Sony's future and possible studio/publisher acquisitions

[Yurinka]

When did they say Starfield will be a timed exclusive?

The Xbox Chief of Finantials Operations said that their strategy with Bethesda was not going to be to keep their games exclusive, but instead 'first on or best on' their platform. That means multiplatform and timed exclusivities.

If he wasn't lying, we saw multiplatform games but no timed exclusives, what should mean that the games announced as exclusive (Starfield and Redfall) would really be timed exclusives. So yes, it would be exclusive but maybe for a year or maybe two. Something that due to marketing reasons could be announced time after their original Xbox/GP release.

They also explained to the regulators that to keep their big games exclusive doesn't make financial sense and that is the reason of why they say they'll keep them multiplatform (but I assume obviously they'll keep some game or timed exclusivities for them, and I assume that the ones with more chances are the new IPs).

 

[Gediminas]

The Xbox Chief of Finantials Operations said that their strategy with Bethesda was not going to be to keep their games exclusive, but instead 'first on or best on' their platform. That means multiplatform and timed exclusivities.

If he wasn't lying, we saw multiplatform games but no timed exclusives, what should mean that the games announced as exclusive (Starfield and Redfall) would really be timed exclusives. So yes, it would be exclusive but maybe for a year or maybe two. Something that due to marketing reasons could be announced time after their original Xbox/GP release.

They also explained to the regulators that to keep their big games exclusive doesn't make financial sense and that is the reason of why they say they'll keep them multiplatform (but I assume obviously they'll keep some game or timed exclusivities for them, and I assume that the ones with more chances are the new IPs).

all of their games are DOA without switch or PS. so they have to decide, what is more important, brownie points or profit.

 

[Bryank75]

Jez and Rand on XboxTwo were saying that if the deal doesn't go through, MSFT / Xbox will use the money to get exclusives and tamed exclusives like PS does... and money-hate everything they can.

Mentioning COD< GTA etc....

 

[Remember_Spinal]

Jez and Rand on XboxTwo were saying that if the deal doesn't go through, MSFT / Xbox will use the money to get exclusives and tamed exclusives like PS does... and money-hate everything they can.

Mentioning COD< GTA etc....

Thats the fanboy dream. Microsoft still has to deal with the fact that it has far less marketshare and that big devs won’t want to lock their prized games to their current gen consoles. Big publisher buyout are probably also off the table.

We already know from Strauss Zelnik that they aren’t putting their games day one on any service.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

I have no doubt the Activision deal will be approved. Positive is, after this ongoing drama, acquisitions are mostly off the table. Better Activision than Take2.

 

[Remember_Spinal]

I’d also rather this deal go through because it means 100% big publisher buy outs are off the table for Microsoft and i dont like Activision games at all. Although, the big publisher buy outs are probably over with anyway.

Would really love nothign more than call of duty to fail at this point. I’ve always disliked thte series but it wasn’t really shoved down my throat as much as its been this past year. Now im actively rooting against it.

Please Sony or whoever make a damn game that can hook casuals enough to where i don’t have to keep hearing about this tired ass franchise for years.

 

[Loy310]

I have no doubt the Activision deal will be approved. Positive is, after this ongoing drama, acquisitions are mostly off the table. Better Activision than Take2.

I agree, sony might be able to pull off an ok shooter but a gta clone is out of the question.

 

[Hezekiah]

The Xbox Chief of Finantials Operations said that their strategy with Bethesda was not going to be to keep their games exclusive, but instead 'first on or best on' their platform. That means multiplatform and timed exclusivities.

If he wasn't lying, we saw multiplatform games but no timed exclusives, what should mean that the games announced as exclusive (Starfield and Redfall) would really be timed exclusives. So yes, it would be exclusive but maybe for a year or maybe two. Something that due to marketing reasons could be announced time after their original Xbox/GP release.

They also explained to the regulators that to keep their big games exclusive doesn't make financial sense and that is the reason of why they say they'll keep them multiplatform (but I assume obviously they'll keep some game or timed exclusivities for them, and I assume that the ones with more chances are the new IPs).

Starfield, Redfall, et al aren't coming to Playstation.

MS would rather eat the loss. They are all in on GamePass, and Playstation accepting GamePass on its platform is the only way those games would be available on it (not happening).

You might see some Switch ports for certain games down the line.

 

[CloudStrife]

I’d also rather this deal go through because it means 100% big publisher buy outs are off the table for Microsoft and i dont like Activision games at all. Although, the big publisher buy outs are probably over with anyway.

Would really love nothign more than call of duty to fail at this point. I’ve always disliked thte series but it wasn’t really shoved down my throat as much as its been this past year. Now im actively rooting against it.

Please Sony or whoever make a damn game that can hook casuals enough to where i don’t have to keep hearing about this tired ass franchise for years.

I feel this way too. With so much drama surrounding this deal, MS would get serious pushback if they immediately (within 2 years) go after another big publisher. This is why it's in Sony's best interest to make as much noise as they can about ABK. They have nothing to loose by doing so. To Sony, at best it fails, if not fail then possible concessions, if no concessions then hope enough heat is put on MS that more big purchases are off the table.

