Leaked documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft case spilled a lot of beans
September 19, 2023 6:45 AM Subscribe
It's been a terrible morning for Team Xbox, as a major leak related to the FTC investigation of the Activision Blizzard deal has revealed all kinds of information that Microsoft surely never intended anyone to see. And seriously, this is huge! We now know that Microsoft has been planning an Xbox Series X refresh (potentially arriving in late 2024), and an entire release schedule from Bethesda dated July 2020 (new Bethesda games including DOOM, Dishonored, Fallout & Oblivion) has also been doing the rounds. There's more coming out of this as well, such as a new Xbox controller that appears to be launching alongside the new Xbox Series X revision, and even the revelation that Phil Spencer was interested in acquiring Nintendo back in 2020! The leak also revealed Microsoft's plans to release a new next-generation console in 2028. Via:[Pure Xbox][Polygon][Eurogamer][The Verge]
I know that the Steamdeck wasn't the focus of your post, but
> pretty pricey
Ok, fair enough
> heavy as shit to lug around
I don't find it too bad, not noticeably different from the Switch, anyway
> with a pretty terrible battery
Highly dependant on what you're playing - if it's a retro title or a remaster you'll likely get quite a few hours, it's the recent AAA titles that will drain it in my experience
posted by sudasana at 7:01 AM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
> pretty pricey
Ok, fair enough
> heavy as shit to lug around
I don't find it too bad, not noticeably different from the Switch, anyway
> with a pretty terrible battery
Highly dependant on what you're playing - if it's a retro title or a remaster you'll likely get quite a few hours, it's the recent AAA titles that will drain it in my experience
posted by sudasana at 7:01 AM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm off the belief that Sega and MS are a good fit. It would allow MS the console small quirky game thing and the ties to dream cast with the Xbox are many
I get frustrated by Ninty sometimes but they d9 what's right for them even if I think it's stupid. I Eklund have a problem with Nintendo being bought by MS.
The statements are worrying. Also... As if Gaben would sell valve... ha!
posted by symbioid at 7:04 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I get frustrated by Ninty sometimes but they d9 what's right for them even if I think it's stupid. I Eklund have a problem with Nintendo being bought by MS.
The statements are worrying. Also... As if Gaben would sell valve... ha!
posted by symbioid at 7:04 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Activision Reportedly Believes Switch 2 Might Be Similar In Power To PS4/Xbox One
I don't know that I trust any article with a quote from "Nintendo marketing executive Doug Bowser."
posted by mittens at 7:10 AM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I don't know that I trust any article with a quote from "Nintendo marketing executive Doug Bowser."
posted by mittens at 7:10 AM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
None of this stuff is that surprising but it's interesting to see it all spelled out. We knew this console gen would be a long one, and they've already been putting out breadcrumbs that the consoles won't get more powerful or cheaper as the generation goes on. One way XBox falls behind is storage, and while it's nice to see the console refreshes having their storage doubled, it doesn't say anything one way or the other about their expensive, proprietary storage expansion cards.
And the Bethesda stuff, as noted by OP, is from 2020. It's full of somewhat obvious sequels and remasters and anything new is hiding behind a codename. It's old enough that one of the those (probably Project Hibiki) has already been released as Hi-Fi Rush. I am curious if anyone has been able to line up their revenue forecasts to what they actually sold - they already too a big hit with Starfield coming out a year+ later than expected. Seeing $600 million dollars of forecast revenue get pushed to following fiscal year makes it easy to realize why games get rushed to shelves in a buggy state, and kind of impressive that MS bit the bullet and allowed Starfield the time it needed.
posted by thecjm at 7:15 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
And the Bethesda stuff, as noted by OP, is from 2020. It's full of somewhat obvious sequels and remasters and anything new is hiding behind a codename. It's old enough that one of the those (probably Project Hibiki) has already been released as Hi-Fi Rush. I am curious if anyone has been able to line up their revenue forecasts to what they actually sold - they already too a big hit with Starfield coming out a year+ later than expected. Seeing $600 million dollars of forecast revenue get pushed to following fiscal year makes it easy to realize why games get rushed to shelves in a buggy state, and kind of impressive that MS bit the bullet and allowed Starfield the time it needed.
posted by thecjm at 7:15 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I tried Elder Scrolls Online and bounced right off it - it seems like a 20 year old MMO and not something modern. I always questioned why it got so much time in various Bethesda showcases. But seeing it forecast to get 9-figiure revenue year over year means it's a real cash cow for Bethesda and MS.
