Microsoft Rumored to buy yet another Studio or Seven [2018-12, 2019-01, 2019-05]

[cheapchips]

Enough to make the game you think looks 'quite good'!

Yeah, bungled that question didn't I.

Ryse and the Crysis games were big budget efforts. Was really wondering if they still have the talent and resources to pull 'Ryse 2' off.

 

[Ike Turner]

Yeah, bungled that question didn't I.

Ryse and the Crysis games were big budget efforts. Was really wondering if they still have the talent and resources to pull 'Ryse 2' off.

Talent can be hired (especially artists) but the core engine team jumped ship years ago. Resources on the another hand are hard to come by. Ryse was funded by Microsoft (and was a money pit because of the project being rebooted several times), Crysis was funded by EA.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Talent can be hired (especially artists) but the core engine team jumped ship years ago. Resources on the another hand are hard to come by. Ryse was fund by Microsoft (and was a money pit because of the project being reboot several times), Crysis was funded by EA.

I think Crytek burned through ton a money setting up global studios chasing the pay-to-win mobile crowd.

 

[Ike Turner]

I think Crytek burned through ton a money setting up global studios chasing the pay-to-win mobile crowd.

The Yerli brothers sure did some crappy investments instead of paying their employees...then ran up to their pal Erdogan to get some funds a bit more than a year ago...

 

[iroboto]

dumb question, but are studios ever bought purely for their employees? They purchased a lot of smaller companies that may need 'bolstering' and the available talent pool to bolster that many companies simultaneously is somewhat restricted.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

As the studios don't own the employees and those employees are free to move on, or even mass exodus and all create their own indie studios, I can't see that ever being a purchasing factor.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

As the studios don't own the employees and those employees are free to move on, or even mass exodus and all create their own indie studios, I can't see that ever being a purchasing factor.

Yup, the best the purchaser can do is the make the sale conditional on the senior management signing minimum employment contracts.

 

[Cyan]

Double Fine, the studio behind games like Psychonauts and Broken Age, has been acquired by Xbox Game Studios. The news was announced on-stage today at E3 2019.

Psychonauts 2 will still launch for all its previously promised platforms, PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. In a video released today, founder Tim Schafer shared more information about the acquisition. “Nothing about us is going to change at all,” he said, adding that the move will allow Double Fine to continue creating games in its same spirit.

 

[milk]

Ok, if MS fucks up THIS ONE, I'll be pissed. Please, don't Rareware it.

 

[BRiT]

Latest rumor mongering suggests Microsoft Game Studios acquisition of Playtonic may be announced at X019.

 

[AzBat]

Latest rumor mongering suggests Microsoft Game Studios acquisition of Playtonic may be announced at X019.

They have only made Yooka-Laylee & it's spinoff Yooka-Laylee & the Impossible Lair? :/ Don't they not already have some studios that have done platformers?

Tommy McClain

 

[Deleted member 11852]

They have only made Yooka-Laylee & it's spinoff Yooka-Laylee & the Impossible Lair? :/ Don't they not already have some studios that have done platformers?

Playtonic was founded almost exclusively by former Rare employees, which would make this a really weird and awkward acquisition. Kind of like crazy-ex-won't-move-on acquisition.

 

[milk]

Yooka Laylee Nuts and Bolts! Finally!

 

[fehu]

Playtonic was founded almost exclusively by former Rare employees

Yes, but after the acquisition, all the former rare employees will resign and found another studio.
Then microsoft will buy that too.
It's a brilliant scam.

 

[milk]

In all seriousness, if this is real, the only possibility of it happening is if the talk between them is something along the lines of "we understand you guys left MS Rare to go back to making n64-like platformers and such. We are bringing you back because the new MS is ok with letting you guys keep doing exactly that now. We are Netflix now. We like variety."

In other words: we might be getting Banjo Threeie.

 

[Shortbread]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1192035480222785537

 

[AlNom]

ptooie

 

[Deleted member 11852]

In all seriousness, if this is real, the only possibility of it happening is if the talk between them is something along the lines of "we understand you guys left MS Rare to go back to making n64-like platformers and such. We are bringing you back because the new MS is ok with letting you guys keep doing exactly that now. We are Netflix now. We like variety."

Buying studios and dictating how they should be creative is a fast route to losing individuals, development teams and entire studios. It's why the Rare folks felt in the first place and it's why Bungie left. Remember Black Tusk Studios and their new IP shown in 2013? Nope, because they were renamed The Coalition and now work on Gears until they are all dead. When you have great talent, you have to trust them and let them take a few creative risks. If you don't, they will go somewhere they can.

 

[milk]

Buying studios and dictating how they should be creative is a fast route to losing individuals, development teams and entire studios. It's why the Rare folks felt in the first place and it's why Bungie left. Remember Black Tusk Studios and their new IP shown in 2013? Nope, because they were renamed The Coalition and now work on Gears until they are all dead. When you have great talent, you have to trust them and let them take a few creative risks. If you don't, they will go somewhere they can.

100%
But I think what changed is MS is now much more willing to have many smallish studios working on lower budget niche games now. At least, that's kind of how they justified the many aquisitions.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

100%
But I think what changed is MS is now much more willing to have many smallish studios working on lower budget niche games now. At least, that's kind of how they justified the many aquisitions.

Yes, basically all the smaller studios are to broaden the types of games they offer in order to bolster the attraction of Game Pass. While a "smaller" studio title is unlikely to attract as many gamers as "large" studios, if it brings in gamers to Game Pass that wouldn't otherwise be attracted to the current trend in AAA games that's more subscribers that they wouldn't otherwise have.

At the same time, being offered on the service means those games get exposure to gamers who otherwise wouldn't buy them. Sometimes the game will still fail to ignite interest (Witness Azbat's recent taste test of Outer Worlds), sometimes it will. If it does, perhaps the individual will now try out other similar games that aren't on the service, thus indirectly increasing revenue (if purchased through a MS platform). Alternatively something like that (discovery of games and game types they wouldn't otherwise try) might encourage a person to keep their subscription even after they are done with the game that got them to subscribe in the first place.

Regards,
SB