Microsoft acquires ZeniMax Media (Bethesda, id Software, Arkane + 5 more) [2020-09-21, 2021-03-09]

[Rurouni]

Seriously? All we have heard the last 7 years is that Sony has the best exclusives & that's why they buy their console. PS owners only want exclusives & they don't want their games on PCs or other consoles. They definitely want Sony to answer with their own acquisition.

Tommy McClain

Like I've wrote before, I don't mind exclusive if it's something not a continuation from previous a previous game that is available on the other platform. What is a wrong thing to do, imo, is making a sequel not available on the other platform. Like if they make Dishonored 3 and not making it available on PS, that should be criticized. As a consumer, I don't want to see a future where multiplatform sequels/franchises ended up only available on one console.

 

[Nesh]

You do realize that Spider-Man was a multiplatform property for decades?

Thats another case. Still not a franchise that will indefinitely exist on Playstation and it is just a tiny piece of the Marvel universe. Same for Street Fighter.
So the severity of this is far less than acquiring huge studios with a history of heavy hitter popular franchises that saw their way in multiplatform since their creation.
You are actually destroying competition by preventing what is available in their platforms instead of increasing your own offerings.

 

[RobertR1]

Thats another case. Still not a franchise that will indefinitely exist on Playstation and it is just a tiny piece of the Marvel universe. Same for Street Fighter.
So the severity of this is far less than acquiring huge studios with a history of heavy hitter popular franchises that saw their way in multiplatform since their creation.
You are actually destroying competition by preventing what is available in their platforms instead of increasing your own offerings.

Tough shit. The amount of stupid fuckin list wars and tired tropes about exclusives I’ve heard about since I’ve been on here can make up a notable percentage of the console forum. So go through your many stages of denial and suck it up. People literally watch E3 with their dick in hand ready to stroke to the sounds of some exclusive the competition won’t get because their team paid out more.

It’s the same thing btw. One company is intentionally depriving the competitions user base from content they used to have access to.

Also, those wondering how history will judge this purchase. It only looks big because its public facing products. B2B focused companies are bought and absorbed all the time. No one in the business world really cares because it’s not built around fanboyism and tribal mindsets.

 

[Nesh]

Tough shit. The amount of stupid fuckin list wars and tired tropes about exclusives I’ve heard about since I’ve been on here can make up a notable percentage of the console forum. So go through your many stages of denial and suck it up. People literally watch E3 with their dick in hand ready to stroke to the sounds of some exclusive the competition won’t get because their team paid out more.

It’s the same thing btw. One company is intentionally depriving the competitions user base from content they used to have access to.

Also, those wondering how history will judge this purchase. It only looks big because its public facing products. B2B focused companies are bought and absorbed all the time. No one in the business world really cares because it’s not built around fanboyism and tribal mindsets.

Can you elaborate your attitude towards my post and what you are trying to say?
I am not sure if I am reading it correctly

 

[Deleted member 11852]

But now MS will have an in house engine that they can iterate on , add in their own technologies and and license it out to other companies. I think projects further in development will continue to use other engines.

I'm sure - just like Sony - Microsoft have a variety of engines used by their games. Even before this acquisition.

 

[cheapchips]

I'm sure - just like Sony - Microsoft have a variety of engines used by their games. Even before this acquisition.

I do think it's a bit naive to assume all of MS's current engines are replaced by Id Tech. Bethesda haven't managed to or had the desire to do that themselves.

 

[Rurouni]

The thing comparing it to Spiderman is that I doubt people have attachment to the game prior to the Insomniac Spiderman. It is like if someone bought the IP for Superman game and make it exclusive (and good!), I don't really mind that (I'm not 100% okay with that) since I don't have(and I doubt most of the people have) any attachment to the previous Superman games. Attachment to the franchise as a whole? maybe. To the game? probably not. The situation is different with something like Doom, Fallout, etc. Like honesty, if you are someone neutral and don't like Sony making Spiderman an exclusive, you probably should hate what MS doing right now a lot more if they keep Bethesda existing multiplatform franchise/IP exclusive to their platform. But what I'm seeing is that some people are cheering for MS especially if they make those existing franchise exclusive to MS platform.
If this escalates, like Sony is suddenly acquiring multiplatform IPs, I'm pretty sure nobody wants that except for the hardcore Sony fans.

