Microsoft is preparing investors on potential acquisition of gaming studios

I've made it clear before that I'm against paying for exclusivity, no matter who's doing it. But I gotta admit, a part of me would delight in the salt from Sony fans if MS utilised their mythical war chest to buy something huge. I'd fucking laugh my chubby man-tits off.
 
I don't think there's any question they keep investing in gamepass. I think the real question is how long before talks start to make gamepass truly console agnostic.
 
Birdo said:
That was them with low budget (Codemasters budget).
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Code masters dissolved the whole team as well. Sony did nothing wrong. Codemasters did nothing wrong either. They were mediocre at best. Motorstorm 1 and 2 were good but downhill from there. Ms3 wasn't great, driveclub was okay. You can't keep a team that makes mediocre games and keep funding them. They had large budgets at Sony and they were still closed. If in fantasy land MS bought them. They would have closed them as well.
 
Virex said:
Code masters dissolved the whole team as well. Sony did nothing wrong. Codemasters did nothing wrong either. They were mediocre at best. Motorstorm 1 and 2 were good but downhill from there. Ms3 wasn't great, driveclub was okay. You can't keep a team that makes mediocre games and keep funding them. They had large budgets at Sony and they were still closed. If in fantasy land MS bought them. They would have closed them as well.
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empirestrikesback-luke-impossible-700x297.jpg
 
I believe it, it'd be the right thing to do. Especially with all the Xbox topics as of late. Lol at all the negative comments, this is more positive than negative IMO. Also people hating on Game Pass. really? Lol. It may not be for everyone, but it's already in a good place and it's getting better IMO. 🤷‍♂️
 
Flintty said:
I've made it clear before that I'm against paying for exclusivity, no matter who's doing it. But I gotta admit, a part of me would delight in the salt from Sony fans if MS utilised their mythical war chest to buy something huge. I'd fucking laugh my chubby man-tits off.
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I hate to admit it, but I would too after all the Sony people ecstatically cheering for Sony to moneyhat everything possible.
 
Birdo said:
Now is the time to rebuild what Sony destroyed.

Re-form Evolution Studio's staff and make PGR5 (Yes I'm still salty about that).
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I am not sure how Sony destroyed Evolution. They worked on three or more titles of MotorStorm and continued on to the PS4 with Driveclub (new entry). I bought all MotorStorm games and even Driveclub but unfortunately many people did not support Evolution and their titles.

CatLady said:
I hate to admit it, but I would too after all the Sony people ecstatically cheering for Sony to moneyhat everything possible.
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That kinda thing, Microsoft has already done, it was during the 360 / PS3 generation. It's just that the shoe is on the other foot at the given moment. It seems people forget.
 
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On Demand said:
Doesn't mean they're buying anyone immediately. Just letting them know they will continue to look at opportunities.

People like Klobrile hype up every little thing MS does and says.
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Truth. The irony is, these fanboy insider types like Klobrille building up expectations of 'mic drops' and 'August is Xbox's month' contribute to Microsoft's showings and announcements being so poorly received. Frankly this guy does more damage than help for Xbox all for the sake of RTs and followers.
 
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Potato Chip PRO said:
When the rumors of Sony Moneyhatting " ITz AlL BuISsnEsS"
But when MS has plans to expand their 1st party studios " DaMn M$, yOu sOo EVil".
Love the damn hypocrisy in these folks.
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People aren't mad because they are buying studios. Expanding first-party is very respectable. People are mad because MS will inevitably run all this talent to the ground, wasting it for everyone.
 
Birdo said:
They shut the studio down.
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After they had the chance to work on multiple titles and people didn't show their support by buying their games. It's unfortunate. My favorite though was their first Motorstorm game, I always felt like something was off about their later titles.
 
gow3isben said:
People aren't mad because they are buying studios. Expanding first-party is very respectable. People are mad because MS will inevitably run all this talent to the ground, wasting it for everyone.
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My favorite thing to do here is read comments like this then look at the posters avatar. :messenger_grinning_smiling:
 
They should buy the creators of What Remains of Edith Finch. That game is a masterpiece. I would love to see them with unlimited money.
 
Maybe.. they're trying to buy up so many studios that one of them will inevitably strike game gold...

Maybe they're trying to do what PS3 did, redemption in the last few years of the generation or whathaveyou.

I was thinking about the name earlier today.. if you're anything like me you might be unimaginative enough to just take whatever name is given you as writ and move on.. but the name of the XSX strikes me as being a bit indicative of.. Something.. "Series X", what does "Series" mean? A plurality? A family of products? An iteration? Maybe something classy, like BMW? And what "X"? Enigma? Finality? Unknown?

360, One, these names both seemed to reflect a (try hard?) attempt to embody a direction in a word. 360 just indicated an all-out improvement in OG. One indicated putting lots of different softwares and utilities in one place in the house. Series?

Eh just been thinking~
 
I'd prefer to see MS scoop up smaller devs and give them the budgets to see their visions through than something bigger like WB. Mortal Kombat already had the budget they needed to make the game they envisioned.

