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[damiank]

SEGA on wednesday?

 

[GHound]

SEGA on wednesday?

We now no longer count the number of weeks in a year, but the number of Wednesdays a Sega acquisition was not announced. Surely it will be any wednesday now!

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Insomniac making Mega Man Legends 3 would be insane lol What a weird fanfiction twist that would be.

Mibu no ookami I disagree with Mega Man ever becoming Sony's mascot, they don't really have one and I think it was wise for the to steer clear of that after the PS1 days. They mirrored Nintendo a lot in those days and only when they came into their own with PS2, you saw that great dominance in that the platform must support the idea of many concepts, not some forced character to represent the system.

Think about it like this, if you had a streaming network and you tried to make some fucking show a "mascot" what happens when that lead actor goes? What happens when the director quits or gets replaced? Oh so base the WHOLE COMPANY on this idea? I don't know about all that. I think Sony was ahead of their time treating the platform like a blank canvas and it made sense to not have any 1 character be the "face" of Playstation as not to have some stigma or get forced into a box based on a notion of what they only do or something. So I don't know that even if Sony bought Capcom, you'd see Mega Man be that.

Consider Mega Man isn't even that right now for Capcom..

Mega Man has been abandoned by Capcom, that doesn't mean he doesn't have value.

Disney's mascot is Mickey Mouse. They also have Marvel and Star Wars... I don't think that having a mascot creates a stigma or boxes you in at all. Is the lead actor for Mickey mouse still alive? Why can't more than one director manage a franchise?

Mega Man could do well as a mascot for Sony Group not even just Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation.

Master Chief has been Microsoft's mascot for 20 years.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Agreed, great post btw

It sound like Sony might be treating them like how they had SOE back in the day. Maybe they know for such GAAS titles they need a large install base and it would make sense to stay on all platforms as that is where its value even came from.

Why spend such a crazy about of money on such a team that has made so much money, if you'll just cause them to make less by removing a huge install base?

Eventually SOE was wrapped into SCE and eventually they were sold off. There was a time where SOE lived outside of PlayStation, because they actually belonged to Sony Pictures.

 

[Three]

Shuhei Yoshida is also now in Japan, meaning everyone from Playstation leadership is there.

Maybe I'm being dumb but wasn't he always?

 

[Mibu no ookami]

a triple A Megaman game by Insomniac, shut up and take my money!

Can you imagine what they could do with Mega Man having multiple different weapon types.

You could even make him more like Kirby and give him the ability to temporarily copy the powers of lower end enemies and not just the permanent boss powers.

 

[remember_spinal]

Maybe I'm being dumb but wasn't he always?

Yeah, he lives in Japan but he also travels a lot. Shu is on the road like half the year

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Maybe I'm being dumb but wasn't he always?

Yeah, he lives in Japan but he also travels a lot. Shu is on the road like half the year

Basically this.

It's just to say he's in Japan at the same time everyone else from Playstation also is, that's all.

 

[Knightime_X]

Sony buy FromSoft, SquareEnix, EA and Capcom

Nintendo buy Sony

Xbox buy Nintendo

Apple buy Xbox

And thus giving birth to a whole new amazing console

The iBox

Sold @ $1500

Controller and peripherals sold seperately

You'll need to buy the Pro version 6 months later that looks the same for another $1,500 or apps perform worse.

 

[DeepEnigma]

You'll need to buy the Pro version 6 months later that looks the same for another $1,500 or apps perform worse.

And the power supply starts to fry itself and go into a fritz.

 

[SSfox]

Last studios they bought were Bluepoint and Housemarsque, everything after was boring city

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I don't think we'll see Bungie going under PlayStation Studios anytime in the next several years, if ever. The very first words out of their mouth when announcing the acquisition was that Bungie was going to remain independent and multi-platform. No doubt that played a huge role in getting regulatory approval so Sony can't just say one thing and wait for the regulators to turn their back and then do something else.

