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[ziran]

Bloomberg

Konami, Capcom May Be Next as Japan Game Companies Seek Mergers


...Konami Corp., Japan's fourth-largest maker of video games, and Capcom Co., the sixth biggest, may be next in line as game companies look for mergers to help raise earnings amid rising costs, analysts say...


..."Konami, which took a break after three years of aggressive expansion, is now back into attack mode, possibly reviving their acquisition plans,'' said Yuuta Sakurai, an analyst at Nomura Research Institute Ltd. in Tokyo. "Consolidation is gaining pace and music, movie, broadcasting companies, and Internet portals are possible partners.''


..."Capcom is probably the most likely candidate for acquisition or merger out of the remaining large companies. The company is in a difficult situation financially,'' said Takada, an analyst at Cosmo Securities Co. in Tokyo. "The most effective of possible combinations for Capcom would be if Sega Sammy bought the company.''...

sounds like the [next] most likely merger.

 

[drohne]

that would be the best company EVER. they'd epitomize everything that's good about japanese games. they'd be the anti-squenix!

 

[SolidSnakex]

Oohh hell yah!

 

[norinrad21]

Capcom + Konami = SEX

Bandai + Namco = More SEX

 

[acklame]

oh man

today is just too fucking much

i'm going to bed, i fully expect apocalypse when i wake up tomorrow :lol

 

[Izzy]

Perhaps that would explain the sudden rush of PSP love from both companies.

 

[Doube D]

caknomi

 

[UbiSoftologist]

oh man

today is just too fucking much

i'm going to bed, i fully expect apocalypse when i wake up tomorrow :lol

:lol My feeling as well :lol

 

[argon]

Mergers for the most part suck ass.. I can't believe people actually LOOK FORWARD to mergers. How many game companies have actually released higher quality games after a merger?

 

[The Faceless Master]

capkon!

 

[C- Warrior]

that would be the best company EVER. they'd epitomize everything that's good about japanese games. they'd be the anti-squenix!

:lol :lol :lol

I just hope Capnomi is a merger where both companies have equal say. And the companies (in ways) remain true to each of their development studios.

Basically what I'm saying is that I don't want the "NANOBREAKER or CASTLEVANIA" development team touching anything Devil May Cry related.

 

[Friend]

Damn the industry is changing so much.

 

[cvxfreak]

capkon!

:lol That's what they're called in Japan (Capcom/Kapukon)

 

[Doc Holliday]

wow

 

[Azrael]

I don't know, I fear that Capcom would be creatively stifled if Konami aquired them. Konami is a company now that depends almost entirely on sequels, while Capcom has been taking risks with new franchises like Viewtiful Joe, and refreshing sequels like BoF V and RE4. Other than Metal Gear, Konami has been pretty much dialing everything else in lately.

 

[Kakusha]

Konami-Capcom!

Oh, the possibilities:
-Castlevania 3D by DMC team.
-Ninja Turtles done Capcom style!
-Silent Hill + Biohazard team make the ultimate SH/BH survival horror game.
-Rockman designed Shinkawa style!
-Ayami Kojima DMC artworks!

 

[UbiSoftologist]

Damn the industry is changing so much.

The next-gen battle will be the big 4 in Japan (Squenix, Bandai-Namco, Sega-Sammy, Konami-Capcom) vs the big 4 in the US (EA, Activision, T2, THQ). That's going to be exciting.

 

[psycho_snake]

That would kick so much ass.

 

[KingJ2002]

if this is going to happen... it would be a good merger... their portfolios seem to compliment each other as capcom focuses on titles that konami doesnt really offer... and vice versa.

 

[Kakusha]

What would happen if Devil May Cry were to be directed by Hideo Kojima? :lol

 

[polg]

so who is nintendo mating with? Treasure?

 

[Kakusha]

Nintendo-M$? OH.

 

[Starfire]

Always wished that would happen when I was younger, now here we are in upside-down land.

I feel like I stepped through the rabbit-hole today, between the Rev controller, Senior Snake, that incredible next-gen GT video and PSP Suikoden I+II (and even Xenosaga DS!).

Can you say paradigm shift (maybe between the two of them one of them will be willing to make a decent 2d Castlevenia for PSP) Might as well add Treasure (and maybe SNK) to the list to consolidate all the 2d devs left under one big roof, heck throw Sega in there too, anything can happen in crazyland.

 

[KingJ2002]

Nintendo-M$? OH.

nah... the way I see it is like... these mergers are pretty much like actual relationships.

after years of being single... these companies are hooking up and getting married (no pre-nups too)

Nintendo is like that rich guy that uses women instead of being in a relationship because... they dont have to. In these relationships there always the needy bitch (in this case... capcom, enix, namco, and sega) and nintendo just doesnt want to deal with these broads.

oh... and Nintendo can't get with Microsoft because like an actual relationship... Nintendo's folks dont approve of microsoft's kind.

