> They want to be the Netflix of games, but to do that they need a large library of games
You don't need to buy Activision for that to happen. Netflix hasn't bought Universal or MGM. They purchase the rights to offer movies on their platform and at the same time produce their own content via their own production. Also Netflix doesn't own the hardware. That makes it very different to Microsoft, who own the hardware, the platform which you speak of (game pass) and also wants to own the production companies. This stinks of anti-competitive behaviour from miles if you ask me and is nothing like Netflix.
> You don't need to buy Activision for that to happen. Netflix hasn't bought Universal or MGM. They purchase the rights to offer movies on their platform and at the same time produce their own content via their own production.
I think Blizzard infamously refused to release their games on any other online distribution platform besides their in-house battle.net launcher. Don't know how it is with other Activision titles, but the only way to get Diablo 4 in MS library of games is apparently to buy the whole company.
Netflix isn't very profitable. If you have to license content then the content owner is going to continuously squeeze you for as much of your profit as possible (especially when direct competitors crop up --- and there's no shortage of Hulus out there trying to eat Netflix's cake).
You do if you want day and date releases. And Amazon bought MGM and Netflix pays for exclusives regularly.
The video game space has always been about exclusives. Nintendo publishes no where else. Sony just started to publish on PC for some games. What is the difference?
You don't need to buy Activision for that to happen. Netflix hasn't bought Universal or MGM. They purchase the rights to offer movies on their platform and at the same time produce their own content via their own production. Also Netflix doesn't own the hardware. That makes it very different to Microsoft, who own the hardware, the platform which you speak of (game pass) and also wants to own the production companies. This stinks of anti-competitive behaviour from miles if you ask me and is nothing like Netflix.