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

[Deleted member 11852]

I thought it was very evident when the first quarterly statement from Minecraft was more than what Microsoft would have gotten from the $2 Billion just sitting unused in a bank account that couldn't be pulled into the US without excessive Tax Penalties.

I didn't follow this? What statement from Minecraft?

 

[Johnny Awesome]

In what universe has Insomniac not been a huge win for Sony?

Seriously, MS is also developing their own IPs, but buying Doom, Fallout and Elder Scrolls will prove smart strategy in the end IMO.

 

[see colon]

Microsoft get $20 off a $20 sale when they are the retailer and the game is on their platform (so no licensing fees). That isn't the case for Nintendo and Sony ecosystems.

MSRP for Minecraft on all platforms is $29.99. When you factor in sales (as in discounts or promotions) and licensing fees on most platforms (android, ios, Switch, 3DS, Amazon Fire, PS3, PS4, and now PS5 are about 30%, right?) and the lack of fees on their own platforms (PC, Xbox, java) I would imagine they end up at about $20 each. But DLC is also a large revenue stream. Remember that the current bedrock versions have both DLC in the form of resource packs and the like, but minecoins and realms as a way to generate sales.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

MSRP for Minecraft on all platforms is $29.99. When you factor in sales (as in discounts or promotions) and licensing fees on most platforms (android, ios, Switch, 3DS, Amazon Fire, PS3, PS4, and now PS5 are about 30%, right?) and the lack of fees on their own platforms (PC, Xbox, java) I would imagine they end up at about $20 each. But DLC is also a large revenue stream. Remember that the current bedrock versions have both DLC in the form of resource packs and the like, but minecoins and realms as a way to generate sales.

With the exception of the the Epic store, the digital retailer cut on Xbox, PSN, iOS and Steam is around 30%, for console platforms like PlayStation and Switch there is around a 15% licensing fee. The B&M retail is also 30%. Minecraft is £12.99 on PSN.

In what universe has Insomniac not been a huge win for Sony?

Perhaps you didn't see my previous post on this, Sony can't possibly have recouped their recent investment this far and don't forget Miles Morales and the upcoming Ratchet & Clank game will have been commissioned under contract just all Spider-Man (2018) and every other Ratchet & Clank game. But its easy to look back and see what good a developer has done, now go read my previous post and look at all the devs that Sony acquired then closed down. Look all at the devs EA have bought and closed, look at all the devs Microsoft have bought and closed.

Not everything works out and not all acquisitions are good. Folks here tend to take a very simplest flat view of acquisitors, i.e. they paid X and got X+2 but investors look at things differently, like if they had spent X on something else, they may have got X+100. It's not just about making a profit, it's about maximising your investment and getting the most profit.

 

[liams]

With the exception of the the Epic store, the digital retailer cut on Xbox, PSN, iOS and Steam is around 30%, for console platforms like PlayStation and Switch there is around a 15% licensing fee. The B&M retail is also 30%. Minecraft is £12.99 on PSN.



Perhaps you didn't see my previous post on this, Sony can't possibly have recouped their recent investment this far and don't forget Miles Morales and the upcoming Ratchet & Clank game will have been commissioned under contract just all Spider-Man (2018) and every other Ratchet & Clank game. But its easy to look back and see what good a developer has done, now go read my previous post and look at all the devs that Sony acquired then closed down. Look all at the devs EA have bought and closed, look at all the devs Microsoft have bought and closed.

Not everything works out and not all acquisitions are good. Folks here tend to take a very simplest flat view of acquisitors, i.e. they paid X and got X+2 but investors look at things differently, like if they had spent X on something else, they may have got X+100. It's not just about making a profit, it's about maximising your investment and getting the most profit.

For what its worth I think its fair to say that sony purchasing insomniac is as close to a sure thing as possible, in any practical sense they were a second party sony studio, even having done sunset overdrive and the VR stuff. I would be extremely surprised to find that insomniac doesn't work out for them, especially considering the purchase price of irrc $229m.

I really want to know how much Microsoft paid to acquire playground games, which, imo has a similar importance to xbox that insomniac did to PlayStation, just to make a comparison

On the Microsoft side, I don't think we will see any studio closures from here on out, with the exception of something egregious happening. Matt booty has talked about how they have learned from Bungie and the other studio closures and that he is only on board with the acquisitions if they have a pre-agreed separation agreement. The twisted pixel acquisition was, if I'm remembering correctly, the first acquisition that he was involved in and they separated from xbox without any issues in 2015. I think this is a big part of why studios like double fine and Obsidian, that both valued independence and had been burned by Microsoft in some way in the past were ok with getting acquired.

 

[see colon]

With the exception of the the Epic store, the digital retailer cut on Xbox, PSN, iOS and Steam is around 30%, for console platforms like PlayStation and Switch there is around a 15% licensing fee. The B&M retail is also 30%. Minecraft is £12.99 on PSN.