 

[nubbe]

noooooo!!!

I knew the MegaMan/Boktai cross over would lead to no good

 

[Monk]

This is probably the natural course, the rigid companies shrink as their devs mature and start their own companies forcing them to merge with other shrinking companies. Soo we will have the big company versu all these little companies with big name devs.

 

[Kakusha]

nah... the way I see it is like... these mergers are pretty much like actual relationships.

after years of being single... these companies are hooking up and getting married (no pre-nups too)

Nintendo is like that rich guy that uses women instead of being in a relationship because... they dont have to. In these relationships there always the needy bitch (in this case... capcom, enix, namco, and sega) and nintendo just doesnt want to deal with these broads.

oh... and Nintendo can't get with Microsoft because like an actual relationship... Nintendo's folks dont approve of microsoft's kind.

:lol

 

[Xellotah]

It could all end in tears though ( for gamers that is ).

We may end up getting fewer but more big budget games, and of course more sequels.

 

[ourumov]

that would be the best company EVER. they'd epitomize everything that's good about japanese games. they'd be the anti-squenix!

QFT

My two favourite companies being A MASSIVE CONCENTRATION OF GUTS, STAMINA AND WILDPOWER !

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

Time to buy some LAZARD shares

 

[SantaC]

I am torn about this. Sure they would be a great company together, but they are already that on their own.

 

[Shao]

I don't see a single thing good about this. We're fans of the games, not necessarily of the companies. Existing either seperately or as one entity, the next instalment of any franchise can still be good or bad.

However it is worrying that two of the major companies in the gaming world who hold some of the biggest franchises cannot survive alone. If this is the extent of the strain on developers, next gen is going to kill alot of people financially.

I was enjoying their content as it is, a merger sounds negative from my point of view. Less competition, more re-hash and reliance on franchises, probably some movement of employees etc etc.

Nintendo is right, gaming cannot continue in this direction on some kind of upward curve towards the moon, it has to find a tangent.

 

[Tiktaalik]

if we look at the precedent set by Square Enix and Sega Sammy, then we have an entire gen of crappy games to look forward to by a newly merged Konami Capcom

 

[jarrod]

Ack! Worst merger yet. :/

It should've been Capcom + Namco damnit.

 

[Ruzbeh]

"Merging? Good, now we only have one target"
-- Satoru Iwata

am i rite?

 

[Cheebs]

So we would have:

Squarre-Enix-Taito
Bandai-Namco
Capcom-Konami
Sega-Sammy

Would that leave any major japanese third party un-merged?

 

[Keyser Soze]

This is what I would class as a great moment in hook up history

 

[Dragmire]

These companies need to innovate, not rely on sequels with bigger budgets each time. Brain Training is the prime example. And I'm not a big fan of Konami, so I'm worried what this could do to Capcom, which has been rather good this generation.

 

[jarrod]

So we would have:

Squarre-Enix-Taito
Bandai-Namco
Capcom-Konami
Sega-Sammy

Would that leave any major japanese third party un-merged?

There's also some mergers among the little guys...

Atlus-Takara-TOMY

Chunsoft-Dwango

Victor-Marvelous

...plus Konami owns a hefty chunk of several other publishers (Hudson, Genki, Success) and Bandai owns Banpresto. I wonder if other secondary publishers like Tecmo, Koei, SNK Playmore, D3 Publisher or From Software will look to mergers or buyouts for self-preservation?

 

[Synth_floyd]

Wow, mergers are great. Look what it did for Squaresoft and Enix! eh, I'm not too excited about any more mergers.

 

[DCharlie]

so what would happen to PS3 Makaimura?

 

[tetsuoxb]

so what would happen to PS3 Makaimura?

atomiswave.

 

[CompositeMolar]

Please don't let this happen, competition is the only thing that might save the industry...

 

[Diablos]

Capcom and Konami merging, eh? Hopefully this will not mean less games.

Yann is right, they need competition... everyone buying each other can't work out in the long run.

 

[Sapiens]

This is about as likely as Agassi and Steffi Graf getting married and having super tennis babies.

 

[jett]

Konami + Capcom = best company EVER.

Capcom + Sega Sammy =

 

[shantyman]

I want Metal Gear vs. Street Fighter!

Snake vs. Ryu!
Eva vs. Cammy!
Bison vs. Oceleot!

 

[Grifter]

Street Fighter vs. Martial Champion?

 

[LakeEarth]

Castlevania vs Capcom

 

[EternalDarko]

Not a good idea in my opinion. Also, the fact that these two giants of gaming who hold some of the best franchises in the industry need to merge in order to stay afloat is not a good sign for things to come.