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[Elder Legend]

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

 

[yurinka]

Who?

Top Bungie staff who left Bungie after they did stop working with Activision after Destiny 1, mixed with talent from Apex Legends, (Bungie's) Halo, Titanfall, Mass Effect and more.

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

Sony has been working with this team since 2018, when they left Bungie and Bungie stopped working with Activision. Hermen should be happy enough with their progress and decided to buy them even before they completed their first game together, as happened with Haven. The acquisition isn't related to the CoD/ABK acquisition.

Sony wants to launch 10 GaaSes by 2026, so yes almost everything they have in the pipeline is either fully multiplayer (Last of us, next bungie…etc) or has a multiplayer mode

Only a third/quarter (or less if counting VR games) of the games that Sony has under development are GaaS.

According to Sony's slide last year, I think they had 10 GAAS in development. And pretty sure that excluded Bungie because they werent even bought yet. Out of that 10, it's logical MLB, Factions and GT are GAAS.

So that leaves 7 unknown GAAS games.

The games from Haven, Deviation, Firewalk, Sony London, Arrowhead are GaaS. Also, the ugly Horizon online game very likely will be also a GaaS. Maybe the other one is a Ghost of Tsushima sequel, the rumored Insomniac multiplayer project or one of the upcoming Firesprite games.

Then add on top Destiny 2 and multiple new IPs being developed at Bungie, at least one of them planned to be released before 2025.

 

[Twinblade]

AAA Multiplayer game for PS5 and PC.

Socom remake?

 

[Poltz]

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

LOL

 

[Varteras]

I would toss any hopes of their game being SOCOM in the trash. They're making a new IP.

 

[Snake29]

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

This shows they seem really confident about the game Firewalk is developing as well as the competence of the Dev.

I'm really intrigued by this unannounced game now.

 

[CatLady]

That's Firesprite.

Thank you. I was thinking they already bought them but that's the one I was thinking of.

 

[mrmustard]

This shows they seem really confident about the game Firewalk is developing as well as the competence of the Dev.

I'm really intrigued by this unannounced game now.

Yeah, but i guess they were also confident about Forspoken.

 

[Varteras]

Yeah, but i guess they were also confident about Forspoken.

And Babylon's Fall.... Fuckin Square, man. Sellin Sony on some bullshit.

 

[Poltz]

Yeah, but i guess they were also confident about Forspoken.

They didn't buy Square Enix though.

 

[Fbh]

Yeah, but i guess they were also confident about Forspoken.

And this

And this

Sony has got a great eye in regard to single player games but they don't have a very good track record with multiplayer.
The one thing giving me hope is that they've got Bungie now so hopefully they are talking to them regarding these acquisitions.

 

[DeepEnigma]

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

Yep, the games media is totally ignorant and intellectually dishonest. Real time proof.

 

[bitbydeath]

That only leaves Deviation now.

 

[bitbydeath]

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

We’re about 5 days out, Sony probably already knows.

 

[Yoboman]

Sony said in 2019 that they want fewer games, yet bigger games. So it seems their intent is to do less single player games. I would rather they keep their focus on single player instead of GaaS. But it's their business, so whatever. Spider-Man 2 is out sometime this year, so another good single player game coming our way, then Wolverine 2024.

They haven't changed their single player output, they are adding new studios to take on GAAS

 

[Varteras]

That only leaves Deviation now.

Ballistic Moon and Gravity Well are two others to keep an eye on. Ballistic Moon is supposedly working on a PS5 game codenamed Project Bates, and speculation based on a now edited job listing is that Sony may have already bought them. Gravity Well is rumored to be working on a PS5 game as well. Also would not be at all surprised to have Arrowhead, Blue Twelve, Ember Lab, First Contact, Polyarc, or Sloclap announced in the next year or so. Outside of Bungie, Sony seems to be maintaining its stance and picking up developers they've worked closely with or helped build.

 

[DonF]

Ok, can't wait for the ps6.

 

[Yoboman]

1 in 12 are good odds, but at the same time they would be saturating the market with this trash, and people will likely tune them all out.

Right now, COD, PubG, Fortnite and Apex are successful. Can the industry handle even more of these games? There are only so many of these players to go around. Halo came and went. They made it F2P, got 20 million users, and then everyone left after a week. I suspect the same thing to happen to all of these games especially if they launch at $70. If I was Sony, id be sweating bullets at the Suicide Squad reception because thats exactly what their games are going to look like lol. Not to mention looking at the insane sales of Hogwarts, GOW and RE4, and wondering why they invested so heavily in GaaS instead of traditional single player games. Spiderman 2 will literally be their only first party game this year. they shouldve had like 4 of these SP games out this year. they wouldve cleaned up.

My guess is that this is insurance policy in case MS takes CoD exclusive. they want to be ready with their own CoD or Fortnite clone.

P.S It's 12 games and there is factions, horizon mp, bend's new IP, insomniac was also hiring mp devs, Jade Raymond's new studio is doing GaaS, and their other manchester studio is also making a GaaS game. Deviation games, firewalk studios were 2nd party and likely were not included in Jim's 12 GaaS game declaration. MLB wasnt either. GT7 possibly, yes.