Huh, looks like you can buy just minecraft on PSN. On Windows and Xbox you have to buy the starter edition that comes with some resource packs and coins for $29.99. Also, to totally scuttle my $20 argument, the android and FireOS releases are $7, and I would assume the iOS version is the same.

 

[BRiT]

On Windows and Xbox you have to buy the starter edition that comes with some resource packs and coins for $29.99.

No. They have a base version for $20 @ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/minecraft/9NBLGGH537BL

 

[see colon]

No. They have a base version for $20 @ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/minecraft/9NBLGGH537BL

Huh, I never checked the console specific page. The PC versions base edition says it's not available to me. I assumed it was just taken off the market, being that the retail editions all have the extra DLC.

 

[liams]

On brad sams latest video, (he is the guy who leaked the series s), he says he is hearing that Microsoft is getting more focussed on acquiring games that will truly help build up their portfolio. He didn't think getting more aggressive was the right way to put it. And goes on to say that Microsoft is looking to replicate the sort of success they have had with Minecraft. (in an evergreen content sense, not necessarily scale, like sea of thieves) One thing Brad did mention was a purported quote from Phil spencer, with him saying that he was envious of what Nintendo can do with many of their titles, focussing on fun and gameplay above all else.

I don't know of anyone that could help with the Nintendo style games, maybe Krome? They did the Ty the Tasman series and the Spyro remaster. In fact, they have just recently done some work for Microsoft with the remaster of wasteland this year. They also did the Viva Pinata: Party Animals game for Xbox 360, but it seems they have moved away from doing that sort of thing us much, and are more of a support studio right now.

I really can't think of anyone who fits that family-friendly, gameplay and fun above everything combination. I suppose they could just bring back viva pinata.

From 4:40

It could just be speculation on his part but he obviously has good sources within microsoft

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Multiplatform game outsells platform exclusive game? Shocking. Come on, man - these kind of comparisons are just desperate.

To be clear, it was Minecraft Dungeons (Nintendo version) outselling Animal Crossing in the Nintendo eShop for that month.

On the Nintendo eShop, Minecraft Dungeons is showing as the best-seller in both the US and UK regions, and has officially topped the long-reigning champion of the Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Now some caveats.

• Animal Crossing had been out for 3 months and was the top seller for all 3 months in the Nintendo eShop.
• This was Minecraft Dungeon's launch month in the eShop.
  • Also, it was the only way to get Minecraft Dungeons for NSW.

So, not quite apples to apples, but still impressive. Unfortunately there was no physical release of the game for the Nintendo Switch, so there's no NPD rankings for it (Nintendo doesn't share eShop sales numbers). But that likely also helped with it's performance in the eShop as that was the only way to get it.

Also, just to showcase how much Nintendo titles care about multiplatform competition. In the US, the only title that has managed to outsell Animal Crossing in 2020? Total multiplatform sales of COD: MW.

When it comes to game sales, it's Nintendo ... and then everyone else. In the Oct. 2020 NPD, 9 of the top 20 titles were single SKU Nintendo titles. Almost half of the top 20 titles sold in the US was made by Nintendo and only available on Nintendo. It's absolutely bonkers.

Regards,
SB

 

[liams]

studio wildcard announced that they are making Ark 2 exclusively for PC/xbox
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/v...-2-an-xbox-series-x-s-exclusive/1100-6485405/

This follows the next-gen upgrades for Ark 1 only appearing on xbox, and not a word about any ps5 upgrades
https://www.thegamer.com/ark-survival-evolved-xbox-series-x-update/


Futhermore, ARK is pretty consistently in the top 10 most popular games on gamepass, at least on the pc side of things. It also fits with the desire that Microsoft has for more ongoing game worlds. And this small studio announced in the Ark 2 trailer that the game will be staring Vin Diesel, with an animated tie in show, 'Ark: The Animated Series'

https://deadline.com/2020/12/ark-th...s-in-new-video-game-inspired-show-1234654598/

I wonder if there's something going on here with regard to an acquisition? Such a small team, a studio of 60 people, shelling out for the Vin diesel tie in and the animated series seems a stretch without a deeper-pocketed backer, Also, its an instant answer to Horizon forbidden west from the sony camp, the only difference is that the dinosaurs are not robots and it is multiplayer.

EDIT: the animated show is more star-studded than I initially realised, with Elliott Page, David Tennant, Michella Yeoh, Jefrey Wright Madeline Madden, Gerard Butler, Zahn McClarnon, Devery Jacobs, Ragga Ragnars, Karl Urban, Malcom McDowell, Debora Mailman and Russel Crowe. All making the cast list, that definitely makes this more likely imo

 

[liams]

thinking about it more I'm betting on studio wildcard being the next acquisition, maybe they are just waiting for the zenimax deal to go through.

