Sony's future and possible studio/publisher acquisitions
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peter42O
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I'm sure if Sony acquired ABK, no problem right? No one is stopping Sony from buying a major third party publisher. It's not Microsoft's fault that they don't. Everyone asked last generation for Microsoft to get more studios and do better. They are and yet, people still cry.
Studios and publishers are on a different level but it literally doesn't fucking matter. If you're selling and you get acquired, that's it. There's nothing else to it.
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peter42O
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True but it's also factual. If Sony acquires Square Enix, more power to them but I don't see the point. Capcom would be a far better acquisition in my opinion but that's just me.
First of all, I'm not asking Sony to buy publishers, and if they did, it would be a dick move for sure.
Studios that you have a history with are not only on a different scale from third party publishers, the ramifications are much worse for consumers in the latter.
I'm more concerned about what's fair than what investors want.
Timed exclusive deals are bad, but at least people on other platforms still get the content later. Buyouts like Bethesda and ABK should not be allowed, period.
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Even if Sony just flat out bribed them to make it exclusive how is that any different than titan fall 1, Tomb raider, gta 4 dlc, and the slew of gamepass fodder like life is strange, scorn, and at the time the medium? Sony just gets better games but they both pay for exclusives. It’s such a false equivalence and they know it.
Amazing that one or two are still pedalling the bullshit that Sony buying mainly small-to-medium sized developers they have worked with previously is comparable to MS blowing tens of billions of dollars earned from outside it's gaming division, because they're incapable of nurturing and managing studios to put anything out other than Forza, Halo, Gears, and Sea of Thieves.
And Halo is dead lol.
And Halo is dead lol.
Platforms have always have 3rd party exclusives.
Remember Bioshock and Mass Effect? Rise of the Tomb Raider, Ryse. Have you seen Titanfall?
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peter42O
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Fair enough. I have no problem with acquisitions whatsoever regardless of who's doing the buying. Only reason I have Microsoft #1 (and Sony #2) is because of Game Pass. If I can get more games that I want to play and don't have to buy them, im all for it.
In general, im for consolidation. First, there's way too many publishers and studios to begin with and so many startup on a monthly basis. Second, the smaller ones get lost in the shuffle the vast majority of the time. Third, there's a decent amount like Embracer Group or Focus that are mainly AA but could become elevated due to ABK and Bethesda no longer existing as a third party publisher which wouldn't happen beforehand due to the fact that for a publisher to elevate to AAA, there usually needs to be a space available and with both ABK and Bethesda being gone, that space is now available for the taking. Fourth, for Microsoft, these acquisitions will make them far more competitive to where they will eventually gain market share and put pressure on Sony where as they haven't had any pressure for a long time. Fifth, I want to see what Sony does if they do lose market share to compete.
So many people simply want this generation to be a repeat of last generation and I simply don't.
Ramifications being much worse for consumers all remains to be seen. There's no factual proof of any of that thus far and honestly, I don't believe that there will be and even if there is, who knows how long from now that would be. As for buying out Bethesda and ABK, if it wasn't Microsoft who acquired them, it would have been someone else and that someone could be a billion times worse so at least for me, I prefer Microsoft over all these other companies because as an Xbox fan and gamer, it's simply better for me. Google (Bethesda) or Facebook (ABK) would not have been better for me as an Xbox or PlayStation fan for that matter so yeah, I am very happy with Microsoft acquiring both publishers.
How do you square the two bolded statements?
Please tell me you've at least tried to think this through. And we HAVE seen "factual proof" of how the race to the bottom harms software. Look at the mobile industry. Look at what is currently going on with Indie games. Look at what bigger offerings say about putting AAA single player games on Game Pass.
Come on now.
Absolute lies. People did NOT say "get more studios and do better."
They said DO BETTER. Buying up massive 3rd parties that published on all platforms (I have Skyrim on Switch as well!) and engaging in reductive behavior for the industry is doing harm.
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peter42O
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I don't care about mobile gaming and outside of those games being heavily based on micro-transactions, I don't know anything in this regard because since I don't care about any of it, I don't follow or pay attention to any of it.