Take a group like White Owls, who have a tremendous visionary in Swery but fail to make games of quality due to lack of budget. They're a perfect candidate, and have history with the Xbox brand as D4 was a console exclusive (can't recall if that was technically White Owls or not but it was definitely Swery) and The Good Life will be launching on Game Pass. They are the kinda dev that could really benefit from Microsoft's hands off approach to their new first party line-up.
 
CrysisFreak said:
Hope they don't buy talented devs and force them to create AA GamePass filler...
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Entertainment subscription services -- Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, and Game Pass -- employ a business model that is quantity > quality. Mediocrity is welcome because mediocrity doesn't take a lot of time to make.

Substandard games are the norm on Game Pass. It's a tough problem to solve because content is necessary for the service to survive. But great content takes time to make. So you're left with two choices: either have a service that's dying due to a lack of content or have a service that's surviving due to a lot of 6/10 content. The latter is Game Pass's current state, and that likely won't change next-gen.
 
Leyasu said:
They have been updating SoD2. But we don't know the full story.

So again, which studios did they buy that didn't have games already in development?
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Patching their unfinished turd for 2 whole years after being bought instead of working on the sequel sounds like pretty bad management to me. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their SOD3 development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Playground last released a game in 2018 and has done nothing but extra content. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their Fable development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Noticing the pattern yet?

Compulsion Games, also bought 2 years ago, doesn't even have a CGI teaser for us. If you are happy with this output, good for you. But don't be surprised when it's properly pointed out that it's not going well.
 
As a MSF
Snuggle Bubbler said:
I'd prefer to see MS scoop up smaller devs and give them the budgets to see their visions through than something bigger like WB. Mortal Kombat already had the budget they needed to make the game they envisioned.

Take a group like White Owls, who have a tremendous visionary in Swery but fail to make games of quality due to lack of budget. They're a perfect candidate, and have history with the Xbox brand as D4 was a console exclusive (can't recall if that was technically White Owls or not but it was definitely Swery) and The Good Life will be launching on Game Pass. They are the kinda dev that could really benefit from Microsoft's hands off approach to their new first party line-up.
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Some time smaller studios crumble with challenges of a much bigger project.

It is better for everyone if MS money to be used as a "blanket" against financial uncertainties. And then let the team and scope grow naturally.
 
Grinchy said:
Patching their unfinished turd for 2 whole years after being bought instead of working on the sequel sounds like pretty bad management to me. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their SOD3 development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Playground last released a game in 2018 and has done nothing but extra content. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their Fable development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Noticing the pattern yet?

Compulsion Games, also bought 2 years ago, doesn't even have a CGI teaser for us. If you are happy with this output, good for you. But don't be surprised when it's properly pointed out that it's not going well.
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There is a CoD game coming out this year and we haven't seen one single concept art.
Assassins Creed Vallhala was shown 8 months before the launch.
Sunset Overdrive and ReCore took 16 and 14 months from the first CGI trailer to release day.

Etc, etc...

Not all games that have only a CGI trailer will take 3+ years to launch.
 
Grinchy said:
Patching their unfinished turd for 2 whole years after being bought instead of working on the sequel sounds like pretty bad management to me. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their SOD3 development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Playground last released a game in 2018 and has done nothing but extra content. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their Fable development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Noticing the pattern yet?

Compulsion Games, also bought 2 years ago, doesn't even have a CGI teaser for us. If you are happy with this output, good for you. But don't be surprised when it's properly pointed out that it's not going well.
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I am not defending anyone. But..

Undead labs have done more than patches..

Playground are building a second team for Fable, updating H4 and are probably working on a sequel.

You have a point with Compulsion though.
 
Stuart360 said:
Pretty much all their studios, and Microsoft themselves, have said numerous times that they dont force, and are not forced to make certain games. Bleeding Edge, which is always the culprit for this talk, was in development long before Microsoft bought them. And Grounded is a side project by 12 devs fr Obsidian, and they have at least 2 AAA rpgs in the works at the same time.

Its just common sense as well. AAA games would make Gamepass a lot more desirable than a load of Indie style games. Also it would probably be a lot cheaper to moneyhat a load of AA and Indie games form 3rd parties, than it would be to actually buy studios for that. Think about it.
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That may be the policy today, but forcing developers to make the games that marketing wanted was the policy for many years, and it drove away studios and some of the most talented people in the industry.

Bungie left because they were sick of the relentless and endless cycle of yet more Halo games. Bungie left to make Destiny (leaving MS with the Halo IP as part of the deal), which is now what MS is trying to turn Halo into.

Lionhead Studios was threatened to make a free-to-play version of Fable or get shut down. So, in order to survive, they made Fable Legends, hoping to pursue Fable 4 afterwards, but MS shut them down without warning anyway. And even though the game was basically done, MS punished the studio for producing a game that the fanbase did not want, when they should have fired the marketing department for forcing the studio to make the thing in the first place. The next version of Fable is probably in preproduction awaiting the hiring of key leadership positions, and it is rumored to be like Fable Legends. And probably the biggest irony of all of this is that if they did not destroy Lionhead and drive away Bungie, they would have the games they want right now when they need them the most.

