How should Sony respond to the ABK acquisition, now that it is imminent?

[Systemshock2023]

Thing is MS/Xbox isnt buying just an indiviual game. They are buying libraries of huge IP’s and will keep doing so.




They will. Plus they will put there games on gamepass

How come they didn't take one of the biggest games of the planet, Minecraft, from Sony? There are certain games that are bigger than platforms. Taking them away would be an asnine decision. Look at it this way:

Alternative A - COD and other big games remain on PS and Nintendo where available

MS basically does nothing, keeps business as usual and they get: 70% of revenue from base game and MTX/DLC across platforms with a combined install base of 200M or more.

Alternative B - MS makes COD/Diablo and others Xbox console exclusive.

MS has to find a way to make at the very least more than 100M of those console gamers to get in their ecosystem to start recouping all that COD revenue. That will take YEARS even more than a decade and a significant marketing effort. The opportunity cost is massive.

And in both alternatives MS can put COD on gamepass, so its kind of a moot point.

 

[anonpuffs]

i never understand why folks dont want sony to invest in live service.
COD is live service, SIE made $1.8 billion on it alone last year. Live services needs to be a focus for SIE going forward. If they get a 1st party live service game that catches on they will be better off, that includes us and the devs that make single player games in-house for sony.
Where do you think some of that live service rev will go?

Because live services are prone to fail. Live services monopolize not just your money but your time, so only one can succeed. It's why every FotM gaas game dies within 2-3 months and everyone goes back to playing fortnite. It's why there has never been a large number of successful MMOs - WoW ate the entire market. Even FF14 didn't explode in popularity until WoW declined.

 

[Systemshock2023]

i never understand why folks dont want sony to invest in live service.
COD is live service, SIE made $1.8 billion on it alone last year. Live services needs to be a focus for SIE going forward. If they get a 1st party live service game that catches on they will be better off, that includes us and the devs that make single player games in-house for sony.
Where do you think some of that live service rev will go?

Into more live service content. Or else GaaS customers will complain that the game is empty or dead. Those games are a hamster wheel and way too risky. If one fails its a massive blow.

 

[Nhomnhom]

-Buy Capcom, FromSoftware, SE. If MS buys something like Sega target their top studios and steal their talent, make game that compete directly with theirs.

-Make sure the next GTA releases on PlayStation.

-Come back to reality regarding the pivot to GaaS and all the gratuitous PC and Xbox support with close to no return.

Do that and PlaySation will do well even if MS buy all other third party publishers. Learn from Nintendo.

 

[Kokoloko]

How come they didn't take one of the biggest games of the planet, Minecraft, from Sony? There are certain games that are bigger than platforms. Taking them away would be an asnine decision. Look at it this way:

Minecraft is a different monster, different times. Its on basically all platforms and even ipads.
I think they will treat there relationship going forward like they have with Bethesda games

 

[Kokoloko]

Buy Capcom, SE, FromSoftware.

Make sure the next GTA releases on PlayStation.

Secure those and PlaySation will do well even if MS buy all other third party publishers.

Its not gonna be great if MS buys Publishers and Ips like CDPR, Mortal Kombat, DC games, Sega and they will probably buy a Ubisoft or EA in a few years. Even if Im not a fan of certain games, the mindshare will be important. And alot of those games I dont wanna see not be on PS.

All Sony can do is like you said, make sure games like GTA will be on PS and not lose them. Maybe invest in small shares so they don’t lose publishers.

Capcom won’t sell supposedly and want to keep it in the family. And Square isnt enough anymore. FromSoft would be smart though, mindshare wise especially

 

[Bryank75]

I just want to say to everyone here, thank you so much for being part of the community and we love you all!

Now to my opinion. Which I'm sure many will disagree.

But from my perspective of power-dynamics in the console space....I think they should buy Ubisoft outright and restructure them slightly to make them more efficient and of course TakeTwo with either a 51% or greater stake or an outright purchase.

