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[Craig of War]

$10 billion later, Microsoft isn't done buying game studios yet

With 23 studios working on Xbox games, Microsoft is still looking to add more game studios to its near-mint collection.

www.criticalhit.net

"Speaking to CNET, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the company will always have its eyes open for any other game studios that could complement it’s near-mint collection:

We’ll always look for places where there is that commonality of purpose, mission, and culture. We will always look to grow inorganically where it makes sense.

“Content is just the incredible ingredient to our platform that we continue to invest in,” Xboss Phil Spencer added. “This doubles the size of our creative organization.” Microsoft has spent over $10 billion on acquiring game studios over the last couple of years, which in addition to the Bethesda goodie bag, also includes a $2.5 billion purchase of Mojang, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, Compulsion, inXile, and Obsidian."

They are not done buying so who will be their next acquisition?

 

[Warablo]

Techland

 

[IntentionalPun]

Oh buy me buy me!

 

[Captain Hero]

Nice .. now buy Sony and put the whole thing on GamePass

 

[Orky]

Of course. They need do buy more to release more software on Sony’s PlayStation 5. they want to sell more games on ps5 than Sony themselves.
makes sense.

 

[MrFunSocks]

Asobo will be next I'd say. Maybe Dlala too.

 

[foxdvd]

everyone says Kojima and Sega...but I think the next purchase will be smaller

 

[TeKtheSanE]

Well now that I've seen this, I would love if they grab Sega I mean they have been working together decently from what it appears. But this is just wishful thinking I believe.

I do think they need to nab another Japanese developer if they really want to try and breach into the Japanese market properly.

 

[worldwithpyramids]

Buy Treasure. Give them all the resources they need. Pay whatever Hiroshi Iuchi demands to get him back so they can finish Ubusuna.

 

[Thabass]

Say it with me now...

SEGA

 

[Pidull]

Time to bring Bungie back into the fold?

 

[TeKtheSanE]

Say it with me now...

SEGA

SEGA
SEGA
SEGA

 

[Pidull]

SEGA
SEGA
SEGA

Unfortunately almost certainly not happening. Reason one is that the Japanese government would probably deny*** the purchase, reason to bring that Sega is worth much, much more money.

edit - swype error

 

[TheKingSalami]

 

[SlimySnake]

Time to bring Bungie back into the fold?

yeah, bungie should be around $1 billion.

 

[TeKtheSanE]

Unfortunately almost certainly not happening. Reason one is that the Japanese government would probably sent the purchase, reason to bring that Sega is worth much, much more money.

Well now that I've seen this, I would love if they grab Sega I mean they have been working together decently from what it appears. But this is just wishful thinking I believe.

If you look up a few post, I don't think it will happen either.

But hey, a person can dream.

 

[YawerhasPower]

FromSoftware, Inc.

 

[Dane]

They should buy Pornhub

 

[The Shift]

Unfortunately almost certainly not happening. Reason one is that the Japanese government would probably sent the purchase, reason to bring that Sega is worth much, much more money.

It's interesting. Has the Japanese government ever had issues with Japanese companies owning foreign interests outright like Sega and Square Enix do right now with Creative Assembly, Relic Entertainment, Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics?

 

[mango drank]

FromSoftware, Inc.

Bloodborne 2 as an XSX exclusive would cause mass suicides.

EDIT: ah n/m, looks like Sony owns the IP.

 

[M.W.]

The true kings of gaming.

 

[sol_bad]

Guys c'mon. Have a look at the history of studios that Microsoft have bought in the past or have a look at the history of how they treat their IP's. You shouldn't be automatically excited about this Bethesda purchase.

Just look at what happened to studios like FASA Studio, ACES, Ensemble Studios, Digital Anvil, and Lionhead Studios. Also look at Rare which has become a shadow of it's former self. I don't care how much you love Sea of Thieves, you can't sit there and tell me that Rare today is just as good as Rare in the SNES/N64 days.

Look at Halo and how it has been received since Halo 4. I haven't played a Halo game since Reach so can't comment but the majority opinion is that 343 screwed Halo. Look at the Gears franchise and how stagnant it has become, instead of innovating the very genre it helped define, the shoved the IP into a strategy game to see how it would stick.

People want Microsoft to buy Sega? Look at Platinum Games and Scalebound to get an idea on how they'll treat a Japanese studio. No thank you.

For all we know, all these studios they have bought might be gone within the next 10 years or resold to another publisher.

 

[Deleted member 801069]

 

[MrFunSocks]

Unfortunately almost certainly not happening. Reason one is that the Japanese government would probably deny*** the purchase, reason to bring that Sega is worth much, much more money.

edit - swype error

Sega is worth less than half what they just paid for Zenimax.

