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[Iced Arcade]

The next few weeks will be interesting. If Sony is serious about staying in the console business then they must have had contingency plans that include talks with big publishers so they should now begin the process of closing those deals.

I guess now we will find out what Sony Tokyo thinks of their PS business. If they go and get another small developers like Bungie and CD Project then they are clueless. If they go and buy single player japanese developers like Capcom and Square Enix they are putting a band aid while refusing to look at the bigger picture. GTA is the only thing that can compete with CoD, but they would probably need a merger instead of it being an acquisition because i dont think they have $30 billion in cash to buy take2. And thats if MS doesnt outbid them only to raise the price. I am a 100% sure MS has already begun talks with all of these publishers especially Take2 now that they have been given carte blanche to buy whatever the fuck they want. Who is going to stop a $5 bllion Capcom purchase or a $30 billion Take2 purchase when they had no issues with $85 billion Activision, Minecraft and Zenimax purchases?

if they do nothing then they are probably looking to sell before MS slowly kills the PS business by bleeding them dry over the next few years.

Relax. Sony isn't losing anything and Sony isn't hurting by any means.

 

[LordCBH]

Third, it'd be unfair to think Sony take immediate panic steps. They aren't Microsoft that can throw around money. They need to be very deliberate and careful being a 25x smaller company.

If we do see them take steps in the upcoming weeks/months, then I definitely don't think they'd be panic steps. They've likely been preparing internally for this since the acquisition was announced what feels like 100 years ago.

 

[Antwix]

I've been wanting SOCOM to come back for years.

As someone who played several thousands of hours in SOCOM games, I have zero faith in the game even if they do bring it back. Now with CoD going to Microsoft, they'll again try to make a "CoD killer" like they did with SOCOM 4. It was a shell of its former self and absolute trash.

 

[wolffy66]

What are the chances of GP prices going up even more before they start putting Activision titles on the service?

I'd bet the chances are pretty high

COD is going to bring money into xbox. A net loss would indicate a need to increase prices but idk if a net positive cash flow will require one.

 

[Mythoclast]

How does he always win?

Even when he literally vouched against the acquisition in court he got what he wanted lol

 

[GHG]

The only realistic option for the time being is for Sony to do what they can to take the edge off. Heavily promote a competitor like XDefiant. Continue to work on their own offerings. The goal being to shift as many people as possible away from CoD. Their only option outside of that, and it would be fucking wild, would be to refuse CoD on PlayStation going forward. They already threatened to refuse ABK access to devkits for their future consoles. Meaning they'd already be taking a step to CoD not being on the platform. That would obviously be a heavy blow to PlayStation, but it would also screw Xbox out of revenue from CoD. Seeing as how they're sure to see greatly reduced sales on their own platform.

COD is gone, they need to forget about it. They should also forget about attempting to make an alternative (at least in the short-medium term unless an opportunity later presents itself should there be blood in the water and signs that COD is on a decline).

If they were wise then they would double/triple down on the things that have always worked for them as a platform - the big singleplayer games. What they need to do is start behaving like PS3 Sony and focus on only what they can control (and can't be taken away) via in-house efforts.

They need to become insular and differentiate themselves, not follow what Microsoft/Xbox are doing. But the feeling I get is that they are being bone-headed and are focusing on attempting to plug a COD sized hole when they don't have the capability or experience necessary in that area, hence the focus on GAAS. Now more than ever they need to stick to what they are good at but it looks like they are about to squander an opportunity in the pursuit of what will ultimately prove to be a fruitless endeavour.

 

[LordCBH]

COD is going to bring money into xbox. A net loss would indicate a need to increase prices but idk if a net positive cash flow will require one.

Alternatively, that would be the perfect scenario for MS to raise the price.

 

[adamsapple]

Even when he literally vouched against the acquisition in court he got what he wanted lol

No he didn't.

 

[Kvally]

lol what? so you think if Sony is "for the players" that means they should give sensitive information to parties owned by their main competitor who has not proven to be remotely trustworthy?

odd how you say you have no horse in the race but all of your claims favor one side

Well, they gave MS "sensitive" information in the past for game development. I don't favor either side. I already stated I would prefer the merger to NOT have gone through.