Who was in charge of Xbox back in 2016 when Lionhead Studios was dissolved? This is not ancient history.

According to three separate sources familiar with Lionhead's relationship with Microsoft in 2012, Xbox executives insisted the studio make a new Fable in the games as a service mould. A single-player focused role-playing game would not be allowed, Lionhead was told. "There's no way anybody's going to be making single-player boxed products any more," sources say Microsoft executives told Lionhead. "I want something that's games as a service."

"You make a service game or you get closed down," was how another source with knowledge of the conversations remembers them. "It was the new big push from Microsoft and I heard that all first party studios got a similar message, however some had more of a push back against it."
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And then the elephant in the room: Fable Legends simply wasn't the game many Fable fans had wanted. Fable fans wanted Fable 4, a single-player role-playing game that would blow their socks off on Xbox One. They did not want a free-to-play reimagining built around competitive multiplayer.
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https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-05-12-lionhead-the-inside-story (The Fable saga, a long read)

Gameplay of Fable Legends (timestamped)

 
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DavidGzz said:
Bottom line, Sony needs competition. What does being called out by fanboys have to do with Sony seeing MS as competition? You don't think it's keeping Sony on their toes instead of arrogant? You really think they'd be holding back the announcement of the PS5 price and buying up exclusives deals of it were not for Xbox? Sony know better than your average fanboy. Game Pass, Xcloud, and a cheaper XSS are definite threats even if some of you are blind to them.
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Whos Amazons competition again? yea they have none, why? their product right now is pretty superior. Sony and Nintendo kind of in the same place, they have so many "name" franchises and fans they could set the price for P5 at $1000 and it will still sell, maybe not as much but that price could tick down quickly. They will be fine, they seem to do pretty well without MS and all you have to do is look at the brand globally.
 
I hope they do.

If they manage to find a way to get them to produce good games, everybody wins.

If they don't, at least studios cashed out. The talent will join other companies or start new studios.

It's always the same when discussing studios being bought. People don't like it because they feel they are being driven into the ground. However, every studio that has been bough by either company (including EA) decided to sell out. They weren't victims. Owners decided to cash out and so they did. They are not victims.

Game development is a tough business. I can't criticize them for that. It's a big bet. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to studios like Westwood if they didn't sell out. I kind of fell they would have shut down eventually anyway like many studios that aren't so lucky as to have enough resources to continue operating.

I'm all about exclusives because I really doubt anyone would invest so much money in something like Last Guardian otherwise.

If something has become clear in the last 30 years is that there is space for everything in the market: big studios and small. First and third party development. No reason to wish it was different... Unless people didn't have at least a superficial idea of how money works...
 
CitizenX said:
Whos Amazons competition again? yea they have none, why? their product right now is pretty superior. Sony and Nintendo kind of in the same place, they have so many "name" franchises and fans they could set the price for P5 at $1000 and it will still sell, maybe not as much but that price could tick down quickly. They will be fine, they seem to do pretty well without MS and all you have to do is look at the brand globally.
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So yeah, this post tells me you're one of the vast minority who doesn't care if they do set their price at $1000 and who also doesn't understand or care that the reason they improved their online game was because of XB360. And also their BC because of Xbox One. Let's pretend that having MS around made things worse instead of better for PS gamers.

You also made me realize people will say the craziest things to keep their argument alive. Hahahaha
 
I think 1 of the dev MS gone to buy will be Asobo Studio the maker of Plague Tales and Flight Simulator 2020.
 
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Unless they acquire an AAA Studio, any other kind of purchase is pretty much useless and just a desperate attempt at getting relevance in the exclusives war.
 
Soulsborne said:
after the halo infinite debacle this is exactly what they need to do , since they cannot rely on their studios to deliver games on time. my wishlist is Remedy games & Wb games studios i think they would fit in well
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So instead of growing the existing 15 studios they have, they should keep throwing money for a new studios and see if that helps and solve the problem for their 1st party mediocrity.
That's not a winning strategy at all.
 
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Grinchy said:
Patching their unfinished turd for 2 whole years after being bought instead of working on the sequel sounds like pretty bad management to me. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their SOD3 development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Playground last released a game in 2018 and has done nothing but extra content. So, for 2 years, all they have to show for their Fable development is a day zero CGI teaser.

Noticing the pattern yet?

Compulsion Games, also bought 2 years ago, doesn't even have a CGI teaser for us. If you are happy with this output, good for you. But don't be surprised when it's properly pointed out that it's not going well.
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First of all, you don't know what the hell you are talking about. Playground had regular updates in addition to full on addons in the last two years. You don't know what the hell they have done on Fable. for all you know they have full designed and planned the main story + all custcenes. They are growing multiple teams there, and nobody said fable take priority over anything else.

I know the head of compulsion, and again you don't know what you are talking about if you are putting out stupid rumors like " its not going well". With all due respect, I'm really starting to hate armchair developers that know nothing and say crap like that.
 
Why would MS continue to provide funds for Xbox when they can't even handle one of their own 1st party studios on releasing one of their tentpole franchises..

343i and their management should be a wake up call to the MS executives. Phil should take a blowtorch to the 343i executive team.
 
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