 

[Admerer]

How about first supporting the studios they already bought and make sure the studios are better for it, before spending anymore money.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mmnow]

I hadn't thought of Kojima, which someone mentioned up above.

That relationship would actually be incredible. Kojima is a developer who has spent his entire career trying to just do what he wants to do, but has kept being pulled back to blockbuster AAA. Death Stranding, one of my favourite games of the last year, was incredible, but got mixed reviews and was only just profitable. Now imagine the compromises he made to get it to appeal to even that market. Then he struggled to get funding for his next game.

Now give him Microsoft money and the ability to just make the games he wants, because of Gamepass. No need to convince someone to purchase a game, so just go wild. The barrier of entry doesn't exist.

Of course that might just lead to a Norman Reedus dating sim (Troy Baker as DLC), but if that's what he wants to make, Gamepass is the way to go.

It's not going to happen. I'm not sure Kojima wants tose his independence again, and I don't blame him. But out of Sony and Microsoft right now, I think Microsoft probably would suit him better.

 

[Compsiox]

How about first supporting the studios they already bought and make sure the studios are better for it, before spending anymore money.

Just my 2 cents.

No. Microsoft must consume!

Spoiler

CONSUME!

 

[MrFunSocks]

I hadn't thought of Kojima, which someone mentioned up above.

That relationship would actually be incredible. Kojima is a developer who has spent his entire career trying to just do what he wants to do, but has kept being pulled back to blockbuster AAA. Death Stranding, one of my favourite games of the last year, was incredible, but got mixed reviews and was only just profitable. Now imagine the compromises he made to get it to appeal to even that market. Then he struggled to get funding for his next game.

Now give him Microsoft money and the ability to just make the games he wants, because of Gamepass. No need to convince someone to purchase a game, so just go wild. The barrier of entry doesn't exist.

Of course that might just lead to a Norman Reedus dating sim (Troy Baker as DLC), but if that's what he wants to make, Gamepass is the way to go.

It's not going to happen. I'm not sure Kojima wants tose his independence again, and I don't blame him. But out of Sony and Microsoft right now, I think Microsoft probably would suit him better.

I hate kojima games and think he's a giant self fellating douche, but goddamn the meltdowns would be unimaginable if MS bought his studio lol.

 

[The_Mike]

yeah, bungie should be around $1 billion.

Bungie: "ok Microsoft maybe we want to go back, but why did you give Bethesda 7. 5billion and only offer us 1 billion?"
Microsoft : "Because Bethesda is worth it"

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Say it with me now...

SEGA

No.

 

[Mmnow]

I hate kojima games and think he's a giant self fellating douche, but goddamn the meltdowns would be unimaginable if MS bought his studio lol.

People would go mad, but those same people were calling for him to get tied up in Metal Gear again the other day, and I imagine he wakes up in cold sweats at the thought of it.

It'd be short term meltdown for the benefit of having Kojima unchained.

 

[BusierDonkey]

SEGA

Then buy Fromsoft and have them make their hot new ip “Borne of Blood” for the platform.

 

[Compsiox]

I hadn't thought of Kojima, which someone mentioned up above.

That relationship would actually be incredible. Kojima is a developer who has spent his entire career trying to just do what he wants to do, but has kept being pulled back to blockbuster AAA. Death Stranding, one of my favourite games of the last year, was incredible, but got mixed reviews and was only just profitable. Now imagine the compromises he made to get it to appeal to even that market. Then he struggled to get funding for his next game.

Now give him Microsoft money and the ability to just make the games he wants, because of Gamepass. No need to convince someone to purchase a game, so just go wild. The barrier of entry doesn't exist.

Of course that might just lead to a Norman Reedus dating sim (Troy Baker as DLC), but if that's what he wants to make, Gamepass is the way to go.

It's not going to happen. I'm not sure Kojima wants tose his independence again, and I don't blame him. But out of Sony and Microsoft right now, I think Microsoft probably would suit him better.

Microsoft buys Kojipro, hands Kojima 200 million dollars, and simply tell him "make game".
Kojima and the team then hunker down for 3 years and make the game of the generation.

 

[Alandring]

It doesn't make sense to buy Sega. Yes, Sega is one of the best PC publisher (with Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Relic, Amplitude and Two Point Studios) so it would be a great fit for the Game Pass PC. But Sega Sammy also makes pachislots, pachinkos, casinos, arcade games... Microsoft isn't interested by these divisions and Sega Sammy won't sell only its video game division, because it is the most lucrative part of them.

