Sony's future and possible studio/publisher acquisitions
- Thread starter Eternal_Wings
- Start date
Wouldn’t be surprised if sony holds off on buying a lot of these smaller studios and just offers them long term game contracts.
Although thats pretty dangerous waters to tread with tencent and embracer loomingg
Although thats pretty dangerous waters to tread with tencent and embracer loomingg
Neither of those is anywhere near as dangerous or harmful to the industry as MS.
All Sony needs to do is continue to invest billions in their talent and studios making new IP's. We cant play COD and Diablo forever. The next big game is 9 times out of 10 a new ip.
Yeah, im just saying a studio like ember lab will easily get snatched up by one of them relatively soon. They are cheap and very talented, the ideal acquisition target for embracer especially
I think that's what will happen eventually.
Sony is making the noise because it puts them in a win-win situation. Now, only two scenarios are possible: (1) the regulators listen to Sony and blocks the deal, or (2) they decide that the biggest acquisition ever doesn't negatively affect competitors and allow this deal.
It's a victory for Sony if they block the deal. If they allow it, Sony can buy a big publisher and regulators won't have any reason to block that acquisition then.
Sony wins in both scenarios. But it's important to make the noise now in order to reap rewards later.
The best outcome is for the acquisition not to go through and for sony not to buy any publishers, IMO.
So sony should just roll over and take it, and then not do anything to boot?
OP
OP
Everyone should really understand that the Activision Blizzard King Deal will be approved. There is no doubt it will. Sony will need to stand up and do strategically purchase of which the entire Sony Corporation will benefit. Like securing their key-partners in Japan. I am pretty sure Sony, is just waiting gor the further outcome of the entire ABK drama.
My latest iteration of who they should buy if ABK goes through...
Square Enix full buyout, CDPR full buyout - based on cross-media potential, charts staying power and FFXIV being a massive live service game.
Capcom - partial large investment (Sony and Nintendo buy large % to protect Capcom from external threats)
Konami - IP buyout full / partial - MGS, Castlevania, Silent Hill (Cross media potential, nostalgia etc)
Deviation if their new game slaps.
Square Enix full buyout, CDPR full buyout - based on cross-media potential, charts staying power and FFXIV being a massive live service game.
Capcom - partial large investment (Sony and Nintendo buy large % to protect Capcom from external threats)
Konami - IP buyout full / partial - MGS, Castlevania, Silent Hill (Cross media potential, nostalgia etc)
Deviation if their new game slaps.
Embracers future is dubious.... a few more Saints Row's and they might just collapse.
There's a huge deficit of managerial / production competence in the industry atm.
Would not be surprised if Deviation has already agreed to being acquired. Would be bad to announce it now though. Would 100% be used against Sony when it comes to the ABK deal since there are so many ex-Treyarch peeps there.. SquareEnix is a no brainer. CDPR I'm not so sure. I can see Sony investing in Rebel Wolves though. Investing heavily into Capcom would be smart too. They simply cannot afford to let Resident Evil and Street Fighter get away.
As for Konami, I don't think they are willing to sell their IP. They would need to be bought outright........I don't think Sony wants to do that. The original developers of their big IP are no longer at the company.
I agree. However isnt CDPR partially owned by the Polish government? Maybe they simply cannot be bought because of that? Otherwise I agree 100 percent with what your saying. Maybe theyre just waiting for all this activision shenanigan's to be solved first?
Stole this from the other place from user Desodeset. Pretty good reference.
Part I of potential M&A targets (Publishers) for SIE .
Part II of potential M&A targets (Studios) for SIE .
Part I of potential M&A targets (Publishers) for SIE .
