Sony's future and possible studio/publisher acquisitions

Yobo

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Closing that many big deals is way harder than targeting the big fish which is Take Two
 

kyliethicc

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For people who keep mentioning Take Two

 

Nhomnhom

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Take-two is a good fit but also a big question mark rigth now because of how Rockstar lost some key people and is in limbo.

The moneyball move would be to go after all the big names that left Rockstar like Leslie Benzies and Dan Houser and help them turn their new studios into top tier studios.

Sony needs to secure Respawn and Battlefield asap as close partners and stop pushing for the CoD association with PS so hard. The problem here is that EA can't be trusted long term.
 
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kyliethicc

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That article is from 2007?
Yeah and nothings changed for Zelnick. He's a buyer, not seller.



He admits they technically have to consider offers since they're publicly traded, but its not anything he's interested in.

“We’re a public company, and we’re here for the shareholders,” Zelnick told IGN. “That said, our track record of creating value as an independent enterprise is pretty terrific, especially if you exclude the last three months. We think there’s plenty of great times ahead, and we like being an independent organization. But we’re here for the shareholders.”

 

Yobo

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kyliethicc

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Could be the case. That would have been true to say of Activision before being bought too

Better for everyone if Take2 has no interest in being bought, but Sony need to be at the table if the option comes up.
Well, Kotick was afraid of being kicked out, so he cashed out.

Can't see that happening with Take Two.
 

Satoru

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If Sony were to offer say a 50% premium on T2 they'd take it in a heartbeat. Not that they should or will, but that above is just corporate speak.
 

Nhomnhom

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Well, Kotick was afraid of being kicked out, so he cashed out.

Can't see that happening with Take Two.
MS is the one that approached ABK. Take Two is for sale just as much as ABK was, it's only a matter of how much it's going to cost. Shareholders don't care as long as they get enougth compensation. A private company like Valve is what might actually not be for sale but even that is questionable.

If Sony aproaching EA or Take Two leads to MS outbidding them it's better if it happens now that Sony has a buffer of dominance for the next 5 years at least. Expose MS and make them overcommit.
 
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kyliethicc

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MS is the open that aproached ABK.
?
Take Two is for sale just as much as ABK was, it's only a matter of how much it's going to cost. Shareholders don't care as long as they get enougth compensation. A private company like Valve is what migth actually not be for sale but even that is questionable.
Yeah technically there's a magic number for anything. Nintendo is technically just as much for sale as ABK was, but we all know that's not gonna happen. So its a pretty useless line of thinking.
 

Nhomnhom

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Yeah technically there's a magic number for anything. Nintendo is technically just as much for sale as ABK was, but we all know that's not gonna happen. So its a pretty useless line of thinking.
Nintendo isn't because of them being a traditional Japanese company. Take Two is a lot more realistic.
 

kyliethicc

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Nintendo isn't because of them being a traditional Japanese company. Take Two is a lot more realistic.
Yet you said "Shareholders don't care as long as they get enougth compensation."

Nintendo has shareholders. No different than Take Two.
 

Nhomnhom

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Yet you said "Shareholders don't care as long as they get enougth compensation."

Nintendo has shareholders. No different than Take Two.
Then they should merge with Nintendo if that is a possibility. Win/win for Japan as well as most console players. MS is the one bringing US first and anti-Japanese rhetoric into it, there is hardly any overlap between Nintendo and Sony games/hardware rigth now. This is what consolidation leads to.

The market rejected Xbox and chose PlayStation and Nintendo countless times at this point. Having money is the only thing the Xbox division ever had going on in the last 10/15 years.
 
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Dabaus

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Take 2 would be a horrible purchase for a lot of reasons. One, some one would for make a counter offer much more than Sony could afford like a Amazon or Saudi government, it would face just as much, if not more scrutiny than this activison deal, it’d be very long process, and I don’t think regulators would let Microsoft get take 2 after getting activsion so there’s little reason to worry about them going anywhere.