posted by thecjm at 7:19 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by thecjm at 7:19 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
The focus is rightly more on the contents of the documents but I'm interested in how the docs themselves got out. NBC seems to have the most info.
posted by Nelson at 7:22 AM on September 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
The files were uploaded Friday to a website hosted by the U.S. District Court ... Douglas Farrar, director of the FTC's office of public affairs, told NBC News that "Microsoft was responsible for the error in uploading these documents to the court."Bad week for Microsoft; it also came out that 38 TB of internal corporate documents leaked a few months ago by accidentally sharing a private credential. Completely different circumstances and part of the company, but ouch.
posted by Nelson at 7:22 AM on September 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
I don't know that I trust any article with a quote from "Nintendo marketing executive Doug Bowser."
Why, exactly? Bowser (and yes, that is his actual name) is head of Nintendo of America, having succeeded Reggie Fils-Amie a few years back. And yes, he leans into his cognomen - a picture from his first day at NOA had in the background a plush Mario and Luigi tied up with a GameCube controller cord, and when he's done public presentations he usually wears Bowser merch for...obvious reasons.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:36 AM on September 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
the revelation that Phil Spencer was interested in acquiring Nintendo back in 2020!
You don't even need a trial, this alone is grounds to break up MS and imprison anyone who participated in this discussion.
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:37 AM on September 19, 2023 [8 favorites]
You don't even need a trial, this alone is grounds to break up MS and imprison anyone who participated in this discussion.
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:37 AM on September 19, 2023 [8 favorites]
Nintendo would never sell to Microsoft. They're too insular and protective as a company to even consider that kind of thing. I mean, I guess a hostile take-over of some kind might be in the cards down the road, but I just don't see this happening ever.
posted by Fizz at 7:43 AM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 7:43 AM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Nintendo also has an ocean of cash reserves right now, they're in an incredibly good financial position. It's not the actual possibility of it happening but the very thought that's an abomination.
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:53 AM on September 19, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:53 AM on September 19, 2023 [8 favorites]
I find Phil Spencer of Xbox to be really interesting, because he has managed to pull off what I consider the "Bruce Springsteen" trick.
Even people who don't agree with/like him seem to consider him just this affable guy who happens to be in charge of the XBOX division of Microsoft. Y'know?
The multiple BILLIONS of Dollars, side project of Microsoft.
I think Spencer is definitely a fan of gaming and has a fondness for Nintendo style gaming but I also suspect that his desire to buy Nintendo is partially the business advantages but also because then he would forever be called "The Man Who Bought Nintendo" - no matter how inaccurate that might be, that is what the headlines would say.
posted by Faintdreams at 7:57 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Even people who don't agree with/like him seem to consider him just this affable guy who happens to be in charge of the XBOX division of Microsoft. Y'know?
The multiple BILLIONS of Dollars, side project of Microsoft.
"With the launch of the Xbox in 2001, Spencer joined the Xbox team and served as general manager of Microsoft Game Studios EMEA, working with Microsoft's European developers and studios such as Lionhead Studios and Rare until 2008, when he became the general manager of Microsoft Studios, eventually becoming the studio's corporate vice president a year later. He has participated in Microsoft's E3 conferences since 2010"- Wikipedia
I think Spencer is definitely a fan of gaming and has a fondness for Nintendo style gaming but I also suspect that his desire to buy Nintendo is partially the business advantages but also because then he would forever be called "The Man Who Bought Nintendo" - no matter how inaccurate that might be, that is what the headlines would say.
posted by Faintdreams at 7:57 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's hardly shocking that Microsoft would love to acquire Nintendo. That doesn't mean there is any likelihood of it happening in the foreseeable future. Nintendo doesn't need to sell and, frankly, I don't think it is in their company culture to even consider such a thing unless they were in truly dire financial straights. Shutting down the hardware division and becoming a third-party software developer would probably be a license to print money for Nintendo, but even that seems unimaginable never mind being sold to a competitor.
posted by asnider at 8:00 AM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by asnider at 8:00 AM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I find Phil Spencer of Xbox to be really interesting, because he has managed to pull off what I consider the "Bruce Springsteen" trick.Phil Spencer is just good at corporate propaganda and putting on a very friendly front. But like most other C-suite executives, profit and power are what matters most. And that drives everything he does.
Even people who don't agree with/like him seem to consider him just this affable guy who happens to be in charge of the XBOX division of Microsoft. Y'know?
