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Author Topic: Activision Blizzard Sold, to Activision Blizzard  (Read 45933 times)
Ingmar
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Reply #35 on: July 31, 2013, 02:08:54 PM

Unless of course there are obvious market trends that indicate that the lower margin activity has a bigger future potential, and you're working in an industry where you have to start working on something 2+ years before you see a product and have the chance to move to more predictable, shorter dev cycles...

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Lakov_Sanite
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Reply #36 on: July 31, 2013, 02:17:03 PM

So companies should only ever focus on one thing?

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Paelos
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Reply #37 on: July 31, 2013, 02:21:46 PM

Unless of course there are obvious market trends that indicate that the lower margin activity has a bigger future potential, and you're working in an industry where you have to start working on something 2+ years before you see a product and have the chance to move to more predictable, shorter dev cycles...

In this case I haven't seen anything the suggests mobile is some kind of revolution, other than by people that are obsessed with mobile. Even if it is the case, we're on the cusp of the new consoles.

You can allocate some R&D money to whatever, that's what it's there for, but to decide to actually fund a mobile gaming division because it's got buzz?

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Paelos
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Reply #38 on: July 31, 2013, 02:23:37 PM

So companies should only ever focus on one thing?

Typically, as a company you should focus on your core of products, yes.

In this case, Blizzard doesn't have to be innovative at all. They have the cashflow to play catchup on somebody else's idea, and then polish it for the win. That's what they do.

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Simond
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Reply #39 on: July 31, 2013, 03:31:48 PM

In this case I haven't seen anything the suggests mobile is some kind of revolution, other than by people that are obsessed with mobile. Even if it is the case, we're on the cusp of the new consoles.

You can allocate some R&D money to whatever, that's what it's there for, but to decide to actually fund a mobile gaming division because it's got buzz?
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Merusk
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Reply #40 on: July 31, 2013, 04:33:53 PM

Yeah, in spades.

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Reply #41 on: July 31, 2013, 04:35:52 PM

Just so we're clear, you all believe mobile gaming is the future and are willing to bet on with your wallets right? That's the point you're making?

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Ingmar
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Reply #42 on: July 31, 2013, 04:38:45 PM

Mobile gaming is demonstrably part of the present. It's growing faster than any other segment. Ignoring it entirely is risky.

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Paelos
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Reply #43 on: July 31, 2013, 04:43:54 PM

I'll gladly change my tune on this if yall are privy to some data I've not seen. Other than people quoting revenues at each other with no regard to costs, most of what I've read is about how companies that are struggling are looking at mobile as the fix.

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Merusk
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Reply #44 on: July 31, 2013, 05:09:04 PM


The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
Paelos
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Reply #45 on: July 31, 2013, 05:35:36 PM

Good points, but again most of them are talking about potential growing revenues (not what those companies made on their products).

Also, hardware sales dropped in consoles? Color me shocked when they just announced the next generation. Also in one of those articles they referenced sliding software sales and then in the same article noted that most of the reason was Activision and EA didn't release anything in May.

I'll still bring up this point though. Even if mobile gaming is taking over and regular gaming is dying, why should Activision get on board now? They didn't get on board with the MMOG market until 3-5 year after most of the "successful" games had already been released and running. Then they came in, polished it up, and changed the entire market. Why wouldn't they let the little guys do the work for them, then sweep in with their giant wallets and polish an idea for billions?

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koro
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Reply #46 on: July 31, 2013, 06:36:43 PM

Didn't Activision only merge with Blizzard in like 2008? Years after WoW's release?
Ingmar
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Reply #47 on: July 31, 2013, 08:05:00 PM

Good points, but again most of them are talking about potential growing revenues (not what those companies made on their products).

Also, hardware sales dropped in consoles? Color me shocked when they just announced the next generation. Also in one of those articles they referenced sliding software sales and then in the same article noted that most of the reason was Activision and EA didn't release anything in May.

I'll still bring up this point though. Even if mobile gaming is taking over and regular gaming is dying, why should Activision get on board now? They didn't get on board with the MMOG market until 3-5 year after most of the "successful" games had already been released and running. Then they came in, polished it up, and changed the entire market. Why wouldn't they let the little guys do the work for them, then sweep in with their giant wallets and polish an idea for billions?

Mobile gaming growing does not require regular gaming to be dying. That's where you're looking at this wrong, IMO; mobile is a way for the companies to *grow*, not something they should necessarily shift resources away from PC/console to chase.

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Reply #48 on: July 31, 2013, 08:41:50 PM

I kind of see mobile gaming as a sort of a thing that right now works pretty well to buoy gaming industry segments in sum. I don't think the industry should get too cozy with present day returns on it, though.
Lakov_Sanite
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Reply #49 on: July 31, 2013, 08:50:57 PM

We shouldn't put too much stock in books, books will never replace pc games.

http://us.blizzard.com/store/browse.xml?f=c:4,c:17

And we shouldn't worry about tabletop games, those are old news and not worth precious resources.

http://us.blizzard.com/store/browse.xml?f=c:3


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lamaros
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Reply #50 on: July 31, 2013, 09:21:45 PM

Unless of course there are obvious market trends that indicate that the lower margin activity has a bigger future potential, and you're working in an industry where you have to start working on something 2+ years before you see a product and have the chance to move to more predictable, shorter dev cycles...

