Microsoft rumored to be buying...... [2020-04, 2020-07, 2020-11]

[Silent_Buddha]

This might be from the interview I posted in the XSX thread.

He actually also said he's not in all meetings taking place, so sounds like he's staying he wouldn't categorize it in the manner its being portrayed.

I'll add it here also

Finally taking the time to listen to this as I do other work and there's one thing I REALLY like about Phil Spencer that came up in this. And it's got nothing to do with how he's managed to turn around what appeared to be a MS division spiraling down towards insignificance. It's got nothing to do with how he's refocused MS gaming on PC again as it was prior to X360 or even OG Xbox. It's got nothing to do with how they are acquiring studios to have a stronger internal lineup of titles.

That thing that really impresses me is that he's always taking the blame for any missteps. He never throws any of his teams under the bus. In this particular case, he is personally taking the blame for how Halo: Infinite was shown and how it disappointed many people.

This is something that is always nice to see from the person in charge. The easy thing is to lay the blame elsewhere whether deserved or not, but Phil never does that (or at least never in the interviews with him that I've seen or read). I imagine this at least partially helps keep morale up in the various 1st party studios and potentially encourages people to do better. Even if the management over at 343i is a potential clusterfuck, the people toiling away in the virtual programming trenches at least have to feel that Phil has got their back to some extent. Basically, it could potentially be a lot worse to work at 343i if the programmers there thought that Phil was tossing them under the bus.

[edit] Also, an interesting almost stat from the video. Most of the people in S. Korea that have a GamePass membership play games not on console or PC, but on their phones through Xcloud. Considering how PC gaming is relatively huge there compared to console gaming, I was a bit surprised by this. But then I guess gaming on phones is even larger. This also has interesting connotations for possible inroads in China and Japan.

Regards,
SB

 

[Deleted member 11852]

That thing that really impresses me is that he's always taking the blame for any missteps. He never throws any of his teams under the bus. In this particular case, he is personally taking the blame for how Halo: Infinite was shown and how it disappointed many people.

I'm sure Phil Spencer kicks arse when it needs to be done but management 101 (and many seem to miss that class) is not managing in public and taking personal responsibility.

As the person heading up the team, the division, the directorate or the organisation (i.e. wherever you fit into a structure), you are responsible for the people under you, and you are responsible for them to the people above. Utimately this all funnels upwards. This the 'the buck stops here' mentality and it's a good one. So kudos to Phil Spencer for demonstrating this because it seems to be something of a rarity in larger organisations these days.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Regarding Sega. Does Sega has gaming studios - aside from some western and Atlus?

 

[Johnny Awesome]

The main problem with Sega is that beyond IPs like Sonic, they don't have much in the way of dev studios, unlike SE which could have GamePass games up within a year. Sega might still be worth the price though.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

The main problem with Sega is that beyond IPs like Sonic, they don't have much in the way of dev studios, unlike SE which could have GamePass games up within a year. Sega might still be worth the price though.

Uh, excuse me? The following development studios would like to say hello.

• Relic Entertainment - currently working on Age of Empires IV for MS
• Creative Assembly - beyond their Total War series, they also made Halo Wars 2 for MS
• Amplitude Studios - incredibly talented 4x game dev, but I love their Dungeon of the Endless game more.
• Hardlight
• Two Point Studios
• Sports Interactive - never heard of them, they make Football (Soccer for Americans) management games.

Potentially just as important are the studios that they publish games for. Studios such as Platinum Games and Monolith. If MS were to acquire Sega's publishing arm and leave them largely autonomous that gives them quite a bit of leverage in Japan.

There's also Atlus which has some very influential Japanese IP (Shin Megami Tensei series in which the Persona series is set) as well as publishing ties to some popular niche Japanese software houses. Again, if MS acquires this with Sega and leaves it mostly autonomous that would potentially be huge.

IMO - If Microsoft's intention is to get a foothold in Japan, acquiring Sega's game publishing arms and leaving them mostly autonomous could be potentially bigger than acquiring any other Japanese game studio/publisher. Niche titles is where you get those really rabid fervent fans. It doesn't help you as much outside of Japan, but MS has already acquired a ton of studios for the Western markets.

Additionally, Sega's internal studios are a good fit for what MS wants (PC and console development). Of course, the concern here is that if MS ends up with TOO many studios, it could become unwieldly. Here having mostly autonomous publishing arms like Atlus and Sega would be helpful. Have them organized as subsidiaries of MS so that MS doesn't need to directly manage them. Similar to Sega having Atlus as a subsidiary that operates mostly independently.

Regards,
SB

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Microsoft is a game developers with a lot of old IP. SEGA is a publisher with a lot of old IP. I really want Microsoft to be looking at bringing new IP. Not all old IP is bad, games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout are old but they're not franchises where games are trotted out every couple of years.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

MS really needs to purchase something. I want some news.