If Sonys going to do these publisher buyouts just focus on Japanese companies that are a lot cheaper, the likelihood of a counter offer is much lower imo because of cultural differences and I think it’s have less stringent scrutiny from regulators.

Now an investment in take 2? Like a 2 or 3 billion dollar investment where gta and all take 2 games have permanent Sony marketing and perks? Sure why not.
 
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Nhomnhom

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Take 2 would be a horrible purchase for a lot of reasons. One, some one would for make a counter offer much more than Sony could afford like a Amazon or Saudi government, it would face just as much, if not more scrutiny than this activison deal, it’d be very long process, and I don’t think regulators would let Microsoft get take 2 after getting activsion so there’s little reason to worry about them going anywhere.

If Sonys going to do these publisher buyouts just focus on Japanese companies that are a lot cheaper, the likelihood of a counter offer is much lower imo because of cultural differences and I think it’s have less stringent scrutiny from regulators.

Now an investment in take 2? Like a 2 or 3 billion dollar investment where gta and all take 2 games have permanent Sony marketing and perks? Sure why not.
Why focus on Japanese publishers that don't make sense for MS to buy? If MS buys Sega so be it, they'll be irelevant if limited to Xbox.

The sad part is that someone like Jim Ryan could easilly go after Ubisoft and doom PlayStation for good. Take Two at least has Rockstar and RDR/GTA.

CDPR is looking like a great option and a direct counter to Bethesda at least. Cyberpunk was a terrible fumble but not unlike something like Fallout 76. There is no reason to think another Witcher game or future Cyberpunk games won't do well.
 
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Yobo

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Well, Kotick was afraid of being kicked out, so he cashed out.

Can't see that happening with Take Two.
I'm of the belief that all these CEOs want to cash out at some point. Strauss is 65 years old, what sort of retirement package does he want? A nice Rolex and a thank you or to get paid a premium on his $70 million in Take Two stock
 

Yobo

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Take 2 would be a horrible purchase for a lot of reasons. One, some one would for make a counter offer much more than Sony could afford like a Amazon or Saudi government, it would face just as much, if not more scrutiny than this activison deal, it’d be very long process, and I don’t think regulators would let Microsoft get take 2 after getting activsion so there’s little reason to worry about them going anywhere.

If Sonys going to do these publisher buyouts just focus on Japanese companies that are a lot cheaper, the likelihood of a counter offer is much lower imo because of cultural differences and I think it’s have less stringent scrutiny from regulators.

Now an investment in take 2? Like a 2 or 3 billion dollar investment where gta and all take 2 games have permanent Sony marketing and perks? Sure why not.
Saudis aren't taking over a major US gaming company, same with Chinese companies. Especially with the way the geopolitical winds are going. Amazon hadn't given a shit about even small acquisitions in gaming.

It would face scrutiny but less than COD. GTA is a lower selling franchise with far less frequent releases. And regulators have basically indicated little interest in the console market

Take2 would be important because it's a defensive acquisition. Its ensuring Microsoft don't own both COD and GTA because that's an unwinnable scenario.
 
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kyliethicc

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I'm of the belief that all these CEOs want to cash out at some point. Strauss is 65 years old, what sort of retirement package does he want? A nice Rolex and a thank you or to get paid a premium on his $70 million in Take Two stock
Certainly can't underestimate their greed.

But chances are unless someone gives em a big overpay, it ain't happening. Because a person's greed can go either way - short or long term. Short term greed, they'll sell. Cash out asap. But long term greed means they'll hold out for an even bigger fortune. Plus there's the psychology of their ego, pride and shit. They want to grow and they're obsessed with "winning." A lot of these big ego corporate ceo types view selling to someone else as defeat, submission, etc. So even as one ceo leaves, the new ceo doesn't want to "lose" and thus the cycle continues.
 
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Dabaus

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Cdpr is a good pickup to fill a niche but they don’t own the ip that they work on. Sony said they’re looking for ip. With that said, just because a suit says something doesn’t mean it’s written in stone. Sony needs an rpg house, they want ip, and they want gaas revenue. There’s one company on the planet that does all 3. Guess who.