What should Sony's Acquisition Plans Be? *spawn*

[Shortbread]

I'm not a sony fan but I don't think its a horrible idea. Right now with everyone switching to electric it would be the best time to jump in.

The space alone is already crowded - and becoming more saturated with tons of startup EV companies. With companies like GM, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, and every other Japanese/German/British/Italian and so-on car manufacturer producing EVs, I just don't see this particular choice or direction by Sony being very profitable (more like a money-pit). But hey, I'm willing to be proven wrong...

 

[eastmen]

The space alone is already crowded - and becoming more saturated with tons of startup EV companies. With companies like GM, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, and every other Japanese/German/British/Italian and so-on car manufacturer producing EVs, I just don't see this particular choice or direction by Sony being very profitable (more like a money-pit). But hey, I'm willing to be proven wrong...

I wont disagree , but it's a smarter time to try than the past few decades with a traditional ice vehicle. I don't think the cars will go that far aside from maybe japan but hey it's their money and maybe some of what the develop will filter down into other products.

But Sony has a lot of divisions that can be used to make a good car. Base the brains on a ps5 , use their camera sensor division for machine learning driving , I believe they make batteries right ?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The space alone is already crowded - and becoming more saturated with tons of startup EV companies. With companies like GM, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, and every other Japanese/German/British/Italian and so-on car manufacturer producing EVs, I just don't see this particular choice or direction by Sony being very profitable (more like a money-pit). But hey, I'm willing to be proven wrong...

Now's the time to get established as a big player. It's like the 8 bit computing era - loads of players, only a few will survive. But if you want a chance at being one of the few significant players years down the line, you have to get in early; sitting on the sidelines now means sitting out of the game entirely (short of swallowing up someone else who managed to establish themselves). Sony has a history of imaging, robotics, computing, batteries, chip manufacturing, so they're better positioned than many in principle to produce self-driving electric vehicles.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

The space alone is already crowded - and becoming more saturated with tons of startup EV companies. With companies like GM, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, and every other Japanese/German/British/Italian and so-on car manufacturer producing EVs, I just don't see this particular choice or direction by Sony being very profitable (more like a money-pit). But hey, I'm willing to be proven wrong...

Now it is actually the good opportunity to jump in as new players emerge and it creates instability in the already established auto giants.

 

[London Geezer]

The space alone is already crowded - and becoming more saturated with tons of startup EV companies. With companies like GM, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, and every other Japanese/German/British/Italian and so-on car manufacturer producing EVs, I just don't see this particular choice or direction by Sony being very profitable (more like a money-pit). But hey, I'm willing to be proven wrong...

Must disagree. Sony is a hardware company and as hardware goes, cars are way more profitable than the PS5, just to give one example. Also they’d make huge profits from the cars software. Right now it’s all concepts anyway, with no real strategy for mass market (unless I missed something?) so it’s a moot point anyway. In principle, it’s not that bad an idea. The concepts look pretty good too.

 

[Deleted member 7537]

Must disagree. Sony is a hardware company and as hardware goes, cars are way more profitable than the PS5, just to give one example. Also they’d make huge profits from the cars software. Right now it’s all concepts anyway, with no real strategy for mass market (unless I missed something?) so it’s a moot point anyway. In principle, it’s not that bad an idea. The concepts look pretty good too.

Some cars are profitable, high end cars sure have quite a nice margin but sub 50K cars barely make any money. Car manufacturing is one of the worst business to be in, right there with the airline industry, tons of fixed cost. The money in the car industry is on loans, maintenance, insurance and used market.

I can see them hiring some manufacturers to build a limited edition car, somethiing like the Lexus LFA. Build 1K, and sell them for 300K a piece but, again, is not going to be a major income source.

The other place where some car manufacturers are going to start making money is on car sharing services, with autonomous driving owning a car may be a thing of the past for a lot of people.

ot/

 

[Rangers]

If Sony buys a big pub there will almost be nothing left. Whats left now with Zenimax and atciblizz gone? Ubisoft, EA, Take Two, is Warner Brothers a thing? Some diminished Japanese pubs, Capcom/Square Enix?

I guess it would be the ultimate in consolidation if the big 2-3 platform holders essentially also hold all the development.

