

BTW, can Windows really be considered an Operating System, considering that the title leads one to believe that it actually operates?;)

First I can show you what the Mac OS has looked like since '84, and then I can show you what WinBlows looked like pre-'95.

Exactly. Pre-Win95 Piece o' Crap [hereafter referred to as PC] = ugly PC.

Win95 and [laughs] "better" [laughs again, eyes start tearing] PC = prettier PC.

No matter how pretty WinDoze boxes look, they are still PC's: Piece o' Crap's.

Gates of Hell thought that he could endear himself to the Mac Community by positioning himself as our "Savior".

Unfortunately for him, we've recognized him from the very beginning as what he really is, a goofy Furor.

I am sitting back and watching the entire international computing community come to this realization.

Everyone from the common consumer, to businesses and large corporations, all the way up to entire governments are peeking behind the curtain to reveal the little freakboy dictator who has been misguiding the people in the "Land of WOZ.":cool:

The best part about it is that the very same technology which helped significantly in the growth of Windows and computers in general, the internet, is now the technology that everyone is using to find out the truth about Microsuck and it's practices, causing them to migrate to alternative computing solutions.

[Queue: The Drums of CyberWar]
HELLO MACINTOSH!!

In summation, I am a true believer in Kharma.

I for one am glad to see that the practices and tools that Gates once used to decieve and monopolize are the same ones that are now being used against him.

Remember, it took a long time to build the Roman Empire, and for a time it looked like that would be the ruling civilization. It did fall though, a lot faster than it was built mind you, because of it's misguidance, ill practices, disbelief from it's opponents, and eventually distrust from within it's own population.:D [Can you say Switchers?]

I've said it before, and I'll now end with this insightful piece of knowledge:

"Payback's A Beeyatch!!"

[deejemon]

*

[Clockwork]

What we are seeing is Microsoft's move from the computer room and into the living room and thus much more of our daily life(Scares the @#$! out of you, doesn't it?). A few key technologies that didn't exist to the masses a few years ago are now availible and will change the way we connect to the outside world. Broadband can keep our house online 24/7 and with HDTV the quality of media content will reach new levels. I think Microsoft sees this as the future and since this has until now been Sony's playground they didn't want to get left behind here. The XBOX was just a small piece of this strategy. If they buy out Vivendi's Software division we will not be the only ones left without a chair when the music stops. Microsoft is shifting all of it's gaming attention towards the XBOX. They are on a quest to challenge Nintendo and Sony for the console market. There is just no time for them to stop and think. They need to get a large installed user base, or they will se no return for the money they have pumped into the XBOX project. Microsoft are sticking their dirty fingers into every market their is. It wouldn't come as a surprise to me if we in the near future would see everything from home cinema systems to refrigirators and stoves. I hope microsoft burn themself on this one and that Sony and the other manufacturers show them exactly where they belong, but I have somewhat of a doubt that this will happen. I am not sure the public trust Microsoft enough to let them completely take over our living room, but it's amazing what money and marketing power can do. Only time will tell if Bill's little gay refrigirator magnets will make their way into our lives, or if maybe Apple will beat them to it and release a ground breaking new magnet with user friendly interface and a good idea of what it can be used for.

[MacQuest]

Good, thorough, observation, Clockwork.

I agree with everything you said, including the not so optimistic part about the power of money.

Apple's fridge magnet could be called "AquaNet" because of the aqua interface, and here in the United States there's this hairspray.....well, maybe you have it over in Norway to, it's.....ooohhh, nevermind....

[rjrufo]

I found this at the Oreilly web site, thought everyone might enjoy it.Oreilly (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/evilgenius/chapter/strips.html)

[macmax]

Originally posted by G4scott


Not an iPod... One of these maybe... (http://www.archos.com/lang=en/products/prw_500375.html?country=us) I hope no iPod has to suffer that fate...

As for microsoft buying out bungie... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOx0^1000000000

what about one of this???

hey bill , shove this one up your arse

[rjgjonker]

I don't think EU monopoly law allows for such an acquisition. Nor would French national law.

[type_r503]

hopefully sony and nintendo won't let M$ get away with this like apple and ibm did.

[job]

Originally posted by rjgjonker
I don't think EU monopoly law allows for such an acquisition. Nor would French national law.

If Gates can skirt the anti-trust laws here in the States, I doubt that he even cares about the national anti-monopoly laws of other nations.

Sorry.

[rjgjonker]

Originally posted by hitman

If Gates can skirt the anti-trust laws here in the States, I doubt that he even cares about the national anti-monopoly laws of other nations.


Europe is usually not as tolerate towards monopolist comanies as the United Stades are. Companies that are trying to abuse their monopolist position are actually being sued here.

If a large company wants to buy another large company, the transaction cannot proceed before national and EU competition authorities have agreed.

This construction is also used as a form of protectionism, foreign companies are less likely to be authorized to buy European companies.

[xelterran]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-02-04-game-hoax_x.htm

[GeneR]

If M$ bought Vivendi, we'd have to just kiss our @$$es good-bye.

Then again, Apple people are smarter, cooler, more creative, more hip, more attractive, brush and floss our teeths regularly, smell nice, are versed with good hygenic habits, have social lives, and generally higher up the food chain than PC users...

...so, we'll survive one way or the other...

:D

...I think...


;)

[BigJayhawk]

Brief summary of what happens to any Microshaft buyout:

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the
computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with
technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00
cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon." In response to Bill's comments,
General Motors issued a press release stating, ?If GM had developed
technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following
characteristics:?

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a
new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would
have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut
off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue.
For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your
car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to
reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable,
five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five
percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be
replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning
light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and
refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned
the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to
drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same
manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

[GeneR]

Originally posted by BigJayhawk
Brief summary of what happens to any Microshaft buyout:

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the
computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with
technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00
cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon." In response to Bill's comments,
General Motors issued a press release stating, ?If GM had developed
technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following
characteristics:?

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a
new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would
have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut
off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue.
For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your
car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to
reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable,
five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five
percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be
replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning
light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and
refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned
the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to
drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same
manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Thank you, Microshaft. I've seen this before, but it's always good to read again. :D

[Macpoops]

Anybody else find it funny how Vivendi is a french plumbing company yet owns the majority of music publishers in the united states

[GeneR]

Originally posted by Macpoops
Anybody else find it funny how Vivendi is a french plumbing company yet owns the majority of music publishers in the united states

If you're referring to the "quality" of "music" put out by the US today... maybe there's something subliminal going on here... the symbology of it all...

Honesty? I didn't even know what Vivendi did. This is an eye opener, isn't it?

[Macpoops]

Been learning about them in my Mass Comm class. For whatever reason they decided to buy alot of media companies. Go figure right. It's the symbolism...symbolism is the word your looking for. -Boondock Saints great movie

[charboneau]

Is it just gaming, or is it the music publishing too? It's scary to think of Microsoft with control of so much music.

[synergy]

Originally posted by trose
Damn Microsoft and their huge cash bundles. They are losing billions (Yes,BILLIONS) on the Xbox,selling it way below production costs and bundling every good game with it while at the same time spending massive amounts of cash flooding the media with Xbox ad's. Meanwhile they still have less worldwide share than either the Nintendo GameCube or by an extreme longshot the Sony Playstation 2. Nintendo is making a hefty profit on their console,but I think they do need to be a bit more aggressive in their advertising,I almost never see Nintendo ads,and most of them are fairly short and not very catchy.

Do you have a link to show they are losing billions on Xbox?
I doubt they are losing billions. Millions yes. Not billions.

[Jaykay]

agggghahhh, damn Bungie and now Blizzard, my gaming life will soon come to a very sudden end.