 

[mckmas8808]

I dont think this ruling affects development of PS6 one bit. There will be a PS6. Even if MS cancels all COD and Diablo games for PS6, I bet it still outsells Xbox Y.

The bolded shouldn't happen to be honest. MS would have 35 devs compared to 20 of Sony's. Plus exclusive rights to all of Bethesda\Zenimax games and ABK games. Microsoft would be incompetent dummies if the bolded happened with the next Xbox vs. PS6.

 

[havoc00]

Even when he literally vouched against the acquisition in court he got what he wanted lol

lmao

 

[Kvally]

I'm just a spectator about to get thrown out for not wearing pants and making lewd gestures!

Now we are on the same page!!!

 

[NeonGhost]

I thought they were saying they wouldn't provide dev kits full stop, not just @ launch. Whether that's true or not is another story.

No it was for dev kits for new system that weren't out yet so Microsoft could hands on with their tech and specs

 

[Caio]

So, when Diablo IV will be on GamePass ? This is the only thing I want to know right now

 

[splattered]

I think it was said that MS and Activision are altering the transaction to appease the CMA or something? (About to run out the door so cant go look) but maybe just maybe Microsoft is putting into actual writing of the acquisition contract that Call of Duty will forever remain on Sony/Nintendo consoles as long as the series is around - like they had to do with Minecraft? That would go above and beyond the separate 10 year deals wouldn't it?

 

[Bernardougf]

COD is gone, they need to forget about it. They should also forget about attempting to make an alternative (at least in the short-medium term unless an opportunity later presents itself should there be blood in the water and signs that COD is on a decline).

If they were wise then they would double/triple down on the things that have always worked for them as a platform - the big singleplayer games. What they need to do is start behaving like PS3 Sony and focus on only what they can control (and can't be taken away) via in-house efforts.

They need to become insular and differentiate themselves, not follow what Microsoft/Xbox are doing. But the feeling I get is that they are being bone-headed and are focusing on attempting to plug a COD sized hole when they don't have the capability or experience necessary in that area, hence the focus on GAAS. Now more than ever they need to stick to what they are good at but it looks like they are about to squander an opportunity in the pursuit of what will ultimately prove to be a fruitless endeavour.

That is exactly what I said some posts behind... you just said it better!

Thats my point .. they need to "nintendo" and concentrate on what make them different .. if they concentrate in pursuing the gaas market and fight COD they will go down hard and fast ...

Also.. time to maybe adjust the contract with bundgie

 

[SlimySnake]

I dont think this ruling affects development of PS6 one bit. There will be a PS6. Even if MS cancels all COD and Diablo games for PS6, I bet it still outsells Xbox Y.

Look at how quickly the tide turned from CoD being #1 on X360 to #1 on PS4 within a couple of years. And it was multiplatform.

If MS cancels CoD, it's over for Sony. Sony knows it, otherwise they wouldnt have fought so hard. 55% of the console playerbase plays CoD. Without CoD, even if 35% of the userbase migrates, that 35% in lost revenue is enough to cripple any company. Their profits at $25 billion in revenue were around $3 billion. If their revenue shrinks to $15 billion, they are immediately in a $7 billion loss. It will cripple them in the first year. Everyone at Sony knows this and they are probably deciding whether to sell or fight. But will they take on debt to buy Take2 or just walk away from a business that they have already sent over to the U.S?

 

[RickMasters]

"They" said the same thing about Starfield 3 years ago. See how that turnt out.........?

yeah.....Was gonna be a timed exclusive for PS5 wasnt it? till Ms stepped in and bought the whole shop. cant say I blame them. maybe, sony trying to court a dev that has been so historically close to xbox was the last straw, there. especially after buying times exclusivity on ghostwire and deathloop (turns out those games were, average at best anyways) the straws that broke the camels back. and now we are here.



personally I think, goiung forward they should just not beat about the bush and confirm exclusivity on their purchases. its their right to do so, after all.

 

[mayham2199]

The bolded shouldn't happen to be honest. MS would have 35 devs compared to 20 of Sony's. Plus exclusive rights to all of Bethesda\Zenimax games and ABK games. Microsoft would be incompetent dummies if the bolded happened with the next Xbox vs. PS6.