Sure, but where is the compelling evidence that this is the case?

It's not like conventional gaming is a dying industry. We're not talking about music companies failing to find/ignoring ways to sell MP3s here.

I agree with Paelos' general argument. If business is good and you have no compelling evidence to believe that it will change because of some fundamental shifts, then why should you throw money at something just because everyone else is doing so? When companies start trying to do many different things then often the core business does suffer - no matter their best interests otherwise.

Once there is a demonstrated reason to move into that market they can do so. It's not an exclusive kickstarter offer - if mobile gaming gets significant enough then they can hire a bunch of people with a demonstrated track record of knowing how to make money from it and jump in wholeheartedly.

We shouldn't put too much stock in books, books will never replace pc games.

http://us.blizzard.com/store/browse.xml?f=c:4,c:17

And we shouldn't worry about tabletop games, those are old news and not worth precious resources.

http://us.blizzard.com/store/browse.xml?f=c:3

Does Activision Blizzard produce those items inhouse?
« Last Edit: July 31, 2013, 09:25:08 PM by lamaros »
Lakov_Sanite
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Reply #51 on: July 31, 2013, 09:53:23 PM

Would they have to produce mobile games in house?

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Samprimary
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Reply #52 on: August 01, 2013, 04:19:33 AM

The more that's come out about Vivendi's relationship with Blizzard, the more it becomes obvious that activision blizzard's only chance for survival was to buy their release from Vivendi.

Vivendi's debt is absolutely staggering. Once the provision that preserved A/B's holdings expired, they were immediately prepared to ransack activision blizzard INTO debt, just to slightly manage and finance their own. They would have killed it in very short order.

I'll be interested to see what happens to Vivendi as time goes on. It's a real shit conglomerate in what looks like a death spiral, where it's eating the shit out of its profitable enterprises just to stay afloat.
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Reply #53 on: August 01, 2013, 06:48:45 AM

I'm happy they are out, and I'm more than happy that Blizzard can get it's own debt to fund operations rather than sub-level debt to fund the parent.

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Musashi
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Reply #54 on: November 22, 2013, 10:01:59 AM

Except it frees up Kotick to go full retard, which is a thing he's wont to doing.

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Simond
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Reply #55 on: November 22, 2013, 10:33:11 AM

Except it frees up Kotick to go full retard, which is a thing he's wont to doing.

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Lakov_Sanite
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Reply #56 on: November 22, 2013, 10:51:33 AM

Bitch please,


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dusematic
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Reply #57 on: November 22, 2013, 11:14:16 AM

I'm pretty sure Kotick has successfully run Activision for over 20 years and built it from obscurity into a juggernaut.  He didn't do this by being shitty at his job.
Paelos
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Reply #58 on: November 22, 2013, 11:35:01 AM

I'm pretty sure Kotick has successfully run Activision for over 20 years and built it from obscurity into a juggernaut.  He didn't do this by being shitty at his job.

Nope, he's evil and everything wrong with gaming. Don't go off script with logical business talk, that gets panned around these parts.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

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Ironwood
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Reply #59 on: November 22, 2013, 12:19:56 PM

Sigh.  Don't start, Monkey.

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Setanta
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Reply #60 on: November 22, 2013, 12:47:14 PM



Hate Kotick all you want, but I think he's right. I've never understood the obsession with "mobile gaming" from a AAA concern. There's not enough money in it to want to deal with it, but every time somebody wants to take a shot at Blizzard, it's usually over how they haven't embraced the stupid mobile gaming revolution.



Maybe not embraced, but Heartstone is going to be released on ios and android as well as PC. I just hope that 1 account carries across the platforms

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Lakov_Sanite
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Reply #61 on: November 22, 2013, 01:19:09 PM



Hate Kotick all you want, but I think he's right. I've never understood the obsession with "mobile gaming" from a AAA concern. There's not enough money in it to want to deal with it, but every time somebody wants to take a shot at Blizzard, it's usually over how they haven't embraced the stupid mobile gaming revolution.



Maybe not embraced, but Heartstone is going to be released on ios and android as well as PC. I just hope that 1 account carries across the platforms

I only imagine it would be much more of a hassle for blizzard to have a huge amount of players with seperate bnet accounts for each platform.  How does the D3 console version work?

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Merusk
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Reply #62 on: November 22, 2013, 03:02:34 PM



Hate Kotick all you want, but I think he's right. I've never understood the obsession with "mobile gaming" from a AAA concern. There's not enough money in it to want to deal with it, but every time somebody wants to take a shot at Blizzard, it's usually over how they haven't embraced the stupid mobile gaming revolution.



Maybe not embraced, but Heartstone is going to be released on ios and android as well as PC. I just hope that 1 account carries across the platforms

Keep reading. He and I covered that and he altered his position at the top of the page.  That it made more sense for Activision to wait until other people had paid the 'idiot tax' and learned the 'what not to dos' first.   I don't disagree, unless you can become a monopoly as a first starter it's a bad position to be in because you can burn large bucks.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2013, 04:39:36 PM by Merusk »

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Paelos
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Reply #63 on: November 22, 2013, 03:24:29 PM

Sigh.  Don't start, Monkey.

Fine fine, that other thread got my hackles up.

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