Anyways I'm not convinced buying big pubs is much of a good idea because I'd say that outsize exclusive hype aside, ALL the most popular games in the world tend to be multiplatform. I think this is precisely BECAUSE they are multiplatform. Of course I'm sure twitch is not a proxy for game sales or lucrativeness (word?), but the top viewed games on twitch right this very second are in order League of Legends (PC) Pokemon Legends (I dont actually know, Switch?) GTA V, Slots (...), Valorant, Escape From Tarkov, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, Dota 2, Fortnight, Warzone, Fifa 22, World of Warcraft, CS Go, Dead by Daylight, Minecraft, the list can go on for a long time but it's almost all PC/Mobile (which I consider kind of the world's open platform, since most of these games can be played on very low spec PC's in emerging markets), or multiplatform PC/Xbox/PS/maybe mobile/maybe switch at worst. I guess if you buy the pub intending to remain multiplat it's one thing, but that's kind of changing the terms of historical accepted ideas.

 

[eastmen]

If Sony buys a big pub there will almost be nothing left. Whats left now with Zenimax and atciblizz gone? Ubisoft, EA, Take Two, is Warner Brothers a thing? Some diminished Japanese pubs, Capcom/Square Enix?

I guess it would be the ultimate in consolidation if the big 2-3 platform holders essentially also hold all the development.

Anyways I'm not convinced buying big pubs is much of a good idea because I'd say that outsize exclusive hype aside, ALL the most popular games in the world tend to be multiplatform. I think this is precisely BECAUSE they are multiplatform. Of course I'm sure twitch is not a proxy for game sales or lucrativeness (word?), but the top viewed games on twitch right this very second are in order League of Legends (PC) Pokemon Legends (I dont actually know, Switch?) GTA V, Slots (...), Valorant, Escape From Tarkov, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, Dota 2, Fortnight, Warzone, Fifa 22, World of Warcraft, CS Go, Dead by Daylight, Minecraft, the list can go on for a long time but it's almost all PC/Mobile (which I consider kind of the world's open platform, since most of these games can be played on very low spec PC's in emerging markets), or multiplatform PC/Xbox/PS/maybe mobile/maybe switch at worst. I guess if you buy the pub intending to remain multiplat it's one thing, but that's kind of changing the terms of historical accepted ideas.

Warner Brothers is part of AT&T now. They are looking to sell their video game development side. However a lot of their projects are tied up into DC comics properties. I think the issue for a lot of companies looking to buy them is that the rights to the comic book characters aren't being sold with the video game side. So you'd have to strike a deal with the liscenses as part of the purchase.

I have heard that Microsoft is very close to a deal with them. But that was before this activision stuff. It was between them and Facebook last I heard

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

If Sony buys a big pub there will almost be nothing left.

New publishers will appear. Gaming is growing and it is growing fast. Studios pop up left and right, new publishers appear.
I mean there was literally new announcement of the publisher created by the former ATVI employees.

ALL the most popular games in the world tend to be multiplatform

Nintendo Switch would like to have a word with you...

the list can go on for a long time but it's almost all PC/Mobile (which I consider kind of the world's open platform, since most of these games can be played on very low spec PC's in emerging markets),

I would say it is more to do with that almost everybody has PC or mobile today. It is a necessity. Ability to play the games of course helps, but the sheer scale of those markets provides benefits too.

I have heard that Microsoft is very close to a deal with them. But that was before this activision stuff. It was between them and Facebook last I heard

Oh, so Facebook was or is interested in WB? ATVI deal of course probably changed the roadmap. A lot of people mentioned MS and Batman IP too, considering that DC Comics are in trouble right now.
If regulators decide to be petty they will try to block some gaming deals out of spite.
I still think MS will go after

• WB (with DC gaming IPs)
  
• Sega
• IO
• CD

 

[eastmen]

Oh, so Facebook was or is interested in WB? ATVI deal of course probably changed the roadmap. A lot of people mentioned MS and Batman IP too, considering that DC Comics are in trouble right now.
If regulators decide to be petty they will try to block some gaming deals out of spite.
I still think MS will go after

• WB (with DC gaming IPs)
  
• Sega
• IO
• CD

It's only what I heard and it could be wrong. MS is always looking for purchases when they pop up. Like I said who knows what activision deal has done to what microsoft was looking into purchasing.

I never once heard sega seriously from anyone. I heard of another company that would really piss people off but its been almost half a year and I haven't heard anything else so I don't know if that is still happening or not.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

It's only what I heard and it could be wrong. MS is always looking for purchases when they pop up. Like I said who knows what activision deal has done to what microsoft was looking into purchasing.