 

[liams]

Another hat in the sega would be a good idea ring,
If you look at microsofts strategy they are locking down genres, if you are a fan of RPGs, well unless your content with CDPR's 5 year cycle of RPG development you have to interact with microsoft products in someway, same with non-military shooters, I cant think of a non military FPS that isnt fortnite that microsoft doesnt own.
So thats why I think sega is a good fit, not because they are japanese, but because they have so many strategy game studios, like relic and creative assembly, etc etc. This fits into microsofts purchasing pattern, they get to pretty much lock down, or at the very least get a decent portion of the strategy game market.

Also there is a lot of IP that they could use in the strategy genre, I think a version of age of empires 4 with elder scrolls / tamriel theming would be awesome, introduce some player vs enemy stuff, maybe a dragon guarding a particularly rich gold deposit or something like that. It might introduce an element of force cooperation in an otherwise straightforward vs game.

Of course the japanese stuff that sega does is an obvious (giant) cherry on top.
IF they purchased sega I would expect them to keep everything japanese multiplatform to be honest, or maybe no playstation version, but you can stream it to your switch. xbox's position in japan is bad enough without pissing a bunch of fans off.


I could see them making a defensive purchase in japan, for example Square Enix, keep it all multi platform, but sony couldn't buy final fantasy exclusivity ever again. Plus you could do Xcloud promotions, like people in Japan with gamepass ultimate get to play it a month early or something.

that or say F it and get EA I guess ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

IF they purchased sega I would expect them to keep everything japanese multiplatform to be honest, or maybe no playstation version, but you can stream it to your switch. xbox's position in japan is bad enough without pissing a bunch of fans off.

It all boils down to how XCloud will fare in Japan. MS just cannot cut PS platform, unless XCloud makes numbers. Looking at current Yakuza numbers for Xbox japanese games just don't sell on Xbox.

for example Square Enix

I doubt it. How many SE Japanese games came to Xbox anyway? They don't really have strong relationship.

that or say F it and get EA I guess

Between Activision, T2, Ubisoft, EA I think MS has closer relations with EA. Ubisoft seems to be closer to Playstation though. T2 and Activision - hard to say. It seems Activision drifts to PS also.

Xbox has always been shooter platform, but it seems PS is gonna take its crown (if not already). And recent XSX performance issues there does not help Xbox. Xbox has always been some american console or something - racing, WRPG, sports game, shooters.

 

[eastmen]

It all boils down to how XCloud will fare in Japan. MS just cannot cut PS platform, unless XCloud makes numbers. Looking at current Yakuza numbers for Xbox japanese games just don't sell on Xbox.


I doubt it. How many SE Japanese games came to Xbox anyway? They don't really have strong relationship.


Between Activision, T2, Ubisoft, EA I think MS has closer relations with EA. Ubisoft seems to be closer to Playstation though. T2 and Activision - hard to say. It seems Activision drifts to PS also.

Xbox has always been shooter platform, but it seems PS is gonna take its crown (if not already). And recent XSX performance issues there does not help Xbox. Xbox has always been some american console or something - racing, WRPG, sports game, shooters.

Microsoft has enough money and there would be a large enough western fan base for MS to to buy a few small japanese companies or a large one and release games even if the Japanese sales base isn't there at first or at all.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Microsoft has enough money and there would be a large enough western fan base for MS to to buy a few small japanese companies or a large one and release games even if the Japanese sales base isn't there at first or at all.

Looking at the current Yakuza numbers - I bet on PS it would be at least in the top 10, unlike the current top 20.
Not everything can be bought with money. Like Zune or Windows Phone. Just money is not enough.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

You guys have convinced me that Sega would be a good acquisition. I also like the idea of MS allowing multiplatform titles that are free on GamePass. Pay $70 on PS5 or get it "free" on GamePass a week early.

 

[manux]

If I was microsoft I would figure out a way to buy ip off of konami or outright buy konami. Konami has tons of stuff that could be turned into pure gold. In microsoft case best would be to just buy a very long exclusivity to certain konami IP's. Then either hire or contract to get the games done.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

You guys have convinced me that Sega would be a good acquisition. I also like the idea of MS allowing multiplatform titles that are free on GamePass. Pay $70 on PS5 or get it "free" on GamePass a week early.

No, I think allowing games to come to PS5 is bad, because - considering gaming habits - they won't go to GamePass to get the games. They will buy a game on PS5. It also indirectly helps PS to sell more consoles. Personally I would go for the aggressive route with making everything exclusive on GamePass. Also I would purchase Valve.

If I was microsoft I would figure out a way to buy ip off of konami or outright buy konami. Konami has tons of stuff that could be turned into pure gold. In microsoft case best would be to just buy a very long exclusivity to certain konami IP's. Then either hire or contract to get the games done.

Yeah, I also toyed with that idea...It is possible, but I am not sure if MS will do that. They need a lot of teams for that - but the first they need more japanese developers. Maybe turn Tango frameworks into a bigger studio or something...They need bigger presence in Japan. I even toyed with idea of like Microsoft Sega or something. Microsoft brand is stronger in Japan than Xbox anyway.

I think MS will gain a lot of if it continues a friendship with Nintendo.

