Should Microsoft buy Take two?

[Squilliam]

They have two of the biggest games on the Xbox360 out now or coming out between Bioshock and GTAIV. Furthermore they could capture more of the sports market by outbidding EA on some of the sports game rights and compete better in the North American market.

Discuss. You're better at this than me!

 

[AzBat]

You know what happened the last time Microsoft got into sports games? Now, Microsoft buying pieces of Take2 make sense, like Bioshock, etc. However, even Microsoft knows that as a whole Take2 is getting too expensive. Plus, it doesn't match up with them wanting to keep their division in the green.

Tommy McClain

 

[Squilliam]

Hey buying assets would keep it in the green! Accounting practices, am I right?

I think they want to get GTAIV into the green exclusively!

 

[mrcorbo]

It seems to me that MS have always shied away from being major content producers. The realities of the console business required them to expand their first party development a lot from their PC-only days, but generally all their businesses are based more around being facilitators than creators.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

MS don't do in-house development. Owning studios isn't there plan. Think how many exclusives they can contract for $2 Billion. Think how much less money Take Two would make if they were MS exclusive.

 

[Fu3lFr3nzy]

Think how many exclusives they can contract for $2 Billion.

With that much money, they can run Sony dry of 3rd party games

 

[ShaidarHaran]

It seems to me that MS have always shied away from being major content producers. The realities of the console business required them to expand their first party development a lot from their PC-only days, but generally all their businesses are based more around being facilitators than creators.

MS don't do in-house development. Owning studios isn't there plan. Think how many exclusives they can contract for $2 Billion. Think how much less money Take Two would make if they were MS exclusive.

MSFS - Ace's Studios

 

[mrcorbo]

MSFS - Ace's Studios

Was that supposed to be a rebuttal of my statement? I'm confused.

If so, I never said they didn't do any in-house development (Shifty said that). I just said their overall corporate strategy is inconsistent with them ever being a big first party development house. I don't expect them to try to acquire much more than they already have.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

For those who missed it, my remark was a sweeping generalisation. Yes, MS do develop in-house titles. But on the whole their gameplan is not to go first party. Rather than buy new development like Sony has been doing, MS have actually been selling off development houses. To spend $2 billion on a publisher would go totally against the grain.

 

[AlNom]

Who else would be in a position to acquire Take Two? i.e. who are those "others"? Take-Activision-Blizzard p) for instance... it seems too early for another integration.

[strike]Ubisoft[/strike]
[strike]Midway[/strike]

Capcom?

 

[quest55720]

No reason to they will get GTA4 same days as sony. They should invest some money into a price cut. We are only a few weeks out to GTA4 and there is no price cut yet. It seems MS will be just happy to let sony walk all over them this year. I was really hoping for a price cut this month with GTA4 but that is up in smoke. Looks like we will have to wait till MS gets their asses handed to them like in EU before we get a price cut in NA.

 

[PARANOiA]

Surely you've learned something from the EA bid? T2 don't want to be bought.

Interestingly, the $26 hostile takeover bid from EA has worked against them, since it helped push the share price over $26 yesterday. I do think it's just a bubble, however, so now (or just after GTA4's release) would be a good time for T2 shareholders to sell, sell, sell.

 

[sevanig]

Perhaps if Sony or MS bought Rockstar from TakeTwo once their contract is over next year...
Now that would be interesting

 

[betan]

MS should buy Sony or Nintendo.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

They have two of the biggest games on the Xbox360 out now or coming out between Bioshock and GTAIV. Furthermore they could capture more of the sports market by outbidding EA on some of the sports game rights and compete better in the North American market.

Discuss. You're better at this than me!

Bioshock and GTAIV has no chance in hell of ever repaying Microsoft for the cost of buying Take Two.

They would loose billions on this move, i would suggest just hiring the R* brains behind GTA4 and give them 100million to make games with. That would probably give you more of an result.

Buying a big company like Take Two, aspecially a company that is struggling financially, is a bad move. This will not yield positive NPV, ever (unless your very very very very very lucky.).

Microsoft, should have just bought Sony when they wanted to enter the console race, that would be a one time cost of $25-30 billion at the time, which probably is going to end up to be close to how much Microsoft is going to blow on consoles before they get a NPV in black for their console division investments..

 

[archangelmorph]

Microsoft, should have just bought Sony when they wanted to enter the console race, that would be a one time cost of $25-30 billion at the time, which probably is going to end up to be close to how much Microsoft is going to blow on consoles before they get a NPV in black for their console division investments..

Awesome!

No seriously though.. I don't think the whole of Sony would have been a good investment for them either..

Maybe they should invest some money in helping start ups get a leg up into the industry.. I think more publishers should do this..

You never know who could become the next Crytek so it's good to be on the lookout for new talent as well as trying to steal it from elsewhere..

Sure it's going to be risky business but for example if they invest 100 million dollars for a stake in 5 new companies, it can only take one of them to come out with a break out hit (which MS as a publisher can have right of first refusal over publishing) & they can make alot of money back for themselves..

 

[sevanig]

Sure it's going to be risky business but for example if they invest 100 million dollars for a stake in 5 new companies, it can only take one of them to come out with a break out hit (which MS as a publisher can have right of first refusal over publishing) & they can make alot of money back for themselves..

This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon, they'll have written the greatest novel known to mankind. (reads one of the typewriters) "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times"?! you stupid monkey!

 

[archangelmorph]

This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon, they'll have written the greatest novel known to mankind. (reads one of the typewriters) "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times"?! you stupid monkey!

No it isn't...

It doesn't take experience to create a great game it takes talent..

& you only need a talented group of artists, programmers & designers with a vision (& the talent to translate that vision into a marketable IP) to create a hit..

What you think no AAA development teams ever came out of nowhere before?

 

[Cheezdoodles]

Awesome!

No seriously though.. I don't think the whole of Sony would have been a good investment for them either..

Actually, it would, $25-30 billion would made them complete owners of sony back in 2000-2002. Sony is now worth $60 billion or so. 100% return on investment (without counting dividend (tax free!!)) over 8 years would have been a damn good investment.

Alltought i doubt Microsoft would have been allowed to buy Sony, with Monopoly laws and all that.

 

[Kaotik]

Actually, it would, $25-30 billion would made them complete owners of sony back in 2000-2002. Sony is now worth $60 billion or so. 100% return on investment (without counting dividend (tax free!!)) over 8 years would have been a damn good investment.

Alltought i doubt Microsoft would have been allowed to buy Sony, with Monopoly laws and all that.

Buying Sony wouldn't have helped MS gaining monopoly on anything