The thing is that MS hires a lot of WB execs these days. I think it might be a sign of onboarding or something.

I never once heard sega seriously from anyone. I heard of another company that would really piss people off but its been almost half a year and I haven't heard anything else so I don't know if that is still happening or not.

Oh really? What company? I don't think that aside T2 and Capcom there is a company that could piss off a lot people. Square Enix?

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I never once heard sega seriously from anyone.

No large, culturally significant Japanese company has been bought by a foreign-owned company for decades because this is entirely what the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act is intended to prevent. You can download the list (a spreadsheet) of Japanese companies with specific protected status and SEGA's holding company is listed right there on line 2,191.

I don't know why the Microsoft - SEGA thing keeps coming up, this is never going to happen. SEGA, Konami, SONY, Square Enix and plenty of other Japanese games companies are not accessible for foreign acquisition. There is a process of application for acquisition but it comes with a presumption of denial.

 

[eastmen]

The thing is that MS hires a lot of WB execs these days. I think it might be a sign of onboarding or something.


Oh really? What company? I don't think that aside T2 and Capcom there is a company that could piss off a lot people. Square Enix?

I'm not sure that is a sign of anything. Like I said WB game studios is tied up into the DC properties. I don't know how valuable those studios are without those ips outside of the fighting game team doing mortal kombat. The other team does injustice and they could take over Killer Instinct for sure but what will all the teams doing dc stuff do now.

As for the other thing , I don't want to say anything else cause 1) it could get the person who told me in trouble and 2) like i said i haven't heard any updates in about 6 months so I assume its dead now

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I heard of another company that would really piss people off...

Sony.

 

[eastmen]

Sony.

You figured it out. Sony is going to buy Sega and then Microsoft is going to buy Sony.


Nah its a smaller company that makes an extremely popular title

 

[Deleted member 7537]

Adquisitions shouldn't be the only thing on the table. Deals with 3rd parties to develop specific IPs seems like a good investment too, you can always negotiate some type of limited exclusive deal and split development cost. The deal with Deviation or Kojima games as a blueprint can work going forward.

 

[cheapchips]

Adquisitions shouldn't be the only thing on the table. Deals with 3rd parties to develop specific IPs seems like a good investment too, you can always negotiate some type of limited exclusive deal and split development cost. The deal with Deviation or Kojima games as a blueprint can work going forward.

If you look at Sony's history, these deals eventually lead to acquisition a fair percent of the time.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Nah its a smaller company that makes an extremely popular title

Then it is does not matter.

I'm not sure that is a sign of anything. Like I said WB game studios is tied up into the DC properties. I don't know how valuable those studios are without those ips outside of the fighting game team doing mortal kombat. The other team does injustice and they could take over Killer Instinct for sure but what will all the teams doing dc stuff do now.

I believe MS might want to go after DC properties but only their gaming part.

 

[eastmen]

Then it is does not matter.

I believe MS might want to go after DC properties but only their gaming part.

Oh trust me , the title is big enough.

MS may want to go after DC but unless they get Discovery to give them a license in perpetuity or decades I doubt they would buy it.

I think the rumor was 20B right ? So 20B for a company in which all its ips are owned by yet another company. Doesn't seem smart to me. Bethesda was 8B and they got all the ip. Activision was 70B and they get all the ip.

Its the same reason I don't think Sony or MS should buy EA but at least EA has a ton of old ips that can be resurected.

 

[eastmen]

Adquisitions shouldn't be the only thing on the table. Deals with 3rd parties to develop specific IPs seems like a good investment too, you can always negotiate some type of limited exclusive deal and split development cost. The deal with Deviation or Kojima games as a blueprint can work going forward.

This isn't always smart. Look at how much MS invested into Mass effect which became just a third party title on all platforms. Look at gears of war and how much they invested and then had to buy the game. or look at sony with activision and cod , now it looks like COD will be microsoft exclusive.



I think everyone should look at Sony's first party output and look at its weakness. Sony makes popular 3rd person action games like uncharted and the last of us. Sony lacks in RPGs , First person shooters , Racing games , adventure games and strategy games.

I think sony should look into studios that can help fill out what they are lacking .

Take a look at microsofts purchases and you can see they bring with them diverse properties to help fill out Microsofts line up.