I don't agree. What you're asking for is people to leave their whole library behind to move to xbox. On top of hoping all their friends move at the same time. It's going to be tough for MS to turn things around when it comes to outselling Sony in the hardware department.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

The only realistic option for the time being is for Sony to do what they can to take the edge off. Heavily promote a competitor like XDefiant. Continue to work on their own offerings. The goal being to shift as many people as possible away from CoD. Their only option outside of that, and it would be fucking wild, would be to refuse CoD on PlayStation going forward. They already threatened to refuse ABK access to devkits for their future consoles. Meaning they'd already be taking a step to CoD not being on the platform. That would obviously be a heavy blow to PlayStation, but it would also screw Xbox out of revenue from CoD. Seeing as how they're sure to see greatly reduced sales on their own platform.

If COD is the main prize in this deal (which it is), pretty sure purposely blocking COD and any other big console Activision game like Diablo would only drive more people to Xbox.

The best thing for Sony to do is hum along the current marketing deal they got in place (I think it's for 2 more years), and get MS to agree to a deal where COD is still on PS. Pretty sure MS was willing to deal and offer Sony a terms of length deal. But Jim Ryan brushed it off. Well, see if it can be back on the table. But if MS says forget it and the cord is cut no matter what than that's too bad.

On the plus side, they got Bungie, and a ton of first party studios making GAAS games, in which at least a couple will be shooters.

 

[GHG]

No he didn't.

He pretty much said he's only doing it for the benjamins, to hell with any damage the acquisition might cause.

 

[Thirty7ven]

The next few weeks will be interesting. If Sony is serious about staying in the console business then they must have had contingency plans that include talks with big publishers so they should now begin the process of closing those deals.

I guess now we will find out what Sony Tokyo thinks of their PS business. If they go and get another small developers like Bungie and CD Project then they are clueless. If they go and buy single player japanese developers like Capcom and Square Enix they are putting a band aid while refusing to look at the bigger picture. GTA is the only thing that can compete with CoD, but they would probably need a merger instead of it being an acquisition because i dont think they have $30 billion in cash to buy take2. And thats if MS doesnt outbid them only to raise the price. I am a 100% sure MS has already begun talks with all of these publishers especially Take2 now that they have been given carte blanche to buy whatever the fuck they want. Who is going to stop a $5 bllion Capcom purchase or a $30 billion Take2 purchase when they had no issues with $85 billion Activision, Minecraft and Zenimax purchases?

if they do nothing then they are probably looking to sell before MS slowly kills the PS business by bleeding them dry over the next few years.

I don't think buying Capcom would be putting a band aid on it. Take Two obviously would be really big. Should be looking at something like Capcom + From Software or SE, otherwise yeah.

Maybe they get lucky and this shit backfires on MS but the thing is… PlayStation is about to go through a phase unlike recent times, with that I mean quite a few of these Gaas games they got cooking will not just commercially fail, they will critically bomb too. It's that type of coverage they don't typically get and that will mean something.

I'm sure those at Sony will feel hard done, how can it be that Xbox is being rewarded for failing. But like you said, Sony Tokyo is in a position now where they will have to show their shareholders that they mean business.

 

[zapper]

I think it was said that MS and Activision are altering the transaction to appease the CMA or something? (About to run out the door so cant go look) but maybe just maybe Microsoft is putting into actual writing of the acquisition contract that Call of Duty will forever remain on Sony/Nintendo consoles as long as the series is around - like they had to do with Minecraft? That would go above and beyond the separate 10 year deals wouldn't it?

unlikely, the cma has no problems regarding the console market, they are discussing the cloud and the earnings which ended up 100% in ms' pockets

 

[Kvally]

If COD is the main prize in this deal (which it is), pretty sure purposely blocking COD and any other big console Activision game like Diablo would only drive more people to Xbox.

The best thing for Sony to do is hum along the current marketing deal they got in place (I think it's for 2 more years), and get MS to agree to a deal where COD is still on PS. Pretty sure MS was willing to deal and offer Sony a terms of length deal. But Jim Ryan brushed it off. Well, see if it can be back on the table. But if MS says forget it and the cord is cut no matter what than that's too bad.

On the plus side, they got Bungie, and a ton of first party studios making GAAS games, in which at least a couple will be shooters.

