View: https://twitter.com/xbox/status/1483431175041347584?s=21
Let’s discuss this and its implications.
Let’s discuss this and its implications.
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Bethesda was one of the biggest acquisitions, I'm sure, but by no means their first and only (remember the unending news and speculations on Rare's acquisition?). Microsoft have been at the feeding frenzy for donkey's years picking up loads of studios but this is the pinnacle of acquisitions. The only way you top this is if they were to buy Sony, Nintendo or Steam.Whoa! First Bethesda, and now this? That's crazy. How long before they have a monopoly?
Haha. Good to see you over here, too! We need to just talk all of the IGN forum people into coming over here so we don't have to visit two forums.After spending that much money, you'd have to think they want the games to be exclusive. But who knows, maybe they'll charge Sony a royalty to sell Call of Duty on PlayStation. Either way, not looking good for Sony, who can't survive on their own IPs the same way Nintendo can.
I am a bit concerned as well but selfishly I have to admit that, as a gamepass subscriber, this is probably going to be pretty awesome.Gamepass is going to be an even more incredible deal.
Long term where do people see this going? My instinct is to worry that 3 companies owning pretty much everything is going to be a negative over time.
But if Microsoft at least is very hands off to the development teams and we are mostly talking about larger budget games, it does still leave a whole lot of indie studios as well as mid level publishers. At least for now.
I was going to argue that the long-term ramifications for an acquisition of this size means that Game Pass will continue on its steady march trampelling preservation, but Activision-Blizzard didn't care about that much either so nothing's being lost. On the plus side, my Battlenet account will (hopefully) be merged with my Xbox one, so that's one less launcher to worry about.Gamepass is going to be an even more incredible deal.
Long term where do people see this going? My instinct is to worry that 3 companies owning pretty much everything is going to be a negative over time.
Have Sony or Nintendo bought anything on the scale of Bethesda, let alone Activision Blizzard?Sony and Nintendo have acquired studios before, and it's staggering how Microsoft gets an exclusive amount of flak for their ambition, but then I suppose the studios they buy up have greater name value. The purchase of Obsidian Entertainment probably reaches more ears than, err, Bend Studio of Bubsy 3D and Syphon Filter fame.
Lol yes, small world.Haha. Good to see you over here, too! We need to just talk all of the IGN forum people into coming over here so we don't have to visit two forums.
But you're right. Sony can't do what Nintendo does. Nintendo can barely do it themselves.
Not yet, and I doubt Nintendo would, their acquisitions are very limited. I have to hand it to them both though, they're careful in their curation. Meanwhile Xbox Division is going for quantity over quality.Have Sony or Nintendo bought anything on the scale of Bethesda, let alone Activision Blizzard?
This is what worries me: Microsoft is doing exactly what Electronic Arts get raked over the coals for. Their only saving grace currently is time, as in time needed to put these studios' nose to the grindstone and put games out there so they don't look like EA, THQ, and all the rest involved in 'Miss. Unicron'.Activision bought Blizzard obviously, EA pretty famously good at trashing things. But buying up some of the biggest publishers consisting of multiple studios on the bounce is scary stuff.
I wasn't aware that Sony is still bigger. I certainly think it's the better choice, even now with Gamepass, but we shall have to see. Consoles are sold at a loss, that's a well established fact, and Game Pass is yet to see profits whilst laughing in the face of Sony's Playstation Plus and beyond. And it's going to take a while before that $68bn makes a return on investment. But these acquisitions are made to do just that... eventually. And there's a lot that can happen between now and then; see this between Zenimax's acquisition and the release of Starfield, for instance.Quite shocking that Sony are still bigger than Microsoft in gaming, I dont think that will be the case for too much longer at this rate. I dont have a particular problem with MS, but any company doing this worries me for the long term.
To borrow a phrase from Microsoft's newly acquired Warcraft IP, "You will serve the Horde, or be crushed beneath it." As I said previously, Microsoft has shown the entire industry its hand: that no company is too small for them to seize.Where will Valve and Epic stand (EDIT) if/when MS starts to make everything Gamepass/store exclusives`?
Not sure what 'Miss Unicron' is tbh ?This is what worries me: Microsoft is doing exactly what Electronic Arts get raked over the coals for. Their only saving grace currently is time, as in time needed to put these studios' nose to the grindstone and put games out there so they don't look like EA, THQ, and all the rest involved in 'Miss. Unicron'.
A joke that would fly over anyone's head, I realise. Unicron being the main villain of the 1987 Transformers film, a giant planet-eating robot planet. "Miss" being the "Miss [country/world]" competition. Thus it's a competition of who is the hungriest corporation. Like I say, bad joke all round xDNot sure what 'Miss Unicron' is tbh ?
That's why I'm worried: Microsoft are hoovering up those who do the hoovering. Given how Halo: Infinite's multiplayer store looks eerily familiar to that of Anthem's, things don't look too good. It's a bad time when I can say Call of Duty's stores since Modern Warfare have been good value for money, and that might yet change for the worse. Thankfully 343 Industries have said that they're looking into it, but I've heard that too many times to believe they'll change it.Seems to me what MS is doing with this and Bethesda is way beyond the scope of any hoovering of studios that EA has done over the years. Hopefully they don't screw things up for some of these franchises as badly as EA did to some of theirs.
A thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters come to mind.if they buy enough of them they MIGHT be lucky enough to get enough people to make a good game
Xbox is bigger in the US, but PlayStation is bigger worldwide.I wasn't aware that Sony is still bigger...
Ah, of course! Cheers for the reminder!Xbox is bigger in the US, but PlayStation is bigger worldwide.
AB were the third-largest of the gaming software companies. The pecking order 2 months ago —with $Bn market caps—was:no company is too small. Of all the publishers I genuinely thought Take-Two and Activision-Blizzard would be the last to be cannibalised
Ooh thanks for sharing that, very interesting reading indeed. Even so, third is not a figure to turn one's nose up at; anyone beneath them is now easy money in comparison. I reckon Nintendo's safe where they are given their care and old-fashioned ways have been the reason behind their success more than their undoing. As for Roblox, I imagine with that sort of money they'll be smart enough to invest it before their value drops considerably, but I've not followed them closely enough to say.AB were the third-largest of the gaming software companies. The pecking order 2 months ago —with $Bn market caps—was:
Roblox $75
Nintendo $53
Activision Blizzard $47
EA $35
Take-Two $20
Square Enix $6
Ubisoft $6
CD Projekt $5
Fingers crossed, but then who's going to stay the jolly green giant's course if they don't go the way we hope?Just stay yourselves, don't become like the others...
Which 3 companies? MS, Sony, Nintendo? Or you include Roblox or EA or…?Long term where do people see this going? My instinct is to worry that 3 companies owning pretty much everything is going to be a negative over time.