Gotta love all the doom and gloom in last several pages.
Love implications that Microsoft buying ABK will somehow open the floodgates of publisher acquisition. Like if Microsoft was blocked it would not happen otherwise. For real. If Apple wanted to buy Ubisoft/EA/Take 2 after in world where regulators would block ABK, what would be their reasoning to block Apple? Apple doesn't have a footprint in PC/console gaming. They don't have a smidge of marketshare. Same for Google. Amazon is too small in games industry to block anything.
There is no case where you can block any of those companies from gobbling up publishers if they wanted to. Literally no case.
And funniest thing is that it literally don't matter at all. I counted 30+ studios in last several years that were created by people with huge amount of experience that are creating AAA games. Games industry is the only industry where you can create hit with 4 people and small budget (unlike film industry) so trying to pretend that this deal will somehow hurt industry is just funny at this point.
Funniest shit was that Microsoft called CMA out for their wrong calculations and people around here made fun of them that they are grasping straws. Meanwhile it is clear that CMA really made a mistake in calculations and they corrected those calculations that end up changing their outcome. But yes, "Microsoft bribed them." If CMA blocked this deal Microsoft would for sure go to the CAT to appeal the decision based on wrong model made by CMA.
I also love CMA changing position only because it will probably end up blowing to Jim Ryan's face and his "I want to block your merger." I don't think Sony will go and buy megapublisher because they simply don't have money to do so. Square? Sure. But Take-Two/EA are probably off the table.
But tbh. I don't think Sony will go to Microsoft to accept that 10 year deal. Because they knew that there is not a chance Microsoft will pull COD out of PlayStation even without deal. It was just fear mongering and posturing for regulators in desperate attempt to block this deal. They are afraid of COD on Game Pass and implications for them. It was clear from their arguments. First it was "Microsoft will take COD from PlayStation." When Microsoft addressed them it was "But the will have exclusive rights to have COD on Game Pass." When Microsoft offered them same for PS Plus they said they don't want COD for PS Plus. And then it was "COD on PlayStation will have more bugs." Which was just pathetic.
Will other ActiBlizz games go exclusive? Probably yes. Outside of games like Overwatch. But since Sony made it about COD it's clear they don't care about anything other then COD.
Silver lining is that Microsoft, thanks to this deal, probably won't have year like 2022, without AAA game. Since new COD is coming out every year

. Immediate implications will be small - marketing deal for COD on PlayStation is valid until 2024, so no COD on day one on Game Pass until 2025 sadly. Games like Diablo IV, Crash Team Rumble will be nice for GP, but since they won't come on day one it won't be a big deal.