 

[Remember_Spinal]

I feel this way too. With so much drama surrounding this deal, MS would get serious pushback if they immediately (within 2 years) go after another big publisher. This is why it's in Sony's best interest to make as much noise as they can about ABK. They have nothing to loose by doing so. To Sony, at best it fails, if not fail then possible concessions, if no concessions then hope enough heat is put on MS that more big purchases are off the table.

Yeah, The last thing sony needs is for GTA or FIFA/2k etc to get bought my Microsoft. Especially now that EA lost the FIFA license who knows what could happen with exclusivity.

Microsofts power is in its ability to spend not produce, if they take away the former than there would actually be real competition. Microsft currently have 23 studios, compared to Sonys 18 which is realistically like 14.

 

[Muddasar]

You cant just think about cod in a vacuum, its the knock on effect that Sony and the cma are worried about when it comes to PS. You lose cod casuals you lose their PSN+ revenue, you also lose at least 20-30 million players that would have also bought Sony 1st party titles on PS because they are already on the platform.
It will be a massive blow to PS, anyway you slice it. Then you throw in the Bethesda titles and its a shit show for them. I keep saying, but Sony will not be ok after losing that many ip and so many that are attached to ps+ online requirement.

That vacuum you talk about works both ways.

There are gamers who already own PC and Xboxs along with Playstation consoles.

There are gamers who will simply move on to another FPS.

There are other gamers who bought a Playstation for 1st party and play COD on the side.

No doubt COD is huge but the Playstation userbase is FAR bigger.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Jez and Rand on XboxTwo were saying that if the deal doesn't go through, MSFT / Xbox will use the money to get exclusives and tamed exclusives like PS does... and money-hate everything they can.

Mentioning COD< GTA etc....

So basically, the old rumors from two years ago all the "insiders" and "journalists" were spreading about Sony buying 3P exclusives for so many games (yet Crisis Core, FF Origins, RE Village, SF6, Tekken 8, Gotham Knights, Harry Potter, etc. are all multiplat ), are just going to be regurgitated as a stupid plan of attack for Microsoft if the ABK deal falls through? OK then.

People like Rand and Jez need to realize that it's not always about the money; MS could have already done that with timed exclusives before even going for Zenimax, they just didn't care. And any games they would happen to get 3P exclusivity on would be much further out, that's even supposing they could if Sony has a deal worked out for them (and if they don't, then these "insiders" need to admit their rumor-gossip back in 2020 about Sony buying up "every conceivable big 3P game" as a timed exclusive was just BS; it can't be both).

Also these dudes are just obsessed with Xbox "crushing" PlayStation to the point they don't even think about ways that MS could use that $69 billion to benefit Xbox WITHOUT deliberately trying to screw over other platform holders. Maybe, FUND some new 3P exclusives with 3P developers. Maybe invest some of that into the 1P games currently in development, especially the ones with known development issues. Maybe earmark those funds towards 10th-gen Xbox R&D development. Maybe invest some of that into a 1P VR solution. Maybe allocate some of it towards getting an increase in better balance of Series X and Series S units to stores, or improving xCloud latency.

'Ya know, things that don't have to be at a negative to certain other consoles or their install bases. But that'd require not feeding off the toxic console warring that even the official Xbox account and executives seem to love pushing when it's against PlayStation

 

[BigMclargeHuge]

So basically, the old rumors from two years ago all the "insiders" and "journalists" were spreading about Sony buying 3P exclusives for so many games (yet Crisis Core, FF Origins, RE Village, SF6, Tekken 8, Gotham Knights, Harry Potter, etc. are all multiplat ), are just going to be regurgitated as a stupid plan of attack for Microsoft if the ABK deal falls through? OK then.

People like Rand and Jez need to realize that it's not always about the money; MS could have already done that with timed exclusives before even going for Zenimax, they just didn't care. And any games they would happen to get 3P exclusivity on would be much further out, that's even supposing they could if Sony has a deal worked out for them (and if they don't, then these "insiders" need to admit their rumor-gossip back in 2020 about Sony buying up "every conceivable big 3P game" as a timed exclusive was just BS; it can't be both).

Also these dudes are just obsessed with Xbox "crushing" PlayStation to the point they don't even think about ways that MS could use that $69 billion to benefit Xbox WITHOUT deliberately trying to screw over other platform holders. Maybe, FUND some new 3P exclusives with 3P developers. Maybe invest some of that into the 1P games currently in development, especially the ones with known development issues. Maybe earmark those funds towards 10th-gen Xbox R&D development. Maybe invest some of that into a 1P VR solution. Maybe allocate some of it towards getting an increase in better balance of Series X and Series S units to stores, or improving xCloud latency.

'Ya know, things that don't have to be at a negative to certain other consoles or their install bases. But that'd require not feeding off the toxic console warring that even the official Xbox account and executives seem to love pushing when it's against PlayStation

Its interesting how Jez and alot of extreme xbox fanboys sure do spend alot of time talking about playstation and not xbox.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Jim Ryan!!!