MS bought Minecraft, which continues to pump out the MOST money in the MS gaming division, and all Minecraft games are multiplatform. This is why COD remains multiplatform.

 

[GHG]

That is exactly what I said some posts behind... you just said it better!

Thats my point .. they need to "nintendo" and concentrate on what make them different .. if they concentrate in pursuing the gaas market and fight COD they will go down hard and fast ...

Also.. time to maybe adjust the contract with bundgie

I think they are being stubborn.

They don't want to be like Nintendo because it's pretty much what Microsoft want them to do (and it's what they are trying to force them to become through all these acquisitions). Hence the resistance, no matter how much sense it might make.

 

[SlimySnake]

If they were wise then they would double/triple down on the things that have always worked for them as a platform - the big singleplayer games. What they need to do is start behaving like PS3 Sony and focus on only what they can control (and can't be taken away) via in-house efforts.

Single player games now cost them $200 million. How will they afford to make those games with $1.5 billion in CoD revenue gone? How will they afford to make those games with half of the 50 million PS+ subs gone? Thats a total of what? $3 billion in revenue gone? Almost all of it profit?

Not to mention the MASSIVE hit their PSN store will get with half of their PSN userbase gone over to Xbox? 70% of all software revenue comes from PSN now. If they lose half of that, you are down to them making $12.5 billion a year from the PS division that made $3 billion in profit after $25 billion in revenue.

So who is going to buy these $200 million games? PS4 sold 120 million and TLOU just hit 10 million after 3 years of massive discounts. If Sony sells 60 million, how many more of those games they can sell? Why would they make more of them? They simply cant afford to after reductions in their PS+ and PSN revenues.

Sony simply cannot survive without CoD. Their only play is to hold GTA hostage. Or merge with Nintendo. Nintendo has no incentive to do it which means GTA is their only play.

 

[mckmas8808]

yeah.....Was gonna be a timed exclusive for PS5 wasnt it? till Ms stepped in and bought the whole shop. cant say I blame them. maybe, sony trying to court a dev that has been so historically close to xbox was the last straw, there. especially after buying times exclusivity on ghostwire and deathloop (turns out those games were, average at best anyways) the straws that broke the camels back. and now we are here.



personally I think, goiung forward they should just not beat about the bush and confirm exclusivity on their purchases. its their right to do so, after all.

I think you are living in a weird make-believe world if you think Microsoft Corp.....decided to spend $69 Billion just because Sony was going to get Starfield to be a timed exclusive.

I don't agree. What you're asking for is people to leave their whole library behind to move to xbox. On top of hoping all their friends move at the same time. It's going to be tough for MS to turn things around when it comes to outselling Sony in the hardware department.

Then why spend $69 Billion AND remove the game from Playstation if the goal isn't total domination? Of course it is. Even Phil said making 11/10 games won't make people sell their PS5s. The whole goal is to get people to sell their Playstations or not buy one at all.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Look at how quickly the tide turned from CoD being #1 on X360 to #1 on PS4 within a couple of years. And it was multiplatform.

If MS cancels CoD, it's over for Sony. Sony knows it, otherwise they wouldnt have fought so hard. 55% of the console playerbase plays CoD. Without CoD, even if 35% of the userbase migrates, that 35% in lost revenue is enough to cripple any company. Their profits at $25 billion in revenue were around $3 billion. If their revenue shrinks to $15 billion, they are immediately in a $7 billion loss. It will cripple them in the first year. Everyone at Sony knows this and they are probably deciding whether to sell or fight. But will they take on debt to buy Take2 or just walk away from a business that they have already sent over to the U.S?

I dont think COD dominating on PS4 over X1 was because of the time DLC deals Sony did. It was because PS4 blew past X1 right out of the gate at over double the user base. X1 was overpriced, underpowered and had Kinect V2 stigma attached to it. So of course COD on PS4 became dominant.

If X1 and PS4 sold the same number of consoles, the user base interest in games are almost the same in Top 10 charts. If they sold the same amounts of consoles, they'd both probably have similar numbers of game units sold.

 

[Schmick]

I'd imagine if Sony were to approach anyone for a potential acquisition that company will go to other potential buyers first to see what offers would be on the table. Just like what ABK did when MS approached them before deciding on MS.