I wouldnt be surprised if GG, Insomniac, and other Sony devs are making multiple GaaS games.

All of those are last gen products. Earliest release there is Apex in 2019. COD, PUBG and Fortnite are all well past their peaks. 3 of those 4 basically came from nowhere to become massive hits. Gamers are definitely waiting for the next big thing to hit in multiplayer

 

[ReBurn]

PlayStation Studios family!

Especially once they kill Media Molecule later this year. They can fit right into that slot.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

This was written on the wall. Deviation Games is next.

Maybe, I think Deviation hit a snag along the way, hence the exit of one of their co-founders quite early.

 

[AlphaDump]

Some interesting talent from that studio... Despite being relatively new, the quick purchase from Sony conveys a certain level of confidence that has me curious to see what they are working on.

 

[Varteras]

All of those are last gen products. Earliest release there is Apex in 2019. COD, PUBG and Fortnite are all well past their peaks. 3 of those 4 basically came from nowhere to become massive hits. Gamers are definitely waiting for the next big thing to hit in multiplayer

My step-brother? Huge CoD player. Constantly complains about the franchise. Says he and his buddies are just waiting for someone to come along and make the next big thing that can pull them away. He's an Xbox player right now but said he'd be more than happy to go to another platform if they had a better game. He's looking into XDefiant right now.

 

[Yoboman]

My step-brother? Huge CoD player. Constantly complains about the franchise. Says he and his buddies are just waiting for someone to come along and make the next big thing that can pull them away. He's an Xbox player right now but said he'd be more than happy to go to another platform if they had a better game. He's looking into XDefiant right now.

Yeah

I get a good sense of the more casual gamer on TikTok. They just want the next big Fortnite to pop off. Somebody will hit big this gen

 

[Corndog]

They didn't buy Square Enix though.

Ya, they just bought forspoken for 2 years.

 

[yurinka]

Didn’t they buy Deviation ages ago?

No

 

[yurinka]

Sony said in 2019 that they want fewer games, yet bigger games. So it seems their intent is to do less single player games. I would rather they keep their focus on single player instead of GaaS. But it's their business, so whatever. Spider-Man 2 is out sometime this year, so another good single player game coming our way, then Wolverine 2024.

He said that just before being replaced. The guy who replaced him bought a dozen studios, grew all their existing gamedev teams, spent a record amount of money signing 2nd party games for this generation and said PS5 will have more 3rd party exclusives than any previous PS console.

So no, Sony wants to have more games than ever before. And Hermen said he wants to have both big and small, both single and multiplayer. Sony also said GaaS aren't even a third of the PS Studios games under development and that GaaS efforts aren't made at the expense of traditional SP games (they are working on more SP games than before), but as an addition on top.

 

[In Cold Blood]

A decent size studio of around 150 devs. Not a bad get.

 

[Pedro Motta]

What about Ember Lab? Do it goddamn it.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Solved.

No guarantee for the "ending" though

 

[lh032]

cool i guess

 

[In Cold Blood]

We had Microsoft buy Nemesys Games earlier this month via Bethesda and turned them into Zenimax Online Studios Hungary.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

I think we could have guessed they gave up on blocking MSFT-ATVI when they released all those PS5 units. They wouldn't have allowed PS5 to suddenly start selling 5x the quantity unless they were sure that merger was a done deal and they could no longer do anything about it.

 

[Varteras]

cool i guess

 

[Perrott]

Firewalk's game – FPS Destiny-like new IP – must be coming along really nicely for Sony acquire the studio already, even before the unveiling of their live-service game.

Today's news also mark the beginning of a strong momentum for the team: studio acquisition > game announcement within the next six weeks > release in 2024 (as mentioned in the LinkedIn profile of a PlayStation Visual Arts developer working on the title).

I'm glad that the cold war that resulted from Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is now over and PlayStation is back to announcing acquisitions and, come the PlayStation Showcase, new first-party games.

 

[Varteras]

Firewalk's game – FPS Destiny-like new IP – must be coming along really nicely for Sony acquire the studio already, even before the unveiling of their live-service game.

Today's news also mark the beginning of a strong momentum for the team: studio acquisition > game announcement within the next six weeks > release in 2024 (as mentioned in the LinkedIn profile of a PlayStation Visual Arts developer working on the title).

I'm glad that the cold war that resulted from Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is now over and PlayStation is back to announcing acquisitions and, come the PlayStation Showcase, new first-party games.

I think with the ABK deal likely going through, you're going to see Sony accelerate and expand on acquisitions. Not simply because of ABK itself, but because a large number of third-party developers have now been removed from Sony's ability to negotiate with and get many of their games, and this could very well continue.

They need to ensure that their platform is able to keep up with the competition in output and make sure certain developers continue to be available to them. I expect a lot more of these smaller acquisitions, an increase in their investments in companies like Epic, Devolver, and FromSoft, and quite possibly a very large purchase. Maybe two.

