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Question now is, will Microsoft prevent Blizzard games from appearing on PS5, Nintendo Switch and Mac computers because Microsoft will want to make sure it's own console is supported first and foremost.
My thoughts too. What about the Mac clients of the Blizzard games for example? I hope they will still get some focus. ?

Also gaming on Apple computer hardware could potentially save a lot of energy if there were more powerful hardware in more people's hands. But I guess that might change if Microsoft focuses on ARM too? Still feels like it's far off. But I guess it would also be far off before AAA titles made it to macOS, Metal, and Apple silicon.
 
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Except not all Apple Arcade games are available on all devices. That "promise" was never realized as Apple quietly relaxed the requirement of developers.
New Apple Arcade games ARE available on all devices. Any of the “classic mobile” games, with the “+” insignia is just that mobile only game re-released on the latest devices still as a mobile only game.
 
Apple's VR strategy is leveraging Apple Silicon. Their gaming strategy is leveraging VR.

Microsoft just spent close to 70 billion in a segment of the gaming industry that has been more or less stagnant for nearly a decade.

gaming-history-revenue-1200px-up2.jpg


There is a paradigm shift happening right in front of our eyes. The future of gaming isn't console/PC. Apple is wise not to ape what Microsoft or Sony is doing.

This acquisition would only make sense if Microsoft is planning to move everything to the cloud, to take advantage of the growth in mobile gaming. If they want to keep playing the console/PC game (pun intended), they won't see a huge return on their investment.
 
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Question now is, will Microsoft prevent Blizzard games from appearing on PS5, Nintendo Switch and Mac computers because Microsoft will want to make sure it's own console is supported first and foremost.
If the Bethesda aquisition is to be used as a guide, then any existing content will remain on other platforms. Any new games will most likely be exclusives to Xbox/PC. For instance, fallout 76 is still available on the PS4/PS5, but the unreleased game StarField (which playstation folks were eager to get) will be exclusives. Likewise the next version of Elder Scrolls appears to be an exclusive as well.
 
If Microsoft wanted to make an NHL or NFL game, they just have to work it out with the league's (I may be massively understating the value of the Madden trademark in all fairness).
More massively understating the value the NFL has on EA’s money. There’s no doubt that they could potentially make more money licensing to multiple companies, but they’ve decided to go with EA. The question is now when does EA’s license come up for renewal and does Microsoft have MORE money? :)

With the stable of products they have, they could blanket a wide swath of gaming with NFL logos via the license. THAT actually may make the NFL take notice. Especially if a licensed game with avatars from a lot of different properties were in the mix. Mutant League to the extreme LOL
 
There are still plenty of other publishers and developers.
Looking at this wrong, monopoly concerns are based on risks to competitors marketplace. Since MS is the current windows PC operating system provider they have considerable leverage on promoting their own products over some other game publisher or developer. Their expiring exclusively deal with Qualcomm has limited inroads to creation of ARM based PC products using their Windows for ARM.
 
Apple's VR strategy is leveraging Apple Silicon. Their gaming strategy is leveraging VR.

Microsoft just spent close to 70 billion in a segment of the gaming industry that has been more or less stagnant for nearly a decade.

gaming-history-revenue-1200px-up2.jpg


There is a paradigm shift happening right in front of our eyes. The future of gaming isn't console/PC. Apple is wise not to ape what Microsoft or Sony is doing.

This acquisition would only make sense if Microsoft is planning to move everything to the cloud, to take advantage of the growth in mobile gaming. If they want to keep playing the console/PC game (pun intended), they won't see a huge return on their investment.

Vr is doa. That said apple purchasing blizzard wouldn’t make sense either unless they had something going console wise. This isn’t the case. Apple has shown nothing besides wanting 15/30% of transactions. Even arcade is just a twist on what apple does. For macOS specifically I’m not sure apple could care less about this stuff.
 
This will be blocked, antitrust.
Maybe, but there are a number of larger publishers, just look at my post above yours. They will not be large enough to stifle competition which is what the antitrust laws are aimed at preventing
 
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There is EA Play for Playstation. It won't be long before MS offers a similar bundle of Xbox owned games for Playstation. It will be in the best interest of Playstation gamers. Sony might resist/object but will inevitably have to allow an Xbox branded subscription in its play store.

EA play has been on gamepass for over a year included in the subscription price.
 
Vr is doa. That said apple purchasing blizzard wouldn’t make sense either unless they had something going console wise. This isn’t the case. Apple has shown nothing besides wanting 15/30% of transactions. Even arcade is just a twist on what apple does. For macOS specifically I’m not sure apple could care less about this stuff.
VR is just getting started.
 
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Are you kidding? Microsoft is dead set to push the PC platform even further, and bring more games and services to it. In fact as it is some Game Pass games are exclusive to the PC. You have nothing to worry about.
Apart from finding a graphics card in stock, and at retail price...
So, I think there’s an interesting point in that post, though. Microsoft could very well determine that they want inexpensive powerful hardware to be the future of gaming such that all those current PC exclusives just get ported to some future console and, if you want to play it on PC, you CAN, but you’re still going to get the best experience with their console. IF there’s a way Microsoft can drive efficiencies out of this and do things cheaper thus increasing revenue, I’ve got to assume they’re all on the table.
 
It does seem like maybe Apple could be doing something better with their huge cash hoard instead of sitting on it like Smaug. Their R&D budget is big, but it's nowhere near as big as their profits. Microsoft really goes for it and I'd like for Apple to have more of that in them. Everything that's not an iPhone (and maybe laptops) feels like it's been relegated to a "hobby". That's fine in some cases where there's no competition, but it many of these areas, Apple has competitors who are taking things far more seriously than they are. The AppleTV, AppleTV+, Apple Arcade, HomeKit, education market, corporate market, desktops, creative pro software, iWork, iLife...

Spending a little bit of money on these seems worse than not spending any money at all. They should show some commitment to something and try to be the best at it.
 
This acquisition would only make sense if Microsoft is planning to move everything to the cloud, to take advantage of the growth in mobile gaming. If they want to keep playing the console/PC game (pun intended), they won't see a huge return on their investment.
That would be an interesting outcome. Zynga’s acquisition and this one could both be related to being able to deliver massively and readily to mobile devices, eating into where Nintendo’s happily sitting by themselves. :)
 
Another thought with regard to antitrust. I think a case can be made combining mobile gaming market and console/pc gaming. Part of the acquisition is King (a mobile game maker) and so if you consider them a game publisher (Console, PC and mobile) well then there is even less reason to say there's antitrust issues to resolve. I mean we've had a number of people here scoff saying how much larger Apple's game subscription is. True, so MSFT is not a big fish in the game publishing world.
 
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Would apple buying Sony be beyond ridiculous? - movies, games, and some hardware ?
There is some synergy of what Sony does and Apple, but Sony is Japan's largest company, I don't think Sony would be open to being bought out and I don't think a hostile take over would be financially feasible.
 
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Would apple buying Sony be beyond ridiculous? - movies, games, and some hardware ?
Can you name one valuable company that Apple acquired besides Beats (2014) and Next? (1997). All the small purchases are directed towards whet they need for their own projects. Its like Apple is the most risk adverse company out there for throwing away money. This is why all the suggestions to buy a larger gaming company fall on deaf ears.
 
Will Call of Duty become an exclusive to Xbox and not available for Playstation?
Apple arcade is a joke. Apple needs to release native AAA games now that Apple Silicon graphics cores are finally powerful enough to run them. No one wants to play iPhone level games on their Mac.
 
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