General Next Generation Rumors and Discussions [Post GDC 2020]

[mpg1]

I mean if I were Apple, Amazon, Google...I'd buy Sony Interactive from Sony and just continue to operate PlayStation as is while integrating and building up PS Now(or a re-branded solution) into the their data centers.

Fans would hate it but one of these mega corps leveraging the PlayStation brand while basically adopting Microsoft dual pronged approach of local + cloud would probably be successful.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Its the exact same problem whether they are in the hardware business or not. They cant win in that space if they are trying to compete with MS at such a concept.

Only if Microsoft are willing to throw endless money at winning, at any cost. I don't believe their Board is that reckless. Microsoft have yet to prove the business model they are building is viable over time. Lots of business models work, then something changes and they aren't. Then it depends on your ability to adapt.

I do think Sony will need to change their PlayStation business though. While it's clearly very profitable for them, everybody, including Jim Ryan, is saying AAA development costs are only going up. They need to get costs under control and get studios pumping out more games. Compare Witness Naughty Dog on PS3 (three Uncharted games and The Last of Us) compared to Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy and The Last of Us 2. Now look at Insomniac Games who have two launch/launch windows games for PS5.

 

[Eolirin]

Microsoft can do a lot better than SEGA. I think nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses are clouding a lot go people's judgement here. If you asked gamers who the influential companies were in the 1990s SEGA would be in everybody's top three and most people's top two. I bet if you asked people that today SEGA would be in very few people's top ten.

Sega has Yakuza and Persona (they own Atlus) , which are both pretty big. But they also own Creative Assembly (total war, alien isolation) and Relic (partnering on Age of Empires 4).

If there was a way for MS to acquire Sega's gaming divisions it'd help with Game Pass for PC as well as console. They do seem to be interested in expanding their reach in the PC market as well, so that would fit.

But yeah, Sega Sammy has a lot of other businesses that MS would not benefit from so it won't be as straightforward a purchase. I think that's true of all of the larger Japanese publishers though?

 

[mpg1]

Purchasing SEGA would be more for the back catalog than the future catalog...

 

[Silent_Buddha]

IMO - If Microsoft really wanted to make serious inroads to Japan, they would do the following or something similar.

• Buy From Software and leave them alone unless From Software asks them for help.
• Buy Platinum Games and leave them alone unless Platinum Games asks them for help.

Both are smaller studios with very passionate followings. These would be purchases similar in scope to the various small studio acquisitions they did prior to going all in on Bethesda. Of course, as popular as these studios are currently, the asking price is likely to be VERY high.

For something larger.

• KOEI Tecmo.
  • Team Ninja were exclusive to the launch Xbox, but MS lost that with the PS3/X360 generation.
    • There are still Japanese gamers who own an original Xbox and play DOA Extreme Volleyball!
    • Basically there are Japanese gamers that love their original Xbox because of the Team Ninja games that came out for it.
  • They have a surprising number of development studios under their wing.
  • Niche Japanese gamer following, but perhaps too niche for the purchase price.
• SEGA game studios. There are two reasons and two reasons only for MS to get Sega, IMO.
  • The Yakuza Series and Atlus Games - for the Japanese and world market.
    • The rest of the properties don't really do much for Microsoft
    • Phil Spencer has worked hard to get the Yakuza Series onto Xbox and Gamepass, so we know MS values those properties.
    • Atlus is a prolific publisher of strong niche games that resonate well with the Japanese market.
  • Former independent PC developers who are now under the SEGA umbrella - for the western market and PC. Most notably:
    • Creative Assembly
    • Relic Entertainment
    • Two Point Studios

That said. KOEI Tecmo probably isn't worth how much money would need to be spent in order to acquire them. OTOH, SEGA comes with a lot of IP that MS doesn't need and likely doesn't want. And for those properties that are also used in Pachinko parlours, they'd have to work out deals for SEGA to retain rights to them

IMO, much safer and much better to go after smaller developers as they did with their acquisitions prior to the Bethesda deal.

• Much less chance of an army of console warrior trolls disrupting what you are attempting to do if you go after a smaller studio.
• Once you have positive reception from that, then you can start to think about a larger acquisition if you still feel the need to buy your way into the market.

So, after writing all of this what do I personally think they should do? Just buy exclusivity. It's cheaper.

However, don't do it the Phil Harrison way (boy did he and his team bungle the partnership with Platinum games badly), but contract for a new exclusive IP and then leave the studio alone.

Regards,
SB

 

[Inuhanyou]

Id rather they just leave japanese pubs alone and let them do what they want honestly.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Only if Microsoft are willing to throw endless money at winning, at any cost. I don't believe their Board is that reckless. Microsoft have yet to prove the business model they are building is viable over time. Lots of business models work, then something changes and they aren't. Then it depends on your ability to adapt.