PlayStation is their biggest growth vector and incredibly important to their bottomline. It's not all that much hyperbole to say that the company's future is at stake.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

 

[gow3isben]

They need:

Square
Capcom
From
A couple mid-tiers like Remedy
A studio that makes good WRPGs

And MS can buy whoever they want Sony will remain top

 

[BadBurger]

Good for them I guess.

 

[Heisenberg007]

They need:

Square
Capcom
From
A couple mid-tiers like Remedy
A studio that makes good WRPGs

And MS can buy whoever they want Sony will remain top

Yep, Larian will also be a good get — especially if Sony can use their expertise like they are doing with Bungie to help with other AAA games.

I feel like Sony might also be looking at NSoft to buy as one of the big publishers.

But Capcom should be the #1 priority right now, imo.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

They need:

Square
Capcom
From
A couple mid-tiers like Remedy
A studio that makes good WRPGs

And MS can buy whoever they want Sony will remain top

Yep, Larian will also be a good get — especially if Sony can use their expertise like they are doing with Bungie to help with other AAA games.

I feel like Sony might also be looking at NSoft to buy as one of the big publishers.

But Capcom should be the #1 priority right now, imo.

It makes no sense for Sony to buy more of Japan when MS already doesn't exist there.

They really need to try and get a major Western studio or publisher because MS has the green light to buy out the entire West if they feel like it now. Any one of EA, Take 2, or Ubisoft could be on the table here. Sony needs to get 1 before MS gets all 3. Also Sony should really try to grab CDPR, the only other WRPG studio left of any significance since Bethesda has already been taken away by MS. Sony could make a play for Rockstar since historically Rockstar and GTA got their start on Playstation.

 

[Varteras]

Yep, Larian will also be a good get — especially if Sony can use their expertise like they are doing with Bungie to help with other AAA games.

I feel like Sony might also be looking at NSoft to buy as one of the big publishers.

But Capcom should be the #1 priority right now, imo.

Normally I would say no to such things, because I don't like the idea of established communities being left behind, but at this point playing with the gloves on will just not do them any good. Your competitor isn't pulling punches and the longer you wait, the tighter your options will be. Sony knows their position better than anyone, but to outside observers like us, they need to get moving.

 

[In Cold Blood]

Do we have a head count for all of Sony first party studios?

 

[Heisenberg007]

Normally I would say no to such things, because I don't like the idea of established communities being left behind, but at this point playing with the gloves on will just not do them any good. Your competitor isn't pulling punches and the longer you wait, the tighter your options will be. Sony knows their position better than anyone, but to outside observers like us, they need to get moving.

Same. Acquisitions of established companies don’t benefit gamers like us, so I’m not normally in favor of them.

But Sony needs to buy devs and pubs now as Microsoft keeps gobbling them. It’s more of a defensive thing for Sony now, too ensure multiplatform games continue releasing on PlayStation.

Before 2018, and especially 2020/Zenimax, no one felt the need to indulge in these acquisition wars.

But now it’s necessary.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Do we have a head count for all of Sony first party studios?

20th this one.

 

[Varteras]

Do we have a head count for all of Sony first party studios?

Including Bungie (independent), Savage (mobile), Nixxes (porting), Valkyrie (support with possible internal projects), and XDev (third-party publishing)... they're on 22.

This does not include San Mateo, Malaysia, and Visual Arts. The latter of which is believed to have an internal team working on an Uncharted game.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Including Bungie (independent), Savage (mobile), Nixxes (porting), Valkyrie (support with possible internal projects), and XDev (third-party publishing)... they're on 22.

This does not include San Mateo, Malaysia, and Visual Arts. The latter of which is believed to have an internal team working on an Uncharted game.

Valkyrie has 1 full project IIRC.

 

[BreakOut]

So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.

Yeah, now Xbox players won’t have access to all those historically multi-platform Firewalk games.

This is sure to change the entire industry.

Spoiler

Sony funding a new studios existence. Literally the definition of a homegrown studio.

 

[Varteras]

Same. Acquisitions of established companies don’t benefit gamers like us, so I’m not normally in favor of them.

But Sony needs to buy devs and pubs now as Microsoft keeps gobbling them. It’s more of a defensive thing for Sony now, too ensure multiplatform games continue releasing on PlayStation.

Before 2018, and especially 2020/Zenimax, no one felt the need to indulge in these acquisition wars.

But now it’s necessary.

For sure. If Microsoft would have only bought Zenimax and then just continued buying smaller studios here and there, yeah. There would be no reason for Sony to go hard. The moment the ABK deal happened, all bets were off. Sony will go over their acquisition budget this year if the opportunity arises and I won't be surprised if their next multi-year investment plan is even larger than the $18 billion their current one started at. I also see them placing a heavy emphasis on using that money for PlayStation.

Valkyrie has 1 full project IIRC.

It's supposedly a strategy game, right?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Yeah, now Xbox players won’t have access to all those historically multi-platform Firewalk games.

This is sure to change the entire industry.

Spoiler

Sony funding a new studios existence. Literally the definition of a homegrown studio.

Yep this is the most damaging acquisition the world has ever seen after Psygnosis