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Bloomberg: Phil Spencer on the hunt for partnerships/further deals outside of their traditional markets

Infamy v1

Member
While Microsoft is focused on completing the Activision acquisition, Spencer said he remains on the hunt for more content whether by investing in new games, partnerships or further deals. Xbox wants to add content and creators in the regions of the globe where it's less strong.

"I'm always thinking about things that add to our capability," he said. "Even though we've worked on our geographic expansion, I'd still say we have too many of our creators in places that are our traditional markets."

Bloomberg

This screams Asia, which we know Phil has a vested interest as of late. Who's next after ABK?
 
Its Wednesday today...

video games sega GIF
 

ChorizoPicozo

Gold Member
Last years Metacritic publisher of the year and highest rated average for any publisher ever means Phil can sleep easy then.
This is bullshit. And people genuinely using this as an argument shouldn't be taken seriously at all.

Read what I wrote, I use the word 'produce'

using games made before acquisitions is so misleading.

Second Party Games also need an *. So, is a little bit more nuanced.

And Bethesda is operating as a subsidiary(thank god).

I am talking about First Party studios
being managed by Xbox, which is the issue xbox has. Case in point:

This Year First Party Output.

And 2023 is looking like it's going to bitchslap 2021 into oblivion.
Well, how convenient, you forgot 2022. I wonder why.
 

Infamy v1

Member
This is bullshit. And people genuinely using this as an argument shouldn't be taken seriously at all.

Read what I wrote, I use the word 'produce'

using games made before acquisitions is so misleading.

Second Party Games also need an *. So, is a little bit more nuanced.

And Bethesda is operating as a subsidiary(thank god).

I am talking about First Party studios
being managed by Xbox, which is the issue xbox has. Case in point:

This Year First Party Output.


Well, how convenient, you forgot 2022