I do think Sony will need to change their PlayStation business though. While it's clearly very profitable for them, everybody, including Jim Ryan, is saying AAA development costs are only going up. They need to get costs under control and get studios pumping out more games. Compare Witness Naughty Dog on PS3 (three Uncharted games and The Last of Us) compared to Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy and The Last of Us 2. Now look at Insomniac Games who have two launch/launch windows games for PS5.

That is why i said they need to stop focusing on silly timed exclusivity and focus all their investments on creating and building new studios from scratch to make up for the ones theyve closed down over the years

 

[BRiT]

I disagree. I think Microsoft should buy up all the game dev studios.

 

[PSman1700]

I disagree. I think Microsoft should buy up all the game dev studios.

If that means games for everyone instead of tie it to one ecosystem, im all for it. Freedom of choice to the people and devs.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

That is why i said they need to stop focusing on silly timed exclusivity and focus all their investments on creating and building new studios from scratch to make up for the ones theyve closed down over the years

Yup they should do like Sony. Make up for all the studios that Sony closed after they purchased them and focus their investments on creating and building new studios. I do believe that Sony have closed down more game studios than MS has.

Microsoft - as of 2018 (https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/0...happened-to-every-studio-microsoft-has-bought )

• FASA Studios
• Ensemble - goddamn you for closing Ensemble MS. GRRRRR.
• Digital Anvil
• Lionhead
• Press Play

The rest are still alive and either still with MS or no longer with MS.

Sony (didn't do much of a search but as of 2010 https://www.gamespot.com/forums/sys...losed-so-many-game-studios-this-gen-29363528/ ) [edit: fixing my big fat mistake - lesson learned don't trust a forum on the internet. ]

• Game Republic
• Incognito Entertainment
• Relentless Sofware
• Bigbig Studios
• Zipper Interactive
• Liverpool Studio
• Eat Sleep Play
• SuperBot Entertainment
• Evolution Studios
• Guerilla Cambridge
• Incognito Entertainment
• Manchester Studio
• Sony Online Entertainment

There are some studios like 989 Studios who were acquired but still exist outside of Sony as well. There's also probably a better list somewhere if I spent the time to look, but I'm about to run out the door.

Yet somehow MS has the reputation for closing studios?

Regards,
SB

 

[Deleted member 11852]

• Game Republic - independent, never owned by Sony.
• Incognito Entertainment - never officially closed, more of a zombie studio.
• Relentless Sofware - independent, never owned by Sony.
• Eat Sleep Play - independent, never owned by Sony.
• SuperBot Entertainment - independent, never owned by Sony

How do you include four studios never owned by Sony yet miss Evolution Studios, creators of Motorstorm?

 

[eastmen]

Microsoft can do a lot better than SEGA. I think nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses are clouding a lot go people's judgement here. If you asked gamers who the influential companies were in the 1990s SEGA would be in everybody's top three and most people's top two. I bet if you asked people that today SEGA would be in very few people's top ten.

Microsoft has known IPs with dev teams to back them up. I am sure MS would only buy the Sega properties and teams and the rest would go off as just Sammy like pre buy out. For MS there could be money from that as I am sure Sammy would still to use them for some projects.

I mean if I were Apple, Amazon, Google...I'd buy Sony Interactive from Sony and just continue to operate PlayStation as is while integrating and building up PS Now(or a re-branded solution) into the their data centers.

Fans would hate it but one of these mega corps leveraging the PlayStation brand while basically adopting Microsoft dual pronged approach of local + cloud would probably be successful.

It be a good way in but I don't think Japan would be happy with either of those companies buying Sony. I think it be more likely that Nintendo buys Sony Interactive . Sony itself is worth 55b and Nintendo is 95b.



However I think Apple has a big enough user base that they can force whatever they want down their users throats since they wont actually know any better. Amazon will just add a free tier to their service where you can stream x amount of hours and x amount of games most likely the ones they themselves made. Kinda like what they do with amazon music and books. They will funnel people into the paid editions through deals with big games and twitch.

 

[BRiT]

Amazon will just add a free tier to their service where you can stream x amount of hours and x amount of games most likely the ones they themselves made. Kinda like what they do with amazon music and books. They will funnel people into the paid editions through deals with big games and twitch.

It must have really chaffed Amazon that a large portion of their Twitch streams were basically commercials for Xbox Game Pass, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Ultimate. When they talk about how much or where the game is available at so many in chat say "Its free on Game Pass" to the point where hosts now lead with that. "This is free on Game Pass or if you want to spend $ separately its also on ...".