Audiokinetic is also under SIE and sits alongside PlayStation Studios and Bungie. It's not so odd that they'd leave them there. My theory would be that PlayStation Studios would remain the crown jewel of SIE, pumping out all that platform exclusive goodness that we love. Then alongside PlayStation Studios they would have a host of other companies that remain multi-plat and operate independently. All of these organizations will be siblings and will share tech, information and whatnot. They'll simply be an extended family.

There're many potential targets for SIE to make a move on, both obvious and not so obvious. We can only really speculate who they might be interested in. I do personally think that if SIE were to go after a publisher then this is the perfect time. Microsoft are tied up with the AB acquisition so they can't possibly counter-bid until that closes. All Sony has to do is promise that said publisher will remain independent and multi-plat just like Bungie and they're good to go as there's no real reason for regulators to stop it. Sony even already has the precedent with Bungie to show that they can make a large acquisition and leave it multi-plat and independent.

As I mentioned in my above post, SIE's acquisitions have had a very minimal impact on the industry as a whole so far. Buying a publisher to leave them independent is the best possible scenario IMO for several reasons:

- Sony ensures that said publisher and their content will always be on PlayStation and can't be taken away by another party
- Sony can offer said publisher FAR more funding to grow and increase their output
- Sony can utilize the IP from pretty much any publisher to make film/TV/anime content, so they have additional ways to monetize said company
- Users on other platforms don't get beloved content ripped away from them and are sure to receive future releases
- It should ensure no mass layoffs due to redundancies. I'm not saying there won't be SOME, but it'd be FAR fewer than if they were to integrate a publisher under PlayStation Studios. If anything, we'd see mass hiring like we're seeing at Bungie


Anyways, it'll be interesting to see how they continue to reshape the face of PlayStation in the coming months/years.

A 3.6 billion dollar purchase (2.4 billion + retention bonuses) was never going to draw the ire of regulators in an industry this large. As for changing the plan after promises to regulators, unless it forces them to break up as a result (which would be aggressive) I can't imagine this would be a big deal. They would probably seek permission with regulators to add them under the umbrella of SIE given difficulties of managing them outside.

If the FTC and others greenlight the acquisition of Activision, they'll be hard-pressed to stop Sony from acquiring a significant number of smaller publishers worth considerably less money cumulatively.

T2 - 20.46 billion
Capcom - 7.45 billion
Square Enix - 5.42 billion
Kadokawa (FromSoftware) - 2.61 billion
CDPR - 2.55 billion

Total - 38.49 billion dollars
Compensation (1.25 -1.5x) = 48.11 to 57.73 billion dollars

Now can they do all of these? Obviously not. I think they could do Capcom down to CDPR or a combination of T2 and maybe one or two of the smaller options on the list. I think what is MOST likely is Square Enix, Kadokawa, and CDPR, but I honestly think T2 is the smartest choice.

Audiokinetic isn't really a game development studio.

KojiPro is also an obvious option as well and much cheaper.

I think Sony needs to be strategic about who Microsoft or Tencent can likely acquire after this M&A of Activision.

FTC would never let them buy Activision AND T2. Same with EA.

Microsoft will likely be capped at much smaller publishers after this. We're talking about the 5-10b and under crowd.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

A 3.6 billion dollar purchase (2.4 billion + retention bonuses) was never going to draw the ire of regulators in an industry this large. As for changing the plan after promises to regulators, unless it forces them to break up as a result (which would be aggressive) I can't imagine this would be a big deal. They would probably seek permission with regulators to add them under the umbrella of SIE given difficulties of managing them outside.

If the FTC and others greenlight the acquisition of Activision, they'll be hard-pressed to stop Sony from acquiring a significant number of smaller publishers worth considerably less money cumulatively.

T2 - 20.46 billion
Capcom - 7.45 billion
Square Enix - 5.42 billion
Kadokawa (FromSoftware) - 2.61 billion
CDPR - 2.55 billion

Total - 38.49 billion dollars
Compensation (1.25 -1.5x) = 48.11 to 57.73 billion dollars

Now can they do all of these? Obviously not. I think they could do Capcom down to CDPR or a combination of T2 and maybe one or two of the smaller options on the list. I think what is MOST likely is Square Enix, Kadokawa, and CDPR, but I honestly think T2 is the smartest choice.