He is not to be trusted.
posted by Fizz at 8:12 AM on September 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
the revelation that Phil Spencer was interested in acquiring Nintendo back in 2020!
At first I read that as Phil Spector was interested in acquiring Nintendo back in 2020, and I thought "man, that is weird." I'll just see myself to the coffeemaker now, sorry.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 8:26 AM on September 19, 2023 [11 favorites]
At first I read that as Phil Spector was interested in acquiring Nintendo back in 2020, and I thought "man, that is weird." I'll just see myself to the coffeemaker now, sorry.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 8:26 AM on September 19, 2023 [11 favorites]
That Phill Spencer has a 'Aw shucks' persona and is still the Multi Millionaire CEO of a Multi Billion Dollar company was precisely my point.
Never said anyone should trust him.
Just speculated on what his motivations - other than money and increasing corporate market share - might be in discussions about Buying Nintendo.
posted by Faintdreams at 9:00 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Never said anyone should trust him.
Just speculated on what his motivations - other than money and increasing corporate market share - might be in discussions about Buying Nintendo.
posted by Faintdreams at 9:00 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
They want Nintendo because it has value in its IP. The most recent Mario movie is an exercise in monetizing their IP outside of video games. The Switch and other gaming platforms exist now more in service of their IP than the other way around - there's a good explainer of it here. Likely Microsoft would lose a ton of value in that IP the second they start porting it over to Xbox - the value of Nintendo IP is that it's its own thing played on ancient hardware, cartoonish by necessity (at least for now). Expectations of it on Xbox would be dramatically different and who the hell wants grimdark Mario?
posted by paimapi at 9:07 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by paimapi at 9:07 AM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
who the hell wants grimdark Mario?
Pedro Pascal
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:14 AM on September 19, 2023 [11 favorites]
Pedro Pascal
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:14 AM on September 19, 2023 [11 favorites]
Personally, I'm amazed that Spencer still has a job, as a lot of why the Xbox has struggled comes back to his leadership.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:30 AM on September 19, 2023
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:30 AM on September 19, 2023
I can't think of any global brand that could acquire Nintendo without breaking the very things that make it special and beloved except for maybe Lego. Certainly not any of the current major console or computer companies.
posted by smirkette at 9:33 AM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by smirkette at 9:33 AM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
It's like when Bell got broken up and then its bits grew bigger and merged again. Microsoft is too big. Its game division is certainly too big. The purchase of Nintendo would be one more acquisition towards another incarnation as a monopoly power.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 9:59 AM on September 19, 2023
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 9:59 AM on September 19, 2023
Its game division is certainly too big.
That's not true at all, and a large part of why Microsoft has been going all in on acquisition is because their game division has struggled to develop organically. The problem is that Microsoft is willing to use the rest of the company to backstop their gaming division, which has had a number of deleterious effects for both Microsoft and the industry as a whole.
The purchase of Nintendo would be one more acquisition towards another incarnation as a monopoly power.
Thankfully, that will never happen. But as long as our courts keep listening to the words of a reactionary traitor, we are going to continue to have issues with monopolies.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:09 AM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
That's not true at all, and a large part of why Microsoft has been going all in on acquisition is because their game division has struggled to develop organically. The problem is that Microsoft is willing to use the rest of the company to backstop their gaming division, which has had a number of deleterious effects for both Microsoft and the industry as a whole.
The purchase of Nintendo would be one more acquisition towards another incarnation as a monopoly power.
Thankfully, that will never happen. But as long as our courts keep listening to the words of a reactionary traitor, we are going to continue to have issues with monopolies.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:09 AM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Pedro Pascal
I can't complain about Pedro Pascal as Mario or the surprisingly tight VFX work, but if the entire conceit of your sketch is to do a wildly inappropriate take on Super Mario Bros, you're a little late to the party.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 10:47 AM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
I can't complain about Pedro Pascal as Mario or the surprisingly tight VFX work, but if the entire conceit of your sketch is to do a wildly inappropriate take on Super Mario Bros, you're a little late to the party.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 10:47 AM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
That 90s Mario Brothers movie must have cost so much in cocaine for the writing staff alone.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:51 AM on September 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:51 AM on September 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
Nintendo also has an ocean of cash reserves right now, they're in an incredibly good financial position. It's not the actual possibility of it happening but the very thought that's an abomination.