 

[Yurinka]

Jim Ryan!!!

It's funny that almost always you guys blame Jimbo for fake stuff and random rumors.

I think this is fake, MS publicly said many months ago that they didn't plan to close the acquisition until next year so knew they were going to be busy with regulators this part of the year. It wouldn't make sense to make a showcase days before GoWR launch to overshadow it and when there are no consoles in the stores.

Jez and Rand on XboxTwo were saying that if the deal doesn't go through, MSFT / Xbox will use the money to get exclusives and tamed exclusives like PS does... and money-hate everything they can.

Mentioning COD< GTA etc....

Nah, it's just fanboy wishes. MS will acquire ABK with no issues. I don't think they have a plan B, but if they have it would be to try to buy some other top multiplatform publisher, whatever is willing to sell. Timed exclusives are basically nothing. And GTA sells less than CoD every year.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

It's funny that almost always you guys blame Jimbo for fake stuff and random rumors.

I think this is fake, MS publicly said many months ago that they didn't plan to close the acquisition until next year so knew they were going to be busy with regulators this part of the year. It wouldn't make sense to make a showcase days before GoWR launch to overshadow it and when there are no consoles in the stores.


Nah, it's just fanboy wishes. MS will acquire ABK with no issues. I don't think they have a plan B, but if they have it would be to try to buy some other top multiplatform publisher, whatever is willing to sell. Timed exclusives are basically nothing. And GTA sells less than CoD every year.

I correct my comment: Millie Amand is a fraud. Going with her logic, we would see no more announcements, until the second phase of CMA is done.

Second phase of investigation by CMA is dated until March 2023. Would mean no acquisitions and events until then.

 

[Yurinka]

I correct my comment: Millie Amand is a fraud. Going with her logic, we would see no more announcements, until the second phase of CMA is done.

Second phase of investigation by CMA is dated until March 2023. Would mean no acquisitions and events until then.

I think it could make sense that Sony would delay big acquisition announcements until the CMA and other regulator acquisitions are complete. I also guessed that: to announce a big acquisition before would help MS to get the ABK acquisition approved and would make it more difficult for Sony to justify their own acquisition to regulators.

For Sony it would be smarter to wait until regulators approved the ABK acquisition and use that to justify whatever big acquisition they could do.

Regarding game announcements: Sony should announce PSVR2 launch games + date and price, release a GoWR launch trailer (and maybe a GoWR State of Play) and maybe also a minor (probably indies or 3rd party) State of Play during this year. I don't think they'll make a showcase with big announcements to don't overshadow the GoWR release and also because they are now starting to improve shipments but still have no consoles in the stores: I think they'll wait and save their big hype bullets until there are enough consoles in the shelves. Also, several big games that could be announced in the next showcase could be 2024 or even 2025 games so Sony could consider it's too soon to announce them and they'd want to wait more before announcing them.

Meaning, I think Sony probably never considered to make a showcase during September or October. I assume they plan it to do it after the GoWR and PSVR2 releases, after the ABK acquisition is done and after they balanced PS5 supply and demand. So very likely early summer: E3 2023. It would be a good way to go back to E3, now that they would have juicy stuff to announce and show.

 

[Loy310]

Jez and Rand on XboxTwo were saying that if the deal doesn't go through, MSFT / Xbox will use the money to get exclusives and tamed exclusives like PS does... and money-hate everything they can.

Mentioning COD< GTA etc....

Sony market share is bigger, no point in making games exclusive to xbox.
MS seems like the type that want you to subjugate to them, vs them to you. I believe if they cant own the ip they will not pay for exclusive for major titles. MS want Sony, Nintendo, epic and steam to come to them, they want to be the supplier clearly, this way their competitors submit to their terms.
The best they will do if this fails is pay for gp games, but not exclusives.

 

[peter42O]

Microsoft isn't going to do a lot of timed console exclusivity deals and when they do, they're usually for 3-6 months. It's all about Game Pass for Microsoft. Once the ABK deal closes, they will still be acquiring more studios and I wouldn't be shocked to see them acquire another publisher. Microsoft wants to own as many IP's and games as possible because they prefer to have everything in house instead of paying companies to put games on Game Pass when they can do it all themselves.

 

[BigMclargeHuge]

Microsoft isn't going to do a lot of timed console exclusivity deals and when they do, they're usually for 3-6 months. It's all about Game Pass for Microsoft. Once the ABK deal closes, they will still be acquiring more studios and I wouldn't be shocked to see them acquire another publisher. Microsoft wants to own as many IP's and games as possible because they prefer to have everything in house instead of paying companies to put games on Game Pass when they can do it all themselves.

The abk deal has already come under alot of scrutiny, going after a third publisher ( assuming the deal goes through), is going to end up with Microsoft getting their teeth kicked in by regulators. I said it before, but the " we're in last place " excuse isn't going to work forever, if it ends up working at all.

It also says alot that they can't seem to create or maintain anything, so they just gotta buy it.