Oh for sure...if Microsoft can buy Activision (a company that has most of its revenue numbers on PS consoles and not Xbox) for 70 billion, Sony won't have a problem with buying multiple of the ones you just mentioned.

I had no idea that Kadokawa was worth that little btw.

People out there talking about Sony like they have no money...but they actually paid more than 3 billion for a company with 1 IP that will remain multiplatform, lmao.

edit. It's actually crazy to think that with those 70 billion, all the companies you mentioned could potentially be bought. Even if the asking price was way bigger than their market value.

 

[RoboFu]

I wonder when they start buying out other product companies as well. PlayStation Doritos.. Xbox dew..

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Oh for sure...if Microsoft can buy Activision (a company that has most of its revenue numbers on PS consoles and not Xbox) for 70 billion, Sony won't have a problem with buying multiple of the ones you just mentioned.

I had no idea that Kadokawa was worth that little btw.

People out there talking about Sony like they have no money...but they actually paid more than 3 billion for a company with 1 IP that will remain multiplatform, lmao.

Sony has money for M&A and what is more important they can always dig in deeper with an additional line of credit to buy more. Sony has to ask themselves is this a pivotal time within their primary business that if they don't buy now will they be boxed out of the market and begin to lose market share.

Sony needs to shift towards a more nintendo like strategy when it comes to their content. Sony should move forward with the idea that any game that they don't make themselves can and will leave their platform. They need to ask themselves what will allow them to be self sufficient with games published by themselves.

That's where I feel like T2 is REALLY important. It gives you sports games and a few more big ticket action titles. CDPR is a steal with the Witcher and Cyberpunk. Those franchises have only scratched the surface. Imagine Buying CDPR AND T2 and really flexing GTA and Cyberpunk... A big factor to me is the EA falling out with FIFA. Sony has an opportunity here not only to get the FIFA license but also create a soccer game better than EA's previous FIFA games with 2K Sports. Microsoft buying Activision though means they can't buy T2, so maybe you just decide that it's safe and focus elsewhere.

Square Enix only because FF is so intrinsically tied to PlayStation, but I don't think it would be a smart buy.

Kadokawa is a good buy because you can profit from other elements outside of gaming. It's a bad buy because it's so dependent on one guy to really make it work and because you wouldn't own the rights to Elden Ring or Dark Souls. You'd have to try and buy those from Bandai Namco who wouldn't be all that interested in making a deal (but maybe wouldn't have much choice). Sony could easily work around not having the names, but it's a risk.

Capcom I think is a great buy because they have so many IP and they still have Japanese dev talent and a recruiting arm to sustain it again. Sony's budgets could really help Capcom. I don't think there is a better Japanese pairing of IPs, Devs, and potential. Like Konami many of their primary devs have left, but they still have talent and IP unlike Konami who don't have any talent left. I would do Capcom before Square Enix. I would do Sega before Square Enix.


If I'm Jim Ryan, I also know that it is only a matter of time until Tencent buys out the market and creates their own console. Sony has to fortify itself for the future. T2 does that, CDPR does that, Capcom does that.

 

[Jen_yakzua]

Sony has money for M&A and what is more important they can always dig in deeper with an additional line of credit to buy more. Sony has to ask themselves is this a pivotal time within their primary business that if they don't buy now will they be boxed out of the market and begin to lose market share.

Sony needs to shift towards a more nintendo like strategy when it comes to their content. Sony should move forward with the idea that any game that they don't make themselves can and will leave their platform. They need to ask themselves what will allow them to be self sufficient with games published by themselves.

That's where I feel like T2 is REALLY important. It gives you sports games and a few more big ticket action titles. CDPR is a steal with the Witcher and Cyberpunk. Those franchises have only scratched the surface. Imagine Buying CDPR AND T2 and really flexing GTA and Cyberpunk... A big factor to me is the EA falling out with FIFA. Sony has an opportunity here not only to get the FIFA license but also create a soccer game better than EA's previous FIFA games with 2K Sports. Microsoft buying Activision though means they can't buy T2, so maybe you just decide that it's safe and focus elsewhere.