Has nothing to do with thinking this through. It simply comes down to, do you prefer to pay $70 for games (good or bad, look at Saints Row for $60 as an example, im happy I passed on that game) or would you rather pay $10 for a monthly rental? Think of it like GameFly. It also comes down to people not accepting change. Look at 2013. Microsoft wanted always online and tried to kill off used games by wanting an always digital format. But look at gaming now 9 years later. What they wanted to do is exactly what it is now. Just people weren't ready for it including myself who went with PS4. But it's not 9 years ago. It's not 2013. It's 2022. Microsoft lost last generation badly and could not afford to do the exact same thing because it simply wasn't going to work so they went in a different direction - a subscription and considering the money that Microsoft makes as a company, they can afford to absorb losses if there are any. Microsoft is trying to change how playing games is consumed. They still give you the option to buy the games if you so choose but they're not restricting, limiting or forcing people down any one path. You have physical discs, digital, PC (via the Windows Store and Steam), a subscription in Game Pass (on Xbox and PC) as well as cloud streaming which will soon include an App on capable smart TV's. So overall, that's basically eight options in how the consumer/gamer can consume their games and content.
It's not like 2013 where Microsoft was trying to force the issue and take away options. This time around, they're giving the consumer/gamer more options to get invested into the platform and eco-system. I accepted change years ago and realized that it's not just about the old school model of a plastic box and putting a disc into it. As long as all those other options are still available to those who want them, then im perfectly fine with their direction.
If it turns to shit in a decade or two from now, so be it. Microsoft is going to do what the believe to be best for their platform and eco-system, not Sony's or anyone else's. As of right now, I got Gears Tactics which I never would have bought by the way which was a great 8.0/10 game for me. Halo Infinite was a 9.5/10 and my 2021 game of the year. I know majority bash this game, fine whatever. It was the first Halo game I ever played and I only cared about the campaign. MP/co-op is of no interest to me. I'm getting A Plague Tale Requiem in October. Innocence was an 8.5/10 for me and im expecting Requiem to be an easy 9.0/10 for me personally. Spending $10 or $60 isn't going to change the game since the game and what it was going to be was done long before Focus Entertainment accepted a day one Game Pass deal.
In 2023, I have Stalker 2 and Flintlock. I'm expecting both games to be at least an 8.0/10 minimum for me and I want to play High on Life later this year so quality wise, im honestly not seeing any issues whatsoever. In my mind, I believe it to be more that mainly PlayStation gamers are simply unwilling to accept potential change especially if it affects Sony in a negative way and just don't want to give anything else a fair chance because it's simply not what they're used to and refuse to adapt. Since the launch of the Xbox Series X and S, Microsoft has published 8 games for an average of 85.7 on Open Critic. 7 of the 8 are on Game Pass. The only one that isn't is Ghostwire Tokyo since it's a one year timed console exclusive for PlayStation 5. Compared to what I was getting last generation, im getting better quality thus far this generation.
As for third party publishers not wanting to put their games on Game Pass day one, it depends on the game. Square Enix for example screwed over Crystal Dynamics and The Avengers which in turn led to Guardians of the Galaxy bombing sales wise and that's a great game. It did get a bump six months later when it was added to Game Pass. If this game was on it day one, they would have had more sales because people would have played it for themselves and seen that it wasn't a repeat of The Avengers a year earlier. Every game is different. Most publishers just don't want to be seen as "bad" due to accepting a Game Pass deal and this is because of so many people bashing it but yet don't even try it or look into it. These people just bash Game Pass because they just don't want anything to change but that's not reality. Everything changes with time. Nothing stays the same forever.
All three hardware manufacturers are doing different things which is great because I don't want all three to do the same because quite honesty, that's boring and stale. The main difference between me and most here is that im not loyal to any company nor do I care about the money they make or lose. That's not my problem or concern. All I care about is getting great (8+ for me) games and thus far, Microsoft has delivered for me in this regard. As of right now, I have zero complaints and perhaps, that's because I accepted Microsoft's direction because even if I didn't, it wouldn't matter because they would still be going in the same direction that they are so instead of fighting a battle I would never win, I decided to adapt and use their direction to my benefit which I have done.
