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

[Deleted member 11852]

@BRiT me either. I just accept this as a consequence. There are almost no choices without consequence and if you have to chose between platforms, putting games out of your reach is one of those consequences and them the breaks!

I would be surprised if Microsoft were looking at any further immediate acquisitions until the regulatory approval, with or without conditions, has been given for Zenimax.

 

[eastmen]

@BRiT me either. I just accept this as a consequence. There are almost no choices without consequence and if you have to chose between platforms, putting games out of your reach is one of those consequences and them the breaks!

I would be surprised if Microsoft were looking at any further immediate acquisitions until the regulatory approval, with or without conditions, has been given for Zenimax.

Microsoft is always looking at acquisitions. Some deals wrap up quickly others can take quarters and then regulatory stuff can make it take even longer.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Microsoft is always looking at acquisitions. Some deals wrap up quickly others can take quarters and then regulatory stuff can make it take even longer.

Poor language on my part, looking yes, making no. Unless they're much smaller acquisitions not requiring regulatory approval.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Poor language on my part, looking yes, making no. Unless they're much smaller acquisitions not requiring regulatory approval.

What acquisitions in gaming might require regulatory approval?

 

[eastmen]

Poor language on my part, looking yes, making no. Unless they're much smaller acquisitions not requiring regulatory approval.

I think they are currently purchasing something else. I posted about it a while ago and it went under the radar. I think it would go through a different regulatory body than bethesda

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

I think they are currently purchasing something else. I posted about it a while ago and it went under the radar. I think it would go through a different regulatory body than bethesda

What exactly?

 

[liams]

I think they are currently purchasing something else. I posted about it a while ago and it went under the radar. I think it would go through a different regulatory body than bethesda

Stab in the dark but is it square Enix Europe? The current baseless rumor is that Square Enix is selling Square Enix Europe to Ubisoft.
Not sure if that counts as something Eastern though.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Stab in the dark but is it square Enix Europe? The current baseless rumor is that Square Enix is selling Square Enix Europe to Ubisoft.
Not sure if that counts as something Eastern though.

But SEE is public no? If MS were purchasing something - everybody would know about that.

 

[liams]

But SEE is public no? If MS were purchasing something - everybody would know about that.

hmm, Square does a lot of mobile stuff now, they might package everything else up as a division and then sell the division wholesale to Microsoft, you wouldn't need to tell anyone about that If I understand correctly, because MS wouldn't be buying square, just a part of square. Dunno, stab in the dark anyway, the something eastern for $2B lines up though..... Square has a market cap of 1.26B atm, plus the premium, MS wouldn't be interested in the japan centric mobile devs so if they paid 2B for everything at square enix aside from the mobile stuff I could see square going for it.

Stab in the dark


EDIT:
Thinking more about it Microsoft might be really excited about the mobile stuff in japan, keep that stuff going as it is and use it as an avenue to sell gamepass and other services that a Japanese consumer would never have bought into before, mobile games might be Microsofts trojan horse into japan. All they would have to do is require a Microsoft account to login and they would have a higher Japanese user base than sony lol

 

[liams]

hmm, Square does a lot of mobile stuff now, they might package everything else up as a division and then sell the division wholesale to Microsoft, you wouldn't need to tell anyone about that If I understand correctly, because MS wouldn't be buying square, just a part of square. Dunno, stab in the dark anyway, the something eastern for $2B lines up though..... Square has a market cap of 1.26B atm, plus the premium, MS wouldn't be interested in the japan centric mobile devs so if they paid 2B for everything at square enix aside from the mobile stuff I could see square going for it.

Scratch that square enix has a market cap of ~6B, I saw an incorrect market cap figure for them

 

[liams]

Eastmen, if you don't mind me asking..
You've made some hints here and there about acquisitions you think Microsoft are going to make,
the most recent was $2 B for something eastern, and the other was that you thought Microsoft were looking at someone else at $10 B and someone at around $5B

Is the $2B for something eastern the $5B acquisition you were referring too? or are Microsoft pursuing 3 separate billion-dollar acquisitions in gaming from what your hearing?
And could you clarify if something eastern means a studio/publisher in Asia? I just ask because Phil said that he saw Russia/Eastern Europe as an area of potential growth, which is why the got STALKER 2 going. Something Eastern could mean Eastern European, not just Japan/Asia


Thanks for the clarification, I enjoy wildly speculating

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

EDIT:
Thinking more about it Microsoft might be really excited about the mobile stuff in japan, keep that stuff going as it is and use it as an avenue to sell gamepass and other services that a Japanese consumer would never have bought into before, mobile games might be Microsofts trojan horse into japan. All they would have to do is require a Microsoft account to login and they would have a higher Japanese user base than sony lol

Mobile in Japan is all about mindlessly repetitive games that heavily rely on the "gatcha" concept, people wasting money on in-game items. Those people don't care about Xbox or pc.