From studio wildcards perspective it makes no sense to self fund an animated series, which is obviously supposed to advertise your game and then make a deal to make it exclusive to a platform, it just limits your addressable audience that the animated series can convince to buy your game, on the other hand it makes tons of sense for ms to do something like that because they don't care about maximising returns right now. There was no info about where the animated series would show up, streaming service/tv channel-wise. Assuming its on something like Netflix that would be a big boon for gamepass.

EDIT:

If it was anything but self-funded/funded by MS we would know where the animated series was coming out, with no network/service announcement it points to internal funding.
Also if a Netflix or Disney plus of the world were to fund an animated series its likely they would want the game to be multiplatform, especially with the lesser-known status of the Ark IP.

 

[eastmen]

i kinda thought oh wow vin diesel is in turok reboot....

I guess it could be a good pick up depending on the studios cost

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

EDIT: the animated show is more star-studded than I initially realised, with Elliott Page, David Tennant, Michella Yeoh, Jefrey Wright Madeline Madden, Gerard Butler, Zahn McClarnon, Devery Jacobs, Ragga Ragnars, Karl Urban, Malcom McDowell, Debora Mailman and Russel Crowe. All making the cast list, that definitely makes this more likely imo

What streaming service will provide the series?
You are right. Too much activity for a single independent studio - not to mention all those actors. Still it is interesting how most of the most successful MS IPs these days are all more or less - multiplayer with a very good replay value. Sometimes I think it is one of the issues with Sony games - they don't have a lot of games with good replayability. Like at all. First-single run - is the best cinematic experience. But that's it. They compensate it with releases but still, the most played games are mostly third parties.

then make a deal to make it exclusive to a platform, it just limits your addressable audience that the animated series can convince to buy your game

Why not? Maybe they did not have plans for Ark 2 and just wanted to support Ark and fix its bugs (haha no)

Still...Vin Diesel and Fossil Fuels in the same game

 

[liams]

What streaming service will provide the series?
You are right. Too much activity for a single independent studio - not to mention all those actors. Still it is interesting how most of the most successful MS IPs these days are all more or less - multiplayer with a very good replay value. Sometimes I think it is one of the issues with Sony games - they don't have a lot of games with good replayability. Like at all. First-single run - is the best cinematic experience. But that's it. They compensate it with releases but still, the most played games are mostly third parties.

Nothing announced about who is making the animated series, or anything about a streaming service, I cant imagine that the animated series is some freebie included with the game or something, it has to show up somewhere.

Agreed with the Microsoft focussing on multiplayer while sony focusses on single-player experiences, just spitballing but I think initially it was an easy differentiation for Microsoft during the 360 years because of their networking experience, and its just stuck, plus for all this gen they had 5 studios so they had to stretch whatever output they could get out - hard to do that with a one and done singleplayer game

Why not? Maybe they did not have plans for Ark 2 and just wanted to support Ark and fix its bugs (haha no)

Still...Vin Diesel and Fossil Fuels in the same game

what I meant was that because there is no name attached to the animated series they are most likely paying for it with their own funds, if a Netflix or a hulu was paying for it they would have been mentioned.

So that leads me to think:

• If they were self-funding an animated tv show with all those A list cast members they are obviously trying to broaden the appeal of the Ark IP, making Vin Diesel the face of your game is a great way to get mainstream attention
• Using the show to broaden your appeal means you want your game on as many platforms as you can, so there are as few barriers as possible for people wanting to buy your game
• Taking an exclusivity deal runs counter to that for an independent studio, it limits your audience.
  • unless Microsoft is funding the show for them for some reason, which would be weird IMO

So its either

1. They took an exclusivity deal with Microsoft, and Microsoft are then spending additional money to improve the standing of an IP that they don't own - which I find unlikely, this isn't just running a few ads it's a ton of money to get that cast list
2. they were making the game and show anyway and run into a stumbling block cash wise so they took the exclusive money - which is possible tbf
3. Microsoft acquisition on the way

I really doubt they would have taken a full exclusive deal, they are getting a lot of shit from their PlayStation fans on Twitter about it, if it was timed I would think differently

So that's why I think it all points to an impending MS acquisition

 

[AzBat]

Logical reasoning. I could see it happening.

Don't forget PixArk either. Would be a nice fit with Minecraft due to similar aesthetics. Plus, I thought it was interesting they are based out of Seattle & some of their employees have worked some at Microsoft previously. Coincidentally, they have Ark: Survival Evolved vs Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo has an Ark too.

BTW, they created a sister company Grapeshot Games to work solely on Atlas, their pirate game currently in early access.

Tommy McClain

 

[liams]

Logical reasoning. I could see it happening.