As for seeing their direction harm the industry or this or that. Xbox is the most successful they've ever been and they're the most popular they've been since the first two thirds of the Xbox 360 generation when they were on fire. If anything, I think it's people who simply don't like the direction, aren't used to it, don't want to adapt or change and prefer to be negative and pessimistic towards it because of their own personal preferences where as im more positive and optimistic because thus far, their direction has already delivered for me and im very confident that it will do so for the rest of this generation.
People did say get more studios and do better because with only 5 studios at the time how could they possibly do better without more studios? And I know this for a fact because I was one of the people saying it repeatedly on NeoGAF and later on Resetera. So yeah, it is actually true. Microsoft is finally doing what I have been constantly and consistently asking them to do.
Did I ask for Microsoft to get more studios? Hell yeah. Did I ask for Microsoft to acquire publishers? No because never thought it could or would happen but am I upset or angry or going to complain about any of it? Hell no because it's even better for me because Microsoft is going beyond what I was ever hoping they would do.
You say it's doing harm but how and to who? Gaming industry IS the most active, popular and making more revenue than ever before so where's the harm? Nearly every company is breaking records almost every quarter so again, where's the harm because I don't see it and all the numbers by Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and others back it up. Perhaps it's harming you personally because you won't be able to play everything on PlayStation but at the same time, you have like 8 other options and if you choose not to exercise any of those other options, then that's on you. Not Microsoft, not me or anyone else. It seems like this isn't about gaming or the industry, it's simply about keeping everything the same, keeping the status quo the same and that's just not what it is anymore.
Well, these are facts:
- Sony didn't buy big publishers and instead bought smaller companies/studios that most of them did work with them during many years, mainly on exclusives and using part of the money made by their gaming division.
- MS spent dozens of Billions acquiring big publishers (plus smaller studios) with money earned in other divisions.
- They are not the only ones buying: Tencent, Embracer, Netease, Take 2, EA also did important acquisition in recent years meaning that the gaming market is in a consolidation period. So Sony and MS acquisitions are comparable considering their acquisitions are part of the consolidation, even if their acquisitions strategy is very different (Sony buys talent creating top new IP and support/secondary teams to have more manpower and keep their main teams focused on console while new teams port to PC, make mobile adaptations, remakes etc., while MS focuses on acquiring popular IPs and brands).
- Phil Spencer admitted they bought these companies and IPs to don't depend on their few main ones like Halo, Forza and Gears.
- Halo Infinite didn't rank high in the sales rankings as Halo did in the past. In the case of Steam the MP part didn't perform very well when compared to other F2Ps and same goes with the paid campaign regarding paid shooters. Leading to think Halo Infinite didn't perform as well as Halo did in the past, following the trend of 343's Halo games. But we should understand that partly it's because most MS fans instead of buying it on Steam or in retail they rented it on GP. In any case MS doesn't seem to be happy with its performance and development considering all the delays, speed of the post launch content and recent multiple changes in 343 leadership.
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peter42O
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It's not bullshit. I simply believe that because Sony isn't at Microsoft's level money wise that PlayStation fans see it as unfair. I don't. Sony has been around for just under 30 years longer than Microsoft. Why aren't they a trillion dollar company after all these decades? Them being "only" a billion dollar company isn't Microsoft's fault. People here always say that Microsoft should do better with their games and studios but never seem to mention that maybe if Sony did better and was a trillion dollar company that they could acquire top tier main event shit. Instead, they have to settle for the leftovers and scraps.
None of that is Microsoft's fault. Not to mention the fact that at this point in time, keeping money in a bank isn't worth much if anything so Microsoft is far better off acquiring studios and/or publishers with that money as that's a better long term investment than doing nothing.
Microsoft made one big timed console exclusive last generation for Rise of the Tomb Raider and all anyone did was bitch, moan and groan like little fucking babies constantly asking Microsoft and Square Enix when the game was coming to PlayStation 4. It's been almost 2 1/2 years since Final Fantasy VII Remake was released and I haven't seen a single journalist (lol) or gaming media person ask Sony or Square Enix about this because there's always been a double standard so instead of dealing with this mickey mouse junior high school bullshit, Microsoft did what quite honestly they should have started back in 2001 which was acquire studios and publishers. And yet, regardless of what Microsoft does, everyone fucking cries including and especially Sony.