| Publishers | Value | Price | Staff | Properties | Regions | Benefits | Negatives | Chance | |||
| CD Projekt RED | 2.35B USD | 3B+ USD | 1000 | Cyberpunk | Eastern Europe | Premium releases | Known crunch problems | Possible | |||
| The Witcher (video game rights, board games, visual novels and merchandise rights) | WRPG experience | GoG as a DRM Free Store | |||||||||
| Project Hadar | Multimedia success | Cultural problems? (Poland is known as anti-liberal state) | |||||||||
| Huge potential for GaaS Spin-Offs | |||||||||||
| Pearl Abyss | 2.00B USD | 3B+ USD | 1000 | Black Desert Online, Crimson Desert | South Korea | Geographical diversity | Could be blasted by North Korean nuclear bomb. | Possible | |||
| DokeV | MMO Experience | ||||||||||
| Plan8 | Multiple Upcoming GaaS Titles | ||||||||||
| EVE Online | |||||||||||
| CAPCOM | 5.58B USD | 7B+ USD | 3000 | Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Dragon's Dogma, Pragmata | Japan | Premium Releases | Not aware of any | Very likely | |||
| Monster Hunter, Exoprimal | Appealing for both West and Japan | ||||||||||
| Street Fighter | Street Fighter-EVO Synergy | ||||||||||
| Different Types of AAA Games (Horror, Action, RPG) | |||||||||||
| Large legacy beneficial for PS+ Premium | |||||||||||
| Square-Enix | 5.43B USD | 7B+ USD | 4000-4500 | Final Fantasy | Japan | Most popular AAA JRPGs | Many AA titles that don't fit SIE strategy | Very likely | |||
| Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, Nier, Forspoken | The biggest MMO currently | Not the best management | |||||||||
| Tons of smaller IPs and JRPGs | Big potential on Mobile | Subsidiaries that are hard to intergrade (Taito, Gangan Comics). Could be beneficial for Sony Group. | |||||||||
| Large legacy beneficial for PS+ Premium | |||||||||||
| Warner Bros Games | 2-4B USD | 2-4B USD | 2000 | Lego License | US/UK/CAN | Premium Releases | Licensing issues | Unlikely | |||
| Mortal Kombat | Mortal Kombat-EVO Synergy | Majority of titles are WB Discovery IPs | |||||||||
| Potential DC/Warner Bros Pictures Licenses | E-Rated Games | Not on sale currently? | |||||||||
| Superhero AAA Games | |||||||||||
| Hi-Rez Studios | 1.5B | 1.5B | 500+ | Smite | US | GaaS experience | Not aware of any | Possible | |||
| Paladins | Multiple projects | ||||||||||
| Rogue Company | Easier to integrate | ||||||||||
| Established console presence | |||||||||||
| Ubisoft | 3.58B | 5B | 20000 | Assassin's Creed | EU | AAA Experience | Huge workforce | Very unlikely | |||
| Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, The Division | Established franchises | Bad management and culture | |||||||||
| Far Cry, Watch Dogs, BG&E | Large catalog beneficial for PS+ Extra and Premium | Lack of originality | |||||||||
| Just Dance, Rayman, Anno | Worldwide presence | Under control by Tencent | |||||||||
| Embracer Group | 6.47B | 9B+ | 15000 | Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Legacy of Kain, Thief | EU | Huge variety of IPs |
| Unlikely | |||
| Lord of the Rings, Hellboy | Beneficial for PS+ | Unproved in AAA development | |||||||||
| Borderlands, Metro 2033, Dead Island, Saints Row | Presence in games/multimedia/comics | A lot of smaller devs/IPs | |||||||||
| Tons of smaller/midsized IPs (mainly from Europe) |
| Risky business | |||||||||
| Sega Sammy | 3B | 4-5B | 7500 | Yakuza, Persona | Japan | Arms in Japan and the West | A lot of non-gaming activities | Unlikely | |||
| Sonic | Variety of genres | Most of the franchises are not blockbusters. | |||||||||
| Fantasy Star, Virtua Fighter | Large legacy beneficial for PS+ Premium | Many PC oriented devs | |||||||||
| Total War, Company of Heroes, Football Manager | Multimedia presence |
Part II of potential M&A targets (Studios) for SIE .