Don't forget PixArk either. Would be a nice fit with Minecraft due to similar aesthetics. Plus, I thought it was interesting they are based out of Seattle & some of their employees have worked some at Microsoft previously. Coincidentally, they have Ark: Survival Evolved vs Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo has an Ark too.

BTW, they created a sister company Grapeshot Games to work solely on Atlas, their pirate game currently in early access.

Tommy McClain

I think it would be a great companion to Minecraft in the portfolio, it's the teen/adult focussed title to Minecraft's younger target audience. Maybe they could do a halo cross over where you play as master chief stuck on an island, having to survive against dinosaurs with limited resources or something.

It seems Atlas isn't doing too well for them, at launch it had a peak of 58k players on steam, but that quickly dropped to ~10k, this past year its been an average peak of 3-4k with some spikes here and there. Honestly, I'm not sure what kind of numbers a game like Atlas would need to do to be considered a success.

For comparison Sea of Thieves had a peak player count of 66k on steam at launch, and hasn't dropped nearly as much, with a pretty consistent ~30k peak since launch

 

[Jay]

What streaming service will provide the series?

If the cartoon is exclusive why couldn't they just use their own streaming service? They have film and series.

Not sure why they wouldn't sell it to one of the major streaming services also though.

 

[BillSpencer]

For a few years I have been hearing playground games was making.. a fable game?
Then they were bought by MS.
Aside from a completely unrelated CGI trailer, I don’t believe anything has been shown. But the fable game is confirmed to be in development at this moment right?

what studio could MS buy to help out with the development of the fable game? As 4 out of the 4 games developed by Playground were Forza Horizon games and they might need some help.

my guess is Two Point Studios. Even their logo looks like playground studios so they could put the logos next to each other.

Two Point Studios already knows a lot about fable (obviously), but being bought by Microsoft would be a nightmare for them.

if they rehire Molyneux then the fable game could really be something, going back to its roots so to speak

 

[liams]

For a few years I have been hearing playground games was making.. a fable game?
Then they were bought by MS.
Aside from a completely unrelated CGI trailer, I don’t believe anything has been shown. But the fable game is confirmed to be in development at this moment right?

what studio could MS buy to help out with the development of the fable game? As 4 out of the 4 games developed by Playground were Forza Horizon games and they might need some help.

my guess is Two Point Studios. Even their logo looks like playground studios so they could put the logos next to each other.

Two Point Studios already knows a lot about fable (obviously), but being bought by Microsoft would be a nightmare for them.

if they rehire Molyneux then the fable game could really be something, going back to its roots so to speak

Yes fable is confirmed to be in development, its rumoured to have started mid/late 2017. Before this playground games was about 200 people, just working on forza horizon. They made a second team in playground that was going to work on fable, some of the senior forza horizon guys are now working on fable. They hired a bunch of talent to fill help them out here, just off the top of my head they have basically the entire writing staff of batman arkham knights, a few people who worked on GTA and red dead redemption, and some other more people besides. So I really don't think they need to buy anyone to help with it. Apparently, there are a decent number of people from lionhead that are now working on it, irrc the character artist is one of them, might be wrong on that though. After being acquired by Microsoft, Ralph Fulton, one of the head guys at playground said that one of the motivations for getting acquired was that they had some amazing people on staff that wanted to work on something other than a racing game to mix it up a bit, and that they didn't want to lose some amazing talent just because they weren't working on a game that they wanted to work on right now.

There was an insider that said at the moment the combined size of both teams at playground was in total roughly ~340, this was irrc in September, with the goal being to grow the size of playground to ~400 total, 200 people working on each. If you look at playground games's twitter account they announce all the new hires they have each month, welcoming people to the team, they consistently are adding 10+ people per month, so they are growing rapidly.

We know that Peter Molyneux isn't directly involved, he did an interview where he was asked about it, and he said that someone from xbox reached out just to give him the heads up about it, but that he wasn't involved, and that he was looking forward to seeing someone else's take on fable.

I'm really interested to see when fable comes out, there were some rumours that they would be using the fable legends assets as a starting point, which points to it being released sooner than it might appear, but I kind of doubt that now (video of fable legends below, it was a really pretty game)


Fable is going to be really interesting, if the rumours are true (and the job postings back this up), fable will be running on a fork of forza tech, and if you look at all the things that they did for forza horizon 4 it seems like they were trying things out. For example, the British setting, letting them try things out landscape wise, also the ingame seasons, which I hope make an appearance in fable, its really cool in horizon 4. They have talked previously about how running their own engine with forza tech allows them to really quickly iterate on the world design of the games, and that with forza horizon they can edit the game world in real-time while driving a car around. There was also some talk that fable would have an online mode the same as forza horizon 4, where its a shared world but you don't have to interact with people, kinda like a more complete version of the orbs in the previous games



Will be interesting if fable becomes an every other year franchise like Forza horizon, or if they will have a longer cadence.