Square Enix only because FF is so intrinsically tied to PlayStation, but I don't think it would be a smart buy.

Kadokawa is a good buy because you can profit from other elements outside of gaming. It's a bad buy because it's so dependent on one guy to really make it work and because you wouldn't own the rights to Elden Ring or Dark Souls. You'd have to try and buy those from Bandai Namco who wouldn't be all that interested in making a deal (but maybe wouldn't have much choice). Sony could easily work around not having the names, but it's a risk.

Capcom I think is a great buy because they have so many IP and they still have Japanese dev talent and a recruiting arm to sustain it again. Sony's budgets could really help Capcom. I don't think there is a better Japanese pairing of IPs, Devs, and potential. Like Konami many of their primary devs have left, but they still have talent and IP unlike Konami who don't have any talent left. I would do Capcom before Square Enix. I would do Sega before Square Enix.


If I'm Jim Ryan, I also know that it is only a matter of time until Tencent buys out the market and creates their own console. Sony has to fortify itself for the future. T2 does that, CDPR does that, Capcom does that.

Wasn't there something about square enix selling parts of the dev teams, if sony could do that

Edit:https://www.thegamer.com/square-enix-sell-stakes-focus-japanese-games/

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Wasn't there something about square enix selling parts of the dev teams, if sony could do that

Edit:https://www.thegamer.com/square-enix-sell-stakes-focus-japanese-games/

There really aren't any studios I could imagine anyone would be interested in owning a stake in. It just doesn't make much sense. Basically, Square Enix wants to mitigate risks by having a partner who will fit some of the bill in case games don't sell as well as they hope, which they haven't been in some time.

The real question then becomes which studios Creative Business Units 1-4? I can imagine Sony being okay with that arrangement as long as they have exclusivity, but that's where things get really complicated when it comes to which studios and Square Enix still owns and operates the IP and limited cost savings by properly integrated studios.

 

[Captain Toad]

Last studios they bought were Bluepoint and Housemarsque, everything after was boring city

Bungie is boring city?

 

[BreakOut]

What is this post actually about? Since they own Asobi already are you talking about them acquiring something? I don’t understand.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Oh for sure...if Microsoft can buy Activision (a company that has most of its revenue numbers on PS consoles and not Xbox) for 70 billion, Sony won't have a problem with buying multiple of the ones you just mentioned.

I had no idea that Kadokawa was worth that little btw.

People out there talking about Sony like they have no money...but they actually paid more than 3 billion for a company with 1 IP that will remain multiplatform, lmao.

edit. It's actually crazy to think that with those 70 billion, all the companies you mentioned could potentially be bought. Even if the asking price was way bigger than their market value.

There is a reason why Microsoft shot their shot with a purchase this large rather than a number of smaller ones. Too many small purchases like this are more likely to get blocked eventually because it is clearly anti-competitive, half the companies I mentioned were Japanese, and they're going to run into hurdles buying Japanese companies with the JFTC.

It's entirely possible that the JFTC would block Microsoft from purchasing a single large publisher after the Activision purchase.

So Microsoft is putting a lot of eggs in one basket here, which is also why I think Sony shouldn't fight this TOO hard. They only need to fight it hard enough to point out their reservations here and double down on their reservations in future M&A deals.

I can't imagine CMA or EU will allow Microsoft to purchase any more large-scale companies... especially European ones.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

What is this post actually about? Since they own Asobi already are you talking about them acquiring something? I don’t understand.

Why are you even bringing up Asobi?

 

[Badlucktroll]

They should've just bought Square in the 90s.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

They should've just bought Square in the 90s.

It was a very different time. Sony had barely just gotten into gaming and they weren't nearly as all in then. There was a time where Sony owned like 18.6 percent of Square or something along those lines iirc. They ended up selling their stock back to square when they became more solvent and Sony needed some cash.

The PS3 days were very bad for Sony/PlayStation.

 

[Jen_yakzua]

One thing that came i just thought about was that if Sony really wants T2. they should get it before GTA 6 comes out as that will most likely shoot there stock up to the 35-55 billion range