Besides, MS already has Minecraft which, at lest with the younger crowd, seems to be somewhat popular in Japan. I see kids playing from time to time and there is merch in stores etc.

MS problem in Japan doesn't seem to be only game related either. I've been looking into it a bit as I'm considering getting a series x but I've read that MS doesn't even do basic stuff like listing language/localization information on their store front.

 

[PSman1700]

Mobile in Japan is all about mindlessly repetitive games that heavily rely on the "gatcha" concept, people wasting money on in-game items. Those people don't care about Xbox or pc.

Besides, MS already has Minecraft which, at lest with the younger crowd, seems to be somewhat popular in Japan. I see kids playing from time to time and there is merch in stores etc.

MS problem in Japan doesn't seem to be only game related either. I've been looking into it a bit as I'm considering getting a series x but I've read that MS doesn't even do basic stuff like listing language/localization information on their store front.

Slightly offtopic but, how is Apple/iphone doing in Japan? Playstation and Nintendo are japanese so i could imagine them going first there.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Slightly offtopic but, how is Apple/iphone doing in Japan? Playstation and Nintendo are japanese so i could imagine them going first there.

The iPhone is doing quite well there now, but it struggled for the first few years. The first year there was only one carrier that took a chance on the iPhone and it was so unpopular that they ended up mostly giving away the iPhone for free to get people to use it.

Japanese phone makers were slow to release really good Android phones which gave iPhone the opening it needed. If the Japanese phone makers had been quicker to release really good Android phones, then it's possible iPhone never would have gotten off the ground.

Regards,
SB

 

[zed]

Slightly offtopic but, how is Apple/iphone doing in Japan? Playstation and Nintendo are japanese so i could imagine them going first there.

Apple has its highest marketshare in the world there
https://www.pcmag.com/news/ios-more-popular-in-japan-and-us-android-dominates-in-china-and-india
China is lower than I thought though

 

[PSman1700]

Apple has its highest marketshare in the world there
https://www.pcmag.com/news/ios-more-popular-in-japan-and-us-android-dominates-in-china-and-india
China is lower than I thought though

Wow, expected everyone to run around with Sony phones there

 

[orangpelupa]

Mobile in Japan is all about mindlessly repetitive games that heavily rely on the "gatcha" concept, people wasting money on in-game items. Those people don't care about Xbox or pc.

Besides, MS already has Minecraft which, at lest with the younger crowd, seems to be somewhat popular in Japan. I see kids playing from time to time and there is merch in stores etc.

MS problem in Japan doesn't seem to be only game related either. I've been looking into it a bit as I'm considering getting a series x but I've read that MS doesn't even do basic stuff like listing language/localization information on their store front.

Makes me wonder, does "gatcha" came from "gotcha"?

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Makes me wonder, does "gatcha" came from "gotcha"?

It comes from the sound those vending machines make.

The iPhone is doing quite well there now, but it struggled for the first few years. The first year there was only one carrier that took a chance on the iPhone and it was so unpopular that they ended up mostly giving away the iPhone for free to get people to use it.

Japanese phone makers were slow to release really good Android phones which gave iPhone the opening it needed. If the Japanese phone makers had been quicker to release really good Android phones, then it's possible iPhone never would have gotten off the ground.

Regards,
SB

I don't remember the iPhones struggling particularly compared to other smartphones. Maybe it did against the galakei's but that isn't too surprising since those things weren't that bad. You had proper(ish) email, walled garden internet, TV etc. even on the really cheap models. And all the RGB you'd ever need before RGB was a thing. Though I was a poor student at the time so its not like I paid too much attention to it.

Reacting quickly isn't exactly what I expect out of corporate Japan so no there never really was any chance of it playing out different than it did.

 

[orangpelupa]

Btw isn't Sony still making awesome phones as usual? Why it was beaten by apple?

The reason I stopped buying Sony phones was because its as expensive as apple BUT with ridiculously hideous customer service.

I assume in Japan those two issue was non issue.

 

[Rurouni]

Btw isn't Sony still making awesome phones as usual? Why it was beaten by apple?

The reason I stopped buying Sony phones was because its as expensive as apple BUT with ridiculously hideous customer service.

I assume in Japan those two issue was non issue.

I think one of the factor is a lot of Japanese people like branded stuff and Apple product is considered as branded. While in other country Sony can be considered a good brand, for Japanese people it is just your everyday stuff. Combined with the fact that most Japanese brand is expensive, then you have this everyday brand stuff that is expensive vs a "brand" that is actually attainable (expensive but a high brand).
Also initially iPhone wasn't popular there because it lacked a lot of feature used by Japanese, but SoftBank (initial iPhone partner in Japan) boss managed to convinced Apple (I believe he was close to Steove Jobs) to add those features necessary for the Japanese market, thus it soon takeoff after the adjustment have been made.

Of course it helped that they priced iPhone relatively low vs other countries. Not sure for the latest iPhone, but until iPhone 11, I believe Japan has the lowest priced iPhone in Asia.