CarlosX360 is primed for more success
Recently, I (CarlosX360) broke a new startup milestone. Over the course of 17 years, CarlosX360 has been building websites, acquiring websites, and cultivating websites — whether it be a nimble, humble HTML page, or a blog, or a forum — Carlos did it all. From here, I (CarlosX360) have new goals in the next few years. Some of them are silent, some of them are public.
CarlosX360 reached 5 Million Pageviews lifetime across many websites built over 17 years. CarlosX360 has already reached 2 Million Sessions, which is a new word for “Return Visitors,” and has now reached 2 Million Unique Visitors. “Users” is a metric that has been shrouded in glitches for a while now on Google’s Analytics system. So, I stopped caring. Starting in July 2023, Google has stopped tracking statistics via Universal Analytics, and has now opted to use GA4, which according to Google, is their next generation Analytics.
My biggest website in the network has always been CoDForums — which is currently the highest ranking Call of Duty Forum in existence — today. After Activision shut down their community forums, I got an influx of traffic due to their attitude of recoiling from users with this idiom: “I don’t want to hear their negative comments.” Like a little girl. I get there are toxic users, and I’ve dealt with them, but you can moderate, or you can have the community moderate for you.
In 2018, I purchased PS5Forum, which was formerly PS4Forum. It is also the highest ranking PlayStation 5 community in existence — today. Sony also shut down their own community forums for a different reason — not enough engagement, not enough traffic, not enough feedback. I would know because I was there at the end. I am not #1 in this space, because there is a lot of competition in this space. Most PlayStation websites already have a forum and/or have a forum as a backbone of a blog.
In 2020, I purchased TheDivisionForums, which was a popular Tom Clancy’s The Division community in 2016. The owner “shut down” the forums and put his IPB instance behind a static HTML page announcing the shuttering. Despite that, I was able to map the old URL’s with the new URL’s in xenForo with help from Driven2Services. It rebounded to become the #1 highest ranking The Division Forum in the world today.
But.. I get crickets from investors or venture capitalists, because they aren’t seeing what’s going on in the video game industry.
Sony sold 40 Million units of PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide
Sony sold 498 Million units of PlayStation consoles lifetime
Sony sold 113.5 Million units of PlayStation 4, 87.4 Million units of PlayStation 3, 155.0 Million units of PlayStation 2, and 102.4 Million units of the original PlayStation. Add it all up. My calculation is 498.3 Million consoles has been sold worldwide, lifetime throughout the PlayStation brand. That’s just the consoles, that’s not even counting the handhelds. Sony reached half a billion units devices. Microsoft is competing in a different market than Sony, but Sony has access to MORE devices than Microsoft.
Source: Sony’s Investor Relations Site
Microsoft purchased Activision for 68 Billion dollars
Source: Microsoft’s Xbox Blog
This is a story that is widespread in the industry as we speak. Despite Microsoft selling less devices than Sony; 24 Million Xbox consoles, 84 Million Xbox 360 consoles, 58 Million Xbox One consoles, and 21 Million Xbox Series consoles as of this writing. That’s worldwide. That’s only 187 Million units of Xbox devices. Microsoft says they don’t care about Xbox consoles, and they want to deliver cloud-based services like Xbox Game Pass. There’s a PC version of this “Game Pass” business.
Currently, Microsoft actually purchased Activision Blizzard. But, Microsoft hasn’t actually “closed” the deal because the whole thing hinges on Europe’s version of FTC called the CMA, known as “Competition and Markets Authority.” Microsoft and CMA has been at each other’s throats because CMA thinks Microsoft is competing in the same market as Sony with the game consoles. They are, but Microsoft is playing coy, and lying to them. They are interested in Cloud Gaming, but the infrastructure worldwide is not there to support Cloud Gaming at scale. Who in Brazil is gonna pay $100 to $200 for internet? Who in Honduras is gonna pay $100 to $200 or Who in Puerto Rico gonna pay $100 to 200 for internet? Microsoft seems to think in their delusion — everyone. But, that’s not true. I have traveled to Honduras, and Puerto Rico. People in those areas are POOR.
What’s your point?
I’m trying to lay the foundation of the story. I’ll finish this part and get to my point. Microsoft is way over their head over the Activision acquisition. Their reasoning for acquiring Activision is because of a company called “King.” Microsoft could’ve just acquired King and be done with it, but Bobby Kotick had other ideas; just swallow the whole company — Activision Blizzard.
Bobby Kotick actually gave Microsoft an actual key to a monopoly. I don’t think people understand just how fucking big Activision Blizzard is. I DON’T THINK YOU DO. Activision Blizzard is so big, that if acquired, the brands under Activision Blizzard can move a lot of units. If you’re thinking from Nintendo’s perspective — you’re buying Activision Blizzard. No matter how much it costs you, no matter the headache.
I’ll come back to this point later, but let me finish.
Microsoft has access to a myriad of franchises. Let’s set all that aside. Call of Duty by itself — is a market to itself. I don’t know if anyone understand what I am saying. Call of Duty has — at this point of time — 400 Million copies/installed worldwide. That — bro, that drove me to start this company. I saw how Call of Duty 4 reached CASUALS. It led me to CODForums.
Investors. I have always wanted a video game company. You didn’t HEAR me, and you did not understand where I came from. What am I supposed to do — not to try to take advantage of that market!?
ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!?
400 Million people is worth $40 Billion. $60 x 400 Million = $2.4 Billion in CASH. Revenue. Profit. There’s splits, because of the old guard publishing of discs/boxes/manuels, etc. But, since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Activision has been doing “expansions” and DLC’s and so from all that… there’s free money coming in.
So, here’s the point: Y’all investors in Silicon Valley are sleeping on a lot of things. I went to San Francisco every month pitching my company. I mean, the reason why I started with niche websites/blogs/forums is to test the waters. You didn’t see that. You didn’t understand what I was trying to tell you. Look, the point is this.
This acquisition by Microsoft should have been alarm bells for you. $68 Billion. That’s not even just Call of Duty, that’s from King, that’s from Diablo, that’s from World of Warcraft, that’s from the other businesses.
My thing is, I feel like there’s something there, and this $68 Billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is just justifying, vindicating, and it just annoys me that all these years, I could’ve gotten VC funds.
Source: Microsoft’s Xbox Blog
Carlos’ article about the acquisition. Microsoft hits a snafu in their Activision/Blizzard acquisition.
So, from here on out, I will look into bootstrapping my company, grow my company from where I am today, to building multiple streams of income. Because none of y’all in Silicon Valley is smart enough to see a deal. I had a great deal right in front of you the whole time. That’s fine. You know what? I’ll get there. Don’t ask me to get into the deal. Don’t. I approached y’all.
From here on out;
I will continue to expand my Social Media reach slowly.
I will continue to expand my YouTube, and lean on it.
I will expand my business through other ideas that support the current thing, or acquire business or services that would put money into my pocket.
Only then, when my brand reaches critical mass, I won’t need shit.
This article is an upgraded article to an article I wrote before. I’ll update it if I get more ideas. Have a nice day.