It's not fair. Boohoo!!! Sony and PlayStation fans simply wanted a repeat of last generation which is a fucking fact and now that Microsoft said fuck that, we're using our war chest, these same fans simply can't handle or accept it. Oh well. It is what it is. Best of all, Microsoft isn't even close to being done with acquisitions and I for one, look forward to them because it's better for me and quite honestly, Sony needs to be taken out of their comfort zone and major acquisitions and in turn more exclusives for the Xbox eco-system is the only thing that will accomplish that.
Best of all is that MS is still in third place.
Funniest of all is that MS fanboys think MS operates as some kind of charity. How long do your seriously expect to be paying £7.99 a month to play all MS's first-party games if it completes the Activision buyout, and goes on to make others?
The whole point of a subscription service is that you end up paying more across a year than you would otherwise. And last time I checked the amount of time people have for gaming people is finite. The naivety of MS consolidation / GamePass fanatics is astounding lol.
You just summed up exactly why everyone here and other warrior communities are upset about these buyouts. It’s because they want Sony to always be #1, always be buying up tons of content and games, and can’t stand anything that impedes that.
Possible outcomes for this console generation:
1) repeat of last gen, ps sells way more, its games are way more popular
2) xbox produces high quality games with their existing IP, gains market share
3) xbox produces new IP legendary games, gains market share substantially
4) microsoft uses their profits from their other businesses and finances a takeover of the gaming industry by buying out the largest third party publishers
Anybody who claims they just don't want last gen to repeat itself - especially people who claim to only want games wherever they are - but then out of the above outcomes would prefer number 4 is very dishonest, to say the least.
1) repeat of last gen, ps sells way more, its games are way more popular
2) xbox produces high quality games with their existing IP, gains market share
3) xbox produces new IP legendary games, gains market share substantially
4) microsoft uses their profits from their other businesses and finances a takeover of the gaming industry by buying out the largest third party publishers
Anybody who claims they just don't want last gen to repeat itself - especially people who claim to only want games wherever they are - but then out of the above outcomes would prefer number 4 is very dishonest, to say the least.
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peter42O
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Agreed. Even after ABK goes through, they'll still be in 3rd place which is great for me because when you're last, you have more leeway which works out perfectly for me.
I actually agree with this to an extent. Personally, I don't stay subscribed to any subscription service (games, movies, tv series, etc.). For Game Pass, I sign up for a month like I will do in January for a Plague Tale Requiem (and if I have time, High on Life) and then cancel the subscription once I complete the main game im signing up for in the first place. Even if I was to stay subscribed for an entire year, it would cost me $120 for the base service. If I was to buy Redfall and Starfield, the cost would be the same. Even if I did Ultimate which I wouldn't as it offers nothing extra for me, the cost would be $180 for the year which for 2023, would still even out when I take Stalker 2 into account. Add in Lies of P and Flintlock and I actually come out ahead. It all comes down to how people use the subscription service and how many games they're interested in playing. As for a price hike, even if the base was to go to $15 a month, it would still be far cheaper for me than buying the game and trading it in as im not a collector.
Exactly.
The only problem is that #2 and #3 would take too long for Microsoft to accomplish which in my mind is exactly what PlayStation fans would want them to do because it allows Sony and PlayStation to dominate. Only problem is that Microsoft isn't going along with those ideas. It's also far easier and quicker to acquire studios and publishers due to the fact that they're already established and well known as opposed to trying to build up everything from the ground. Sony took years if not decades to establishe their core studios (Santa Monica, Polyphony and Japan Studio/Team Asobi) and the rest were basically acquired and built up since then.
I want games first and foremost on my Series X because it's my primary gaming console (same as what PS4 was for me last generation) but if games I want to play are on PlayStation 5 (timed or fully exclusive), I will play them there. Main reason I heavily favor Microsoft and Xbox Series X is because why spend more money on games if I don't have to? Especially since I trade them in once I complete them anyway.