Why? Ubisoft and TakeTwo are the two biggest publishers outside EA and EA already has their content on Gamepass, meaning its needless for Xbox.

Ubisoft has a vast vault of NON-licensed IP's, meaning they can become fully exclusive at will, Sony would own the IP's for film, music and anime etc. They are also incredibly important to Xbox due to annual releases and can be used to bargain or deny Xbox customers.

TakeTwo has important sports franchises, specifically important to the USA, which would counter the importance of COD, if MSFT does anything to COD on PlayStation to negatively effect it, Sony can release lesser versions of their games on Xbox.

GTA and RDR along with other R* games are important chess-pieces, like bishops or knights. One GTA release in a generation can counter many releases of COD.

It's worth the investment if they are serious about remaining top dog in gaming.

I would also say to go for From / Kadokawa, as they are extremely important in how gaming is evolving.

 

[Kokoloko]

i never understand why folks dont want sony to invest in live service.
COD is live service, SIE made $1.8 billion on it alone last year. Live services needs to be a focus for SIE going forward. If they get a 1st party live service game that catches on they will be better off, that includes us and the devs that make single player games in-house for sony.
Where do you think some of that live service rev will go?

They basically need 1 hit Gaas hit and it will fund most there projects lol.

I don’t expect Sony to look at Fortnite, Apex, and Games like Genshin and say, we dont want that kind of money

 

[Papacheeks]

As the thread title says; what should Sony do now that the acquisition is more or less inevitable?

Keep making great games and concentrate on continuing helping grow developers. I think Sony needs to get back to that on a smaller scale. Start making more out of the box titles that are not based on trends.

 

[anonpuffs]

I just want to say to everyone here, thank you so much for being part of the community and we love you all!

Now to my opinion. Which I'm sure many will disagree.

But from my perspective of power-dynamics in the console space....I think they should buy Ubisoft outright and restructure them slightly to make them more efficient and of course TakeTwo with either a 51% or greater stake or an outright purchase.

Why? Ubisoft and TakeTwo are the two biggest publishers outside EA and EA already has their content on Gamepass, meaning its needless for Xbox.

Ubisoft has a vast vault of NON-licensed IP's, meaning they can become fully exclusive at will, Sony would own the IP's for film, music and anime etc. They are also incredibly important to Xbox due to annual releases and can be used to bargain or deny Xbox customers.

TakeTwo has important sports franchises, specifically important to the USA, which would counter the importance of COD, if MSFT does anything to COD on PlayStation to negatively effect it, Sony can release lesser versions of their games on Xbox.

GTA and RDR along with other R* games are important chess-pieces, like bishops or knights. One GTA release in a generation can counter many releases of COD.

It's worth the investment if they are serious about remaining top dog in gaming.

I would also say to go for From / Kadokawa, as they are extremely important in how gaming is evolving.

Taketwo and EA are important for their sports game licenses. I think it's a losing proposition to acquire them but I don't know if Sony can risk losing out on them.

 

[Kokoloko]

I just want to say to everyone here, thank you so much for being part of the community and we love you all!

Now to my opinion. Which I'm sure many will disagree.

But from my perspective of power-dynamics in the console space....I think they should buy Ubisoft outright and restructure them slightly to make them more efficient and of course TakeTwo with either a 51% or greater stake or an outright purchase.

Why? Ubisoft and TakeTwo are the two biggest publishers outside EA and EA already has their content on Gamepass, meaning its needless for Xbox.

Ubisoft has a vast vault of NON-licensed IP's, meaning they can become fully exclusive at will, Sony would own the IP's for film, music and anime etc. They are also incredibly important to Xbox due to annual releases and can be used to bargain or deny Xbox customers.

TakeTwo has important sports franchises, specifically important to the USA, which would counter the importance of COD, if MSFT does anything to COD on PlayStation to negatively effect it, Sony can release lesser versions of their games on Xbox.

GTA and RDR along with other R* games are important chess-pieces, like bishops or knights. One GTA release in a generation can counter many releases of COD.