 

[SkyHighTrees]

I just think this is garbage, Microsoft couldn't grow normally so they bought devs

Garbage shit, unfair and shows how money dictates too much in this industry today

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I think you are living in a weird make-believe world if you think Microsoft Corp.....decided to spend $69 Billion just because Sony was going to get Starfield to be a timed exclusive.



Then why spend $69 Billion AND remove the game from Playstation if the goal isn't total domination? Of course it is. Even Phil said making 11/10 games won't make people sell their PS5s. The whole goal is to get people to sell their Playstations or not buy one at all.

Where and when has COD been removed from PS? Which game? Which year? Which system?

 

[wolffy66]

Alternatively, that would be the perfect scenario for MS to raise the price.

They could, for literally, any reason. But I don't think COD is gonna put a burden on them that necessitates a price increase.

 

[Fabieter]

MS bought Minecraft, which continues to pump out the MOST money in the MS gaming division, and all Minecraft games are multiplatform. This is why COD remains multiplatform.

No Minecraft is multiplatform because Notch forced them to.

 

[wolffy66]

I just think this is garbage, Microsoft couldn't grow normally so they bought devs

Garbage shit, unfair and shows how money dictates too much in this industry today

Unfair to who?

 

[SlimySnake]

I dont think COD dominating on PS4 over X1 was because of the time DLC deals Sony did. It was because PS4 blew past X1 right out of the gate at over double the user base. X1 was overpriced, underpowered and had Kinect V2 stigma attached to it. So of course COD on PS4 became dominant.

If X1 and PS4 sold the same number of consoles, the user base interest in games are almost the same in Top 10 charts. If they sold the same amounts of consoles, they'd both probably have similar numbers of game units sold.

Sure I can buy that reasoning, but remove cod from PS like you said and the sales tilt heavily in MS's favor.

 

[adamsapple]

No Minecraft is multiplatform because Notch forced them to.

Citation needed.

He pretty much said he's only doing it for the benjamins, to hell with any damage the acquisition might cause.

That's fine, he's looking out for #1. But he didn't vouch against the acquisition like the poster I quoted said.

 

[SkyHighTrees]

Unfair to who?

Everybody. People who like to play games - you see, if Sony dies, gaming will look so different than these last few years...

 

[zapper]

when you say that sony could buy a big publisher are you sure? considering the market share wouldn't it cause problems like for activision? sony also can't offer benefits like launching future d1 acquired games on the service (unless it changes now) and can't even tell the fable that they offers the game to everyone on the cloud. a few seconds ago i was thinking about which one they could acquire, now i wondered if it is actually possible lol

 

[mckmas8808]

Anybody remember these days when the media decided to go on Anti-Playstation push?

Funny how we won't see anybody saying this about MS and Xbox.

 

[Varteras]

If COD is the main prize in this deal (which it is), pretty sure purposely blocking COD and any other big console Activision game like Diablo would only drive more people to Xbox.

The best thing for Sony to do is hum along the current marketing deal they got in place (I think it's for 2 more years), and get MS to agree to a deal where COD is still on PS. Pretty sure MS was willing to deal and offer Sony a terms of length deal. But Jim Ryan brushed it off. Well, see if it can be back on the table. But if MS says forget it and the cord is cut no matter what than that's too bad.

On the plus side, they got Bungie, and a ton of first party studios making GAAS games, in which at least a couple will be shooters.

I don't see a path that leads to CoD staying on PlayStation. I really think it's only a matter of time. Whether that move is made by Sony or Microsoft. I can see it happening.

MS bought Minecraft, which continues to pump out the MOST money in the MS gaming division, and all Minecraft games are multiplatform. This is why COD remains multiplatform.

Yet even then, they have been looking for a way around that.

COD is gone, they need to forget about it. They should also forget about attempting to make an alternative (at least in the short-medium term unless an opportunity later presents itself should there be blood in the water and signs that COD is on a decline).

If they were wise then they would double/triple down on the things that have always worked for them as a platform - the big singleplayer games. What they need to do is start behaving like PS3 Sony and focus on only what they can control (and can't be taken away) via in-house efforts.