I am certain Amazon will have a free tier and funnel users towards the paid tiers. I wouldnt be surprised if they even tried to enforce silly rules like not being able to mention Sony or Microsoft. They could go full in like they did in their fight against Google, not selling any products from "competitors".

 

[iroboto]

Yup they should do like Sony. Make up for all the studios that Sony closed after they purchased them and focus their investments on creating and building new studios. I do believe that Sony have closed down more game studios than MS has.

Microsoft - as of 2018 (https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/0...happened-to-every-studio-microsoft-has-bought )

• FASA Studios
• Ensemble - goddamn you for closing Ensemble MS. GRRRRR.
• Digital Anvil
• Lionhead
• Press Play

The rest are still alive and either still with MS or no longer with MS.

Sony (didn't do much of a search but as of 2010 https://www.gamespot.com/forums/sys...losed-so-many-game-studios-this-gen-29363528/ )

• Game Republic
• Incognito Entertainment
• Relentless Sofware
• Bigbig Studios
• Zipper Interactive
• SCE Studio Liverpool
• Eat Sleep Play
• SuperBot Entertainment

There are some studios like 989 Studios who were acquired but still exist outside of Sony as well. There's also probably a better list somewhere if I spent the time to look, but I'm about to run out the door.

Yet somehow MS has the reputation for closing studios?

Regards,
SB

FASA??? Nooo you badgers!!!!

 

[Silent_Buddha]

How do you include four studios never owned by Sony yet miss Evolution Studios, creators of Motorstorm?

Sorry! I was quickly about to run out the door when I made that post. 100 floggings for me!

To make up for it, here's the list from Wikipedia.

• Bigbig Studios
• Evolution Studios
• Guerilla Cambridge
• Incognito Entertainment
• Manchester Studio
• Studio Liverpool
• Sony Online Entertainment
• Zipper Interactive

Regards,
SB

 

[eastmen]

It must have really chaffed Amazon that a large portion of their Twitch streams were basically commercials for Xbox Game Pass, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Ultimate. When they talk about how much or where the game is available at so many in chat say "Its free on Game Pass" to the point where hosts now lead with that. "This is free on Game Pass or if you want to spend $ separately its also on ...".

I am certain Amazon will have a free tier and funnel users towards the paid tiers. I wouldnt be surprised if they even tried to enforce silly rules like not being able to mention Sony or Microsoft. They could go full in like they did in their fight against Google, not selling any products from "competitors".

Yea , I also don't think you've seen the last of a streaming microsoft platform in terms of video content. I think it will spring out of game pass and xcloud

 

[Inuhanyou]

I disagree. I think Microsoft should buy up all the game dev studios.

Sarcasm? Sorry i cant tell because ive seen similar serious arguments elsewhere because "competition" or whatever. Like thats exact opposite of wanting competition. People be getting exposed recently as corporate astroturfers too quickly.

If that means games for everyone instead of tie it to one ecosystem, im all for it. Freedom of choice to the people and devs.

Uh. If ms owns "everything" than that is very definition of being tied to one ecosystem with no "choice" involved in anything, whether its consumer or developer. There is nothing commendable about that.

You probably mean tied to one hardware, which if sony continues putting games on pc that is kind of an irrelevant argument. That should go more for nintendo than anything. But i dont think anyone should expect the same kind of output from them if they were to be aquired by ms.

To begin with, saying one company should just become a dystopian nightmare because you want to play their games on pc seems....shortsighted...like really shortsighted.

 

[Xbat]

Compare Witness Naughty Dog on PS3 (three Uncharted games and The Last of Us) compared to Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy and The Last of Us 2. Now look at Insomniac Games who have two launch/launch windows games for PS5

What would be interesting did Naughty Dog generate more revenue during the PS3 era or the PS4 era. Uncharted 4 also ran into trouble which then slowed down the development of The Last of Us part 2.

They did also release The Last of Us remastered which apparently was not that straight forward a remaster.

Sony Santa Monica is where the big difference is regarding output compared to PS3.

Edit: also I feel people are are going way overboard about this Microsoft owning Zenimax, it's a good get and boosts there first party massively but people are going on like that it's the end of PlayStation.

Funnily enough there games that are actually near release are actually timed exclusive to PlayStation.

 

[fehu]

DOA Extreme Volleyball

I'm wondering if a game like this can still be made nowadays

 

[London Geezer]

So somewhere very deep in this thread I wrote that SEGA is basically meaningless as they've done nothing worth noting in ages, but then this weekend I started the first game that made me re-start my PS4 in weeks (and will probably be the only thing I play until I get my PS5), 13 Sentinels by Atlus, and then I remembered that SEGA publishes Atlus games and I freaking ADORE their games. I would die if I lost access to those games.