| Studios | Value | Price | Staff | Properties | Regions | Benefits | Negatives |
| Kojima Productions | 100-200M | 100-200M | 150 | Not any | Japan | Extremely Effective Team | Build around one person |
| Prestige Developer | Too weird for mass audience | ||||||
| Interests in transmedia projects | |||||||
| High tech level | |||||||
| Arc System Works | 100-200M | 100-200M | 150 | Guilty Gear, BazBlue | Japan | Effective team | "Too anime for PlayStation" |
| Specialized in fighting games | |||||||
| Synergy with EVO | |||||||
| From Software | 860M | 900M+ | 350 | Sekiro, Tenchu, Armored Core, King's Field, Elden Ring (may be partially?) | Japan | Specialized in RPG Games | Not any |
| Unique style | |||||||
| Prestige Developer | |||||||
| Effective team | |||||||
| Blockbuster Developer | |||||||
| Unseen | 0-50 | 0-50 | 20 - 50 | Not any | Japan | Low cost | Start Up Company |
| Can produce original and interesting titles | Too weird for mass audience | ||||||
| High Risk | |||||||
| JP Games | 50-100M | 50-100M | 20 - 50 | Not any | Japan | Low cost | Start Up Company |
| Can produce AAA JRPGs | Previous Tabata's failures | ||||||
| Prestige Developer | High Risk | ||||||
| Arrowhead Games | 50-100M | 50-100M | 100 | Not any | Sweden | Specialized in Co-Op Games | Not proven in AAA Games |
| Established relationship with SIE | |||||||
| Remedy Games | 235M | 300M+ | 300 | Alan Wake, Control (?) | Finland | Proven in AAA Games | Latest titles are not best sellers |
| Good Storytellers | A partnership with Tencent (3.8%) for project Vanguard | ||||||
| Potential in GaaS | Publishing deals with Epic and 505 | ||||||
| People Can Fly | 250M | 300-400M | 500 | Painkiller, Bulletstorm, New IP | Poland | Potential in GaaS | Have a little success in latest titles |
| Multiple projects | Deals with other publishers (Square Enix currently) | ||||||
| Rebel Wolves | 50-100M | 50-100M | 20 - 50 | Not any | Poland | Low cost | Start Up Company |
| Huge potential in WRPGs | High Risk | ||||||
| Techland | 1.5-2B | 1.5-2B | 400 | Dying Light, New Fantasy IP, Call of Juarez | Poland | Blockbuster Proven | Might have problems with crunch culture |
| Experience in Action RPGs | |||||||
| Lucid Games | 0-50 | 0-50 | 150 | Not any | UK | Good Support Studio | Not proven in AAA Games |
| Established relationship with SIE | |||||||
| Ballistic Moon | 0-50 | 0-50 | 50 - 100 | Not any | UK | Low cost | Not proven in AAA Games |
| Already has relationship with SIE | Start Up Company | ||||||
| Could produce unique horror games | High Risk | ||||||
| IO Interactive | 100-200M | 100-200M | 300 | Hitman, James Bond License | Denmark | Proven in AAA Games | Already making a game for Xbox (MS might be preferred buyer) |
| Unique style | Unknown status of Hitman IP | ||||||
| Effective team | |||||||
| Asobo | 100-200M | 100-200M | 200 | Plague's Tale | France | High tech level | Already making a game or two for Xbox (MS might be preferred buyer) |
| Proven in Third Person Storytelling Games | Publishing deal with Focus Home | ||||||
| Larian Studios | 100-200M | 100-200M | 300 | Divinity | Belgium | WRPG Experience | Tencent has 30% Stake |
| Unique style | May not fit SIE Strategy | ||||||
| Jetpack Interactive | 0-50 | 0-50 | 50 | Not any | US | Good Support Studio | Too small to be acquired. Better to be a partner |
| Established relationship with SIE | |||||||
| Ember Lab | 0-50 | 0-50 | 50 | Kena | US | Unique animated experience | Might have problems with management |
| Fitting SIE Style of games | |||||||
| Established relationship with SIE | |||||||
| Firewalk Studios | 100-200M | 100-200M | 100 - 150 | Not any | US | Low cost | Start Up Company |
| Big Potential in GaaS | High Risk | ||||||
| Team of experienced devs | |||||||
| Deviation Games | 100-200M | 100-200M | 100 - 150 | Not any | US | Low cost | Start Up Company |
| Big Potential in GaaS | High Risk | ||||||
| Team of experienced devs | |||||||
| Humanoid | 100-200M | 100-200M | 20 - 50 | Not any | Canada | Low cost | Start Up Company |
| Huge potential in WRPGs | High Risk | ||||||
| Team of experienced devs |
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Oh yeah, no doubt they will wait till after ABK to announce anything.
I certainly remember that CDPR get massive subsidies and grants from the government in Poland but they are definite;y a publicly traded company.
i dont think sony care whether or not a studio has proven themselves, they just need to see potential and something unique about them. They were gonna buy housemarque in 2020 before Returnal even came out, and they’re letting Bluepoint make their own original IP.
Also Pixelopus is proof sony invest in talent, they were literally just college grad students and their next game could potentially be huge. If sony see the potential they will foster and grow it into a powerhouse developer.
Also Pixelopus is proof sony invest in talent, they were literally just college grad students and their next game could potentially be huge. If sony see the potential they will foster and grow it into a powerhouse developer.