They need to become insular and differentiate themselves, not follow what Microsoft/Xbox are doing. But the feeling I get is that they are being bone-headed and are focusing on attempting to plug a COD sized hole when they don't have the capability or experience necessary in that area, hence the focus on GAAS. Now more than ever they need to stick to what they are good at but it looks like they are about to squander an opportunity in the pursuit of what will ultimately prove to be a fruitless endeavour.

I mean, they bought Bungie, Firewalk, and Haven for that very reason. Companies with people very versed in GaaS.

Sony was on this path well before ABK. It's not a response to it. I know you know that, but this deal is only going to cause them to double down on their plans and accelerate their expansion.

They clearly stated their desire to heavily invest in their entertainment arm. I don't think we're just going to see GaaS out of them. We're probably going to see them expand every facet of PlayStation.

 

[Dick Jones]

Anybody remember these days when the media decided to go on Anti-Playstation push?

Access and giving free shit away does so much. It turned out the articles were horseshit but the damage is done.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Sure I can buy that reasoning, but remove cod from PS like you said and the sales tilt heavily in MS's favor.

Neither of us know the effect if COD is banished from PS6. At this point, all we know is PS4 outsold X1 115-120M vs 52M, and right now PS5 is maybe 50M vs. 25M? Not sure, but probably close enough. It's about 2:1 ratios either way two generations in a row.

IMO, I dont think COD going Xbox exclusive (if it does actually happen) will move the needle so much suddenly Xbox is close or takes over.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Anybody remember these days when the media decided to go on Anti-Playstation push?

Funny how we won't see anybody saying this about MS and Xbox.

Not a single article like this from Bethesda to Activision.

I wonder why that is?

 

[Ogbert]

I just really don't think CoD is going to go exclusive. It's too big and too lucrative. Obviously, Xbox will get the bells and whistles, but it's not going anywhere. Sony will still see those revenues.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

If COD is the main prize in this deal (which it is), pretty sure purposely blocking COD and any other big console Activision game like Diablo would only drive more people to Xbox.

The best thing for Sony to do is hum along the current marketing deal they got in place (I think it's for 2 more years), and get MS to agree to a deal where COD is still on PS. Pretty sure MS was willing to deal and offer Sony a terms of length deal. But Jim Ryan brushed it off. Well, see if it can be back on the table. But if MS says forget it and the cord is cut no matter what than that's too bad.

On the plus side, they got Bungie, and a ton of first party studios making GAAS games, in which at least a couple will be shooters.

And this is precisely what will kill Sony in gaming in the long run: too much time and money sunk into a bank of failed GaaS just to have 1 or 2 somewhat-sustainable games in that area.

Proceeding with things as normal and forcing GaaS on a bunch of amazing 1P studios that are much more tuned to traditional games (thus cutting them in chunks to split resources), is not going to end well for PlayStation.

They have to make a few notable 3P acquisitions of their own now, and make some big investments as well as big share purchases in big and medium-sized 3P publishers (Take Two, Ubisoft, Devolver, Annapurna, Bandai-Namco etc.). That's in addition to maintaining the 1P AAA traditional content, and (hopefully) expanding into more 1P AA traditional content with legacy IP (or partnering with 3P devs to do that).

Anything less that this, is going to see PlayStation slide into irrelevancy if companies like MS and other big tech pursue purchasing other big 3P publishers.

 

[GHG]

Single player games now cost them $200 million. How will they afford to make those games with $1.5 billion in CoD revenue gone? How will they afford to make those games with half of the 50 million PS+ subs gone? Thats a total of what? $3 billion in revenue gone? Almost all of it profit?

Not to mention the MASSIVE hit their PSN store will get with half of their PSN userbase gone over to Xbox? 70% of all software revenue comes from PSN now. If they lose half of that, you are down to them making $12.5 billion a year from the PS division that made $3 billion in profit after $25 billion in revenue.

So who is going to buy these $200 million games? PS4 sold 120 million and TLOU just hit 10 million after 3 years of massive discounts. If Sony sells 60 million, how many more of those games they can sell? Why would they make more of them? They simply cant afford to after reductions in their PS+ and PSN revenues.