So if Microsoft really wants a PC-centric publisher, they should buy Paradox. It would cost half the price for the same benefit.

 

[CuNi]

It doesn't make sense to buy Sega. Yes, Sega is one of the best PC publisher (with Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Relic, Amplitude and Two Point Studios) so it would be a great fit for the Game Pass PC. But Sega Sammy also makes pachislots, pachinkos, casinos, arcade games... Microsoft isn't interested by these divisions and Sega Sammy won't sell only its video game division, because it is the most lucrative part of them.

So if Microsoft really wants a PC-centric publisher, they should buy Paradox. It would cost half the price for the same benefit.

I wouldn't mind a Software Engineer taking a walk down to paradox and do some multithread magic for games like Stellaris... that thing is a squatter when it comes to that one CPU-Core it designates as his primary living space lol.

 

[JordanN]

It's interesting. Has the Japanese government ever had issues with Japanese companies owning foreign interests outright like Sega and Square Enix do right now with Creative Assembly, Relic Entertainment, Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics?

Nintendo use to own the Seattle Mariners until they sold most of their stock so I'm going to assume they don't care.

There's also a Japanese brewery that bought a Canadian Beer company as recent as 2006.

 

[Shrap]

I find it completely bizarre that people are supporting this. Buying up studios, unless they are small/medium, isn't good for consumers. All it does is limit the platforms games are available on that were previously unrestricted without any benefit.

I really hope this isn't starting a trend where every big publisher/developer gets snatched up.

 

[MrFunSocks]

I find it completely bizarre that people are supporting this. Buying up studios, unless they are small/medium, isn't good for consumers. All it does is limit the platforms games are available on that were previously unrestricted without any benefit.

I really hope this isn't starting a trend where every big publisher/developer gets snatched up.

MS buying them means a boatload more games on game pass and with cross buy, so that's a positive for many people. It's not like Bethesda weren't making shitty timed exclusive deals either when they were independant.

 

[Calverz]

I find it completely bizarre that people are supporting this. Buying up studios, unless they are small/medium, isn't good for consumers. All it does is limit the platforms games are available on that were previously unrestricted without any benefit.

I really hope this isn't starting a trend where every big publisher/developer gets snatched up.

Because its better than google, amazon or apple buying them.

 

[The Shift]

Nintendo use to own the Seattle Mariners until they sold most of their stock so I'm going to assume they don't care.

There's also a Japanese brewery that bought a Canadian Beer company as recent as 2006.

Strange isn't it? Is there a formalised trading arrangement that allows Japanese companies to aquire foreign companies but blocks any foreign ownership of Japanese corporate entities?

 

[JimiNutz]

If MS can't outright buy a Japanese studio because of Japanese government intervention then wouldn't it make sense for them to secure GamePass exclusivity for a number of years?

Like rather than outright buying Sega couldn't they just pay them a shit load of money to make all of their games exclusive to Game Pass?

I think Capcom would be a much better to make this deal with though.

 

[sublimit]

Don't forget to make the same thread next week as well!!

 

[The Pleasure]

Say it with me now...

SEGA

Sonic Boom.

 

[Redlancet]

I find it completely bizarre that people are supporting this. Buying up studios, unless they are small/medium, isn't good for consumers. All it does is limit the platforms games are available on that were previously unrestricted without any benefit.

I really hope this isn't starting a trend where every big publisher/developer gets snatched up.

its not bizarre,its tribalism and its nothing new on the xbox camp,i still remenber this shit when the og xbox was released,a lot of xbox fans were ex sega repatriats and where braggin about microsoft money all day along

and no,this is not good,buying third party publishers its gonna be a disaster in the long run,no matter who do it,sony ,nintendo or ms

people celebrating this are like turkeys celebration beign well feed for christmas

 

[MrFunSocks]

Because its better than google, amazon or apple buying them.

Better than Sony too, because Sony would make them all playstation console exclusive, meaning no PC versions.

 

[Maogp]

If i were Microsoft I would attack the European front, Japan has too many competitor that are very strong.
I would acquire some strong european publisher like THQ Nordic, Techland or KOCH media.

 

[jigglet]

This is starting to piss me off. Do they even consider PS fans' feelings? MS are a bunch of insensitive fucking assholes and honestly I hope the XBSX is a failure. We need to be holding hands, not building walls.

koombayah!!!

 

[John Wick]

Sega is worth less than half what they just paid for Zenimax.

I'd rather buy Sega as they have far better IP.

 

[The Leaked Truths]

Awesome! As a future XBox Series X owner with Game Pass this is absolutely fantastic news

 

[azz0r]

Typical Microsoft strategy, buy the competition and ruin the industry