Also... Nintendo's such a weird company? Remember Hiroshi Yamauchi? Sure he stepped down long ago, but he still headed the company at the start of the Gamecube era, and I seem to remember his family still owning a lot of Nintendo. It's very much still a typical Japanese company. While they're known for, and by far make most of their money, in video games, they also make traditional Japanese gaming equipment, Go boards, Shogi and the like! They still make standard playing cards! And they still make the traditional Hanafuda cards that were the company's first product.
What I mean by all this is... if you're running Nintendo, all of these things are in your mind, all the time. You have this sense of the company's history. What we see, as game players, as foreigners, as outsiders, is not the full breadth of Nintendo. If video games ended tomorrow, Nintendo would probably still be in business.
I'm not going to call them a model for other companies because, truthfully, Nintendo does have its evil, litigious side. But most big corporations do? If we cancelled out that factor, they're probably about as good a company as you could hope for.
posted by JHarris at 11:58 AM on September 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
Also... Nintendo's such a weird company? Remember Hiroshi Yamauchi? Sure he stepped down long ago, but he still headed the company at the start of the Gamecube era, and I seem to remember his family still owning a lot of Nintendo. It's very much still a typical Japanese company. While they're known for, and by far make most of their money, in video games, they also make traditional Japanese gaming equipment, Go boards, Shogi and the like! They still make standard playing cards! And they still make the traditional Hanafuda cards that were the company's first product.
What I mean by all this is... if you're running Nintendo, all of these things are in your mind, all the time. You have this sense of the company's history. What we see, as game players, as foreigners, as outsiders, is not the full breadth of Nintendo. If video games ended tomorrow, Nintendo would probably still be in business.
I'm not going to call them a model for other companies because, truthfully, Nintendo does have its evil, litigious side. But most big corporations do? If we cancelled out that factor, they're probably about as good a company as you could hope for.
posted by JHarris at 11:58 AM on September 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
If video games ended tomorrow, Nintendo would probably still be in business.
I don't imagine Microsoft or Sony would go anywhere either.
posted by ZaphodB at 12:22 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't imagine Microsoft or Sony would go anywhere either.
posted by ZaphodB at 12:22 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Remember Hiroshi Yamauchi? Sure he stepped down long ago
He also died 10 years ago today, to the day. Huh.
posted by slater at 1:16 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
He also died 10 years ago today, to the day. Huh.
posted by slater at 1:16 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I would love to see the release of a Dishonored 3, and maybe sometime in the 2030s, I'll have a PC that can play it.
posted by Western Infidels at 2:27 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Western Infidels at 2:27 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't imagine Microsoft or Sony would go anywhere either.
Yes, although considering how those companies rely on gaming profit now makes me wonder. The thing about Nintendo, you know, is that most of us think of them as only a video games company because their other ventures aren't visible outside of Japan--and I don't think they're even that visible in Japan.
posted by JHarris at 3:39 PM on September 19, 2023
Yes, although considering how those companies rely on gaming profit now makes me wonder. The thing about Nintendo, you know, is that most of us think of them as only a video games company because their other ventures aren't visible outside of Japan--and I don't think they're even that visible in Japan.
posted by JHarris at 3:39 PM on September 19, 2023
95% of Nintendo's revenue comes from the Switch video game platform. Mobile & IP licensing is 3% and "Other" is 2%. "Playing cards, etc" account for $42M of the $12,000 in most recent annual revenue.
posted by Nelson at 3:50 PM on September 19, 2023
posted by Nelson at 3:50 PM on September 19, 2023
I'm surprised it's that much. (Wait, $42M out of $12K?) But they keep the company's roots alive. And when civilization and the electric grid falls, Nintendo's ready.
posted by JHarris at 4:12 PM on September 19, 2023
posted by JHarris at 4:12 PM on September 19, 2023
It's smart to keep their core playing card business model available for the time after the video game fad passes.
posted by cmfletcher at 9:49 AM on September 20, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 9:49 AM on September 20, 2023 [4 favorites]
Google Stadia: Leaked Documents Explain Its Failure.
posted by Nelson at 10:24 AM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
As part of the Microsoft-Activision merger evaluation, a number of opinions were gathered across the industry and there was a leak of one document by Dov Zimring, who was leading the Project Stadia project since its beginnings. Through this document we get to see in a lot more details the reasons why Stadia has failed before it finally shut down, from Google’s perspective.This came from Microsoft's failure to keep its documents secure. The gift that keeps on giving!
posted by Nelson at 10:24 AM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
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posted by Fizz at 6:49 AM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]