It's worth the investment if they are serious about remaining top dog in gaming.

I would also say to go for From / Kadokawa, as they are extremely important in how gaming is evolving.

Agree with alot but I don’t see how they can afford a big investment in Taketwo. Smart if they could.

Would be great for them to invest in them or multiple publishers so they dont lose that ip in the future. Might be a good idea to spread it through multiple publishers instead of outright buying 1 or 2 publishers etc.

MS will be coming to buy more. So Sony’s best way to protect IPs from being bought might be investing enough in many publishers to not lose them.

FromSoft would be an obvious one.
Ubisoft Im personally not a fan of though. I did like Assassins Creed. Bur rather not lose other ips. Because it will happen with MS buying more, its just the start now they know courts arent an issue

 

[Kokoloko]

Keep making great games and concentrate on continuing helping grow developers. I think Sony needs to get back to that on a smaller scale. Start making more out of the box titles that are not based on trends.

 

[Remember_Spinal]

Listen to idiotic sony fans and kill their GAAS initiative while microsoft continues to buy their main 3rd party revenue drivers

 

[Kokoloko]

Listen to idiotic sony fans and kill their GAAS initiative while microsoft continues to buy their main 3rd party revenue drivers

I personally don’t play online much but its smart of Sony go go after that Gaas money.
They only need 1-2 to succeed to bascailly make more money than there other games put together.

I also don’t think because they are making some Gaas games means they will lose there Single player games

 

[Yobo]

The studios I think they should buy hasn't changed

From Software
Larian
Square Enix
CD Projekt
Kojima

Not all but a mix from that lot

RPGs are their biggest genre weakness. Kojima is a legend they need on payroll

FPS is basically sorted with Bungie and their other GAAS will be TPS or FPS. COD likely isn't going anywhere and IPs like Doom and Wolfenstein are niche

Take2 would be the big strategic play closer to a merger in scale. Spread out to multiplat sports publishing and protect the Rockstar IPs from going to Microsoft

Capcom has had a good couple years but not my choice. They've just about tapped the well dry on milking REmakes, Street Fighter is out and not doing huge numbers. Monster Hunter would be the big fish there I guess but doesn't interest me

 

[anonpuffs]

The studios I think they should buy hasn't changed

From Software
Larian
Square Enix
CD Projekt
Kojima

Not all but a mix from that lot

RPGs are their biggest genre weakness. Kojima is a legend they need on payroll

FPS is basically sorted with Bungie and their other GAAS will be TPS or FPS. COD likely isn't going anywhere and IPs like Doom and Wolfenstein are niche

Take2 would be the big strategic play closer to a merger in scale. Spread out to multiplat sports publishing and protect the Rockstar IPs from going to Microsoft

Kojima is old, and he wouldn't want to work under sony anyway.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Acquire Firehike Studio, Firetalk Studio, Firestrike Studio and Firehawk Studio.

Sleepy you been asking for that ban bro....

 

[Yobo]

Kojima is old, and he wouldn't want to work under sony anyway.

He's already working under Sony, what do you think a publisher relationship is?

 

[Ludwig]

Sleepy you been asking for that ban bro....

Gotta admit.It is funny though.

 

[Systemshock2023]

I don't see the point in acquiring japanese publishers. Those already sign timed or full exclusivity deals with Sony Plus they wont want to stop making games for Nintendo. And with the Switch 2, a lot of those 8th gen back catalog games would be easily ported to the Switch, plus downgraded 9th gen games.
Kojima can still work as gun for hire.

Larian/CDPR? Those are PC first and I don't think PS fans are drooling for some CRPGS in case of Larian. Rockstar/EA? Can Sony even afford that? Rockstar also releases one game per generation. Too risky.

I think Sony made all the acquisitions that made sense for them long ago. Gaikai was huge but didn't pay off. Insommiac worked wonders. Bluepoint was sort of a given. They needed Bungie for the GaaS expertise and Nixxes for PC ports and back catalog remasters. Anything else would look desperate.