Why are so many people these days opposed to exclusives or studio acquisitions? Im actually curious.
It's a complicated subject.
I always buy all of the consoles, so exclusives never really affect me in a negative way. But I can understand fans of a third-party's portfolio being disappointed that they can't play their games on the system(s) that they own. I get why someone who plays FromSoftware games on a high-end PC might be frustrated if they became PS4-exclusive tomorrow.
For me, it's a delicate topic because while I don't find myself cheering for acquisitions and I'd rather see independent developers stay independent, sometimes the potential pros outweigh the possible cons. With independent devs that are working on AA/AAA-level games, the sort of studios where it always feels like they're working from project-to-project and just getting by, I'm always a bit worried that one or two games underperforming could spell the end. With Microsoft buying Obsidian and Double Fine, I'm not happy about it specifically because they'll be making games exclusively for Microsoft, but because it gives those companies stability and security. I'd rather see them making Xbox games than no games at all.
And that's where I'd land on something like Sony buying Remedy or Platinum, for example, because they are two developers I really care about and want to see continue to make games. I wouldn't look at it is "Awesome! Look at what Sony's got to fire back at Microsoft!" and more that I'd feel better about both studios' long term prospects under the umbrella of one of the platform-holders.