 

[liams]

After reading the transcript of an interview with the CFO of xbox (link below) I think I am changing my tack slightly with how I think microsoft is going to go about acquisitions. In the interview xbox CFO Tim stuart talks about setting up a reliable content pipeline, and that (paraphrasing) thats the sort of company that they would be looking for. He specifically mentioned how they want developers who are experienced at meeting a ship date, this makes the acquisition of obsidian/inxile/Double Fine make more sense just beyond the genre talent, these are companies that have had to be 'scrappy' with their resources, and have a lot of experience meeting a ship date, because prior to being brought they would have gone out of business/lost contracts etc.

So who are the companies that are good at this
1. experienced, but underfunded studios, like obsidian/inxile etc
2. job shop outsourcing companies, like Sumo Digital, that have experience both as a support studio for other first party studios, and as full game producers
3. Publishers


I dont think there are many of number 1 left, I guess IO interactive maybe, Asobo possibly?
for 2 I dont know enough about the companies that do this sort of work, although I am surprised Microsoft hasn't purchased a decent sized support studio yet, seems a bit of a no brainer
for 3 It almost makes sense to go big, and leave it running as is.
Say for example ms bought EA, ms could sell it to its shareholders as an investment into the rapidly growing gaming market, and a key enabler of game pass. Leave all the content as it is, on all platforms. but have companion games to the larger ones. For example whatever star wars game respawn is doing next will be multi platform, but the awesome side quest story game is exclusive to xbox platforms. To use an analogy, the star wars movies are on everything, but the mandalorian is xbox exclusive

Microsoft certainly have the first mover advantage, and it almost makes too much sense to 'overshoot' the studio acquisitions, by the time you know you need them they will be worth 50% more and there will be even more interested buyers, find out you've got too many? if its a publisher too far you could either sell it as is or relist it on the stock market, the gaming markets gone up, probably more or less making up for whatever premium was paid to acquire the company, and everyone's happy



https://seekingalpha.com/article/43...interactive-entertainment-virtual?part=single

 

[see colon]

Yeah, I also toyed with that idea...It is possible, but I am not sure if MS will do that. They need a lot of teams for that - but the first they need more japanese developers. Maybe turn Tango frameworks into a bigger studio or something...They need bigger presence in Japan. I even toyed with idea of like Microsoft Sega or something. Microsoft brand is stronger in Japan than Xbox anyway.

Every Castlvania and Metal Gear game that's on 360 is already backwards compatible, there isn't any work there to do. So maybe you dust off the OG Xbox Castlevanias (the only Metal Gear game is on the HD Collection already), and the Contra games, and you have months of new releases for gamepass. After that, you could maybe do some vintage stuff, and then you have to have teams build new games of the purchase doesn't make any sense. They would be better off giving Konami some cash, licensing all that stuff, and having some sort of stipulation that new Konami games have to appear on Xbox platforms so they don't get shut out of a MGS4 type release.

 

[Eolirin]

Every Castlvania and Metal Gear game that's on 360 is already backwards compatible, there isn't any work there to do. So maybe you dust off the OG Xbox Castlevanias (the only Metal Gear game is on the HD Collection already), and the Contra games, and you have months of new releases for gamepass. After that, you could maybe do some vintage stuff, and then you have to have teams build new games of the purchase doesn't make any sense. They would be better off giving Konami some cash, licensing all that stuff, and having some sort of stipulation that new Konami games have to appear on Xbox platforms so they don't get shut out of a MGS4 type release.

Konami doesn't seem interested in making new games. I don't think you can do a partnership.

And the issue for either company would be the same, they'd need to build new teams to make games and that takes years. It wouldn't fit MS's purchasing patterns, but there is a value to the IP. I could see them making a play for that IP at some point, but I can't see it making sense until they've already got a foothold in the Japanese development community. It's the sort of thing you do after you've got teams from having purchased someone else.

 

[see colon]

Konami doesn't seem interested in making new games. I don't think you can do a partnership.

And the issue for either company would be the same, they'd need to build new teams to make games and that takes years. It wouldn't fit MS's purchasing patterns, but there is a value to the IP. I could see them making a play for that IP at some point, but I can't see it making sense until they've already got a foothold in the Japanese development community. It's the sort of thing you do after you've got teams from having purchased someone else.

Yeah, that's sort of what I'm saying. There isn't any real development teams there, you are essentially getting IP. And most of that already works thanks the the BC team, so yeah, you get some games to put on gamepass. But there isn't really a reason to purchase Konami to get that, just license the games if you really want Metal Gear and Castlevania on Gamepass, and maybe put in stipulations for new games if they happen.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

If you look at microsofts strategy they are locking down genres, if you are a fan of RPGs, well unless your content with CDPR's 5 year cycle of RPG development

CD Projekt Red and Bethesda Game Studios are competing on who can release the least amount of RPGs in any given time. And Bethesda are winning!

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

CD Projekt Red and Bethesda Game Studios are competing on who can release the least amount of RPGs in any given time. And Bethesda are winning!

Bethesda is not producing games. It produces lives.