The Verge: Microsoft considered acquiring Bungie and Sega to bolster Xbox Game Pass, internal emails show

Nhomnhom

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How would Sega games boost Gamepass when they pretty much all already release on Gamepass anyway? Sonic is the one that is going to do it? Because Persona and Yakuza didn't help Gamepass that much.

Looking at this e-mail I'm even more convinced that Phil Spencer is just incompetent. The entire process here to propose an acquisition this size over this email sounds absurd and highlights that Xbox goes out of it's way to be as bad as it is with all the available resources.
 

ethomaz

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When Sony brought Bungie I had the feel it was a forced move... like if Sony didn't buy them then other will.
And Bungie is basically one of the big pillars in revenue for the game industry today.
Sony could not not allow to lose them.

That was my feeling.... can be wrong of course.

Sony is not used to buy big studios/publishers... they buys smaller ones that do good games and so with Sony money they can reach others levels.
 

Bryank75

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How would Sega games boost Gamepass when they pretty much all already release on Gamepass anyway? Sonic is the one that is going to do it? Because Persona and Yakuza didn't do shit for Gamepass.

Looking at this e-mail I'm even more convinced that Phil Spencer is just incompetent. There entire process here to propose an acquisition this size email sounds absurd and highlights that Xbox goes out of it's way to be as bad as it is with all the available resources.

Is it just me or do these emails feel like some forum posts? LOL
 
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Bryank75

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100%. Phil was probably getting his ideas from Resetera all along, explains why he sucks so much.

The only thing I can think of is that they are thinking more of the effect of taking games off of PlayStation than what they could possibly add to Xbox / Gamepass.
 
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Satoru

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Is it just me or do these emails feel like some forum posts? LOL
Stop Motion Yes GIF by Mouse
 
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Nhomnhom

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The only thing I can think of is that they are thinking more of the effect of taking games off of PlayStation than what they could possibly add to Xbox / Gamepass.
When you put it like that it makes more sense and shows their hand but it's still pretty dumb, it would just kill Sega if their games were removed from PlayStation. It's like these Xbox guys don't even know what Xbox is.
 
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FatKaz

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Well at the very least sony now know what they are dealing with, if they didn't already. Time to open up those purse strings jim.
 
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Nhomnhom

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With this revelation that MS was actually trying to buy Sega Sony better buy Square Enix the moment the ABK deal is officially dead/approved.

MS Bethesda + Activision Blizzard + Sega, MS wanted to buy all that.
 
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Bryank75

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Well at the very least sony now know what they are dealing with, if they didn't already. Time to open up those purse strings jim.

Seriously! WHat TF are they waiting for? ABK to possibly close and MSFT to move onto the next one?

They already waited too long after Zenimax.
 

Yurinka

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WTF! It's also worth mentioning that the mail is from a couple months after having annoouncement to acquire Zenimax.

I think Thunderful, PlayRix and Niantic would be a waste of money, but the other ones would have been solid acquisitions.

Also, they got rejected by at least Bungie and Zynga since Sony and Take 2 got them but way later so apparently there wasn't a bid war for them.

All the money is going toward them live-service titles
Most of the Sony gaming acquisitions made by the current leadership aren't related to live-service games, and the investment in GaaS isn't being made at the expense of reducing their investment on traditional non-GaaS games (in fact it's the opposite).

Well at the very least sony now know what they are dealing with, if they didn't already. Time to open up those purse strings jim.
Make sure that if after Zenimax they were considering to acquire people like the ones in the OP and ended trying to acquire instead Activision, they also considered / tried to acquire other ones in the middle such as EA, Take 2 or Ubisoft.
 
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Bryank75

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Sega and IOI were rumored for quite a while if I recall

Big time, they were fan favorites. I remember Aaron Greenberg posting Sonic related stuff, the Sonic blue Xbox controller and the speculation over that.

Then IOI was suspected to be on the plate if their current Xbox exclusive game does well.
 
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