They need to work on 2 things at the moment:

• Maintaining their current momentum (in terms of console sales)
• Retention

How much money COD makes them and how much revenue they stand to lose from subs is of zero importance right now. The reason I say that is because they are already investing tons of money into GAAS games. GAAS games are not cheap to make and they are even more expensive to maintain. That's why the GAAS failures we have witnessed have been so high profile and explosive. They are opting to invest in an area where they don't have the required level of expertise and nous because they are acting out of fear. The sudden shift in strategy once Microsoft started going on their acquisition spree is not a coincidence.

So ultimately it's a choice - do they double down and invest in the areas that they are best in class at, or do they take a gamble and invest in an area that historically they have been very poor at and is known to be a widow-maker across the industry? They are doing the latter at the moment and I think it could ultimately prove to be catastrophic for them.

Sony simply cannot survive without CoD. Their only play is to hold GTA hostage. Or merge with Nintendo. Nintendo has no incentive to do it which means GTA is their only play.

Nintendo would sooner side with Microsoft before they would even think about teaming up with Sony. They've proven that time and time again.

 

[SlimySnake]

I don't think buying Capcom would be putting a band aid on it. Take Two obviously would be really big. Should be looking at something like Capcom + From Software or SE, otherwise yeah.

Maybe they get lucky and this shit backfires on MS but the thing is… PlayStation is about to go through a phase unlike recent times, with that I mean quite a few of these Gaas games they got cooking will not just commercially fail, they will critically bomb too. It's that type of coverage they don't typically get and that will mean something.

I'm sure those at Sony will feel hard done, how can it be that Xbox is being rewarded for failing. But like you said, Sony Tokyo is in a position now where they will have to show their shareholders that they mean business.

I think its funny that they said that they need only 1-2 of their GaaS games to be successful. So even they know its a fucking gamble. I think everything except for Bungie's new IP flops. Factions wouldve been a minor success but its in dev hell and likely cancelled. Helldivers, that billionares are evil game, and the firewalk game look uninspired and will flop like Outriders.

The thing with Capcom is that they make relatively niche games. If you look at RE, SF and DMC sales, they are all around 5 millon. I think the best selling RE game just hit 10 million. SF6 sold just 2 million. RE4 sold 3.5 million in 3 months. These are actually lower numbers than what Sony does with their own games. It wont move the needle. It will not given any cod player any incentive to leave cod. It will not black mail Microsoft into putting cod on playstation. It will just make us feel good for a while and punt the problem down the road.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

End of the day deals can be done. Hey, no different than MLB The Show being on Xbox 3 years in a row. Nobody would had guessed that in a million years, but supposedly the MLB forced Sony to make Xbox games (and also Switch versions) in order to keep the license.

So Sony already knows sometimes you got to eat some pride and first party game exclusivity to see the bigger picture. If MS still has a COD extension deal on the table (it was there at some point before Jim publicly trashed it), then it might be worth doing a deal even if MS gets the better end of it. Sometimes taking any deal is better than no deal.

 

[adamsapple]

Anybody remember these days when the media decided to go on Anti-Playstation push?

Funny how we won't see anybody saying this about MS and Xbox.

Not a single article like this from Bethesda to Activision.

I wonder why that is?

It would help if you guys actually read the article from the image, it's not about acquisitions at all.

Let me link it for you.

A Narrative Of Sony And PS5 As ‘Anti-Consumer’ Is Starting To Take Shape

Sony is in a strong position with the PS5, but it's starting to feel like they know that a little too well.

www.forbes.com

 

[RickMasters]

I think you are living in a weird make-believe world if you think Microsoft Corp.....decided to spend $69 Billion just because Sony was going to get Starfield to be a timed exclusive.



Then why spend $69 Billion AND remove the game from Playstation if the goal isn't total domination? Of course it is. Even Phil said making 11/10 games won't make people sell their PS5s. The whole goal is to get people to sell their Playstations or not buy one at all.

"I think you are living in a weird make-believe world if you think Microsoft Corp.....decided to spend $69 Billion just because Sony was going to get Starfield to be a timed exclusive."

I think your comprehension skills are terrible if thats what you got from my post.


lets try this again:

MS bought bethesda in response to sony buying exclusivity on two of their games and going for a third. we are clear on that part yes?

MS bought ABK because the opportunity was there...they made their offer. it was accepted. end of. Had nothing to do with starfield, in spite of the numerous times starfieild and bethesda was brought up in this case regarding the aquisition of ABK. clear enough for you, now?