I'm sad.

 

[RobertR1]

MS has two platforms you can play their games on. Console and PC. If you must only play your games on Sony hardware, then you'll be limited. That's how it rolls.

 

[Rurouni]

MS has two platforms you can play their games on. Console and PC. If you must only play your games on Sony hardware, then you'll be limited. That's how it rolls.

That is not an excuse to lock games previously available on the competing platform. It is still not something people (from a gamer perspective, not business perspective) should encourage a company to do.
Of course we still don't know exactly what MS strategy is regarding to it. There are hints here and there but probably we won't know for sure until at least the deal is closed on mid 2021 the earliest.
I definitely don't want people to feel something like when Bayonetta 2 become a Nintendo exclusive. I know that it was Nintendo money that allowed the development to happen, but still, it was a really unpleasant announcement.

 

[fehu]

MS has two platforms you can play their games on. Console and PC.

Unless Microfsoft acquires Valve, Epic and EA, pc is not one of their gaming platform.

 

[Daozang]

I guess if they wanted to stay in the game, a move like that was inevitable.
If they don't go the EA route, and start closing studios left and right, then I'm OK with it.
Basically, MS games, are, at least right now, PC games by default, so no problems with me there!
This puts tremendous pressure on Sony.
It's their turn to prove their console can provide a comparable value.
And they cannot do it the same way MS does, as in buy everything on their path.
As a side note,
The whole thing, in my opinion, puts the Avengers - Spiderman "controversy" into perspective.

 

[RobertR1]

Unless Microfsoft acquires Valve, Epic and EA, pc is not one of their gaming platform.

It's a platform they're distributing their games on. Use common sense.

 

[PSman1700]

Tough shit. The amount of stupid fuckin list wars and tired tropes about exclusives I’ve heard about since I’ve been on here can make up a notable percentage of the console forum. So go through your many stages of denial and suck it up. People literally watch E3 with their dick in hand ready to stroke to the sounds of some exclusive the competition won’t get because their team paid out more.

It’s the same thing btw. One company is intentionally depriving the competitions user base from content they used to have access to.

Also, those wondering how history will judge this purchase. It only looks big because its public facing products. B2B focused companies are bought and absorbed all the time. No one in the business world really cares because it’s not built around fanboyism and tribal mindsets.

Agree, and users backfire to it (like i do). This whole console supriority is never a good thing. I can imagine MS iaint done yet with buying studios. Lets hope they dont go the sony route and keep their games tied to a single platform, limiting graphics and tech or create movie games.

 

[zed]

Also, those wondering how history will judge this purchase. It only looks big because its public facing products. B2B focused companies are bought and absorbed all the time. No one in the business world really cares because it’s not built around fanboyism and tribal mindsets.

I think it bearly rates a mention in the business press cause Bethesda is not really a big game company (not in top 10), if it was EA, activision, take 2 etc then it would of made the news

My take is, I guess Halo is now gonna be made by id behind the scenes, expect it to look a lot better in 6 months.
They prolly paid double what they could of paid, but MS has a lot of money, so I dont think they mind too much.
Certainly a lot better investment than some of their other things they have spent billions on

 

[Nesh]

Agree, and users backfire to it (like i do). This whole console supriority is never a good thing. I can imagine MS iaint done yet with buying studios. Lets hope they dont go the sony route and keep their games tied to a single platform, limiting graphics and tech or create movie games.

Sony bought decades long multiplatform franchises and made them their own, limited graphics and made them into movie games?
Is this turning to some fanboyish bitter payback discussion?

 

[PSman1700]

Sony bought decades long multiplatform franchises and made them their own, limited graphics and made them into movie games?

It doesnt matter how titles became tied to one company/platform, aside from that, Spiderman was a multiplatform game before, as an example.
Sony wants exclusives because it ties people to their PS platform. For many, theres no reason to own a PS if those titles didnt appear exclusively there.

Now MS buys up high quality studios, perhaps to gain the same thing.

Is this turning to some fanboyish discussion?

Where you here when MS announced cross-gen?

 

[RobertR1]

Agree, and users backfire to it (like i do). This whole console supriority is never a good thing. I can imagine MS iaint done yet with buying studios. Lets hope they dont go the sony route and keep their games tied to a single platform, limiting graphics and tech or create movie games.

MS' main goal, like their cloud platforms is a software as a services tied to a subscription model. They'll do whatever is necessary to make that work. The xbox and pc just happen to be conduits to absorb that services.

Hypothetically, let's say Sony allowed you to run your xbox subscription on their service. Immediately, MS would be open to that idea as the Sony HW platform simply becomes another means of expanding the service.

Their end goal is isn't selling X amount of boxes. That's just a necessity today to push the subscriptions.

 

[PSman1700]

MS' main goal, like their cloud platforms is a software as a services tied to a subscription model. They'll do whatever is necessary to make that work. The xbox and pc just happen to be conduits to absorb that services.

Hypothetically, let's say Sony allowed you to run your xbox subscription on their service. Immediately, MS would be open to that idea as the Sony HW platform simply becomes another means of expanding the service.

Their end goal is isn't selling X amount of boxes. That's just a necessity today to push the subscriptions.

Yes, i think that kind of model is the future, everything is stearing in that direction. Users and games being tied to static hardware for every 7 years is the old model. Even Sony is working on their own PS subscribtion platform, and bringing more to pc (experimenting with it).

Even with that said, i think selling boxes as another option to enjoy titles is still a good thing, the XSX offers an impressive value, i def want one for the living room, much smaller then my CM cosmos pc build.

 

[Tkumpathenurple]

This is potentially terrible news, as I may be unable to play, yet again, the first 15 minutes of Skyrim on my PS5. NOOOOOOO!

It's a good get on Microsoft's part. I don't know if it would be the most wise move to restrict a lot of content to PCXB, as they would now be able to have their cake and eat it: first party games release day 1 on gamepass, but they're available to buy on other platforms.

It doesn't really effect me, because the only Bethesda game to have truly grabbed me in the last few years was Wolfenstein. I'll miss it if it goes exclusive to PCXB, but there's already so much content out there that I could dedicate a hundred lifetimes to imbibing it, and just barely scratch the surface.

I do worry that this may set off a chain reaction. And this forum's going to get even uglier with even double-ier standards.

Also, those wondering how history will judge this purchase. It only looks big because its public facing products. B2B focused companies are bought and absorbed all the time. No one in the business world really cares because it’s not built around fanboyism and tribal mindsets.

That's not really a fair assessment. Monopolisation is a real problem across most industries that effects everyone in varying capacities. Some people in the business world don't care because they're making out like bandits. But honest entrepreneurs - who are trying to make their own sustainable business rather than build something that looks good enough to be bought by some hungry eyed venture capital firm - aren't too keen on the landscape of "fail and/or be purchased."

A lot of drama around this acquisition is overblown, but I think that's born of the fear that it may eventually lead to a similar landscape. But that eventuality has a lot of interim steps that will need to take place over a long period of time, and there's plenty of other shit to worry about between now and then.

 

[Deleted member 7537]

Sony bought decades long multiplatform franchises and made them their own, limited graphics and made them into movie games?
Is this turning to some fanboyish bitter payback discussion?

People think back at the PS2 era and talk about money hatting, when the reality is that PS2 ammounted for 75% of the consoles sold that gen. For some 3rd party publishers it was just not worth the effort to publish on other platforms.

PSX also managed to get a lot of exclusives due to the licensing structure thanks to the CD tech, which was way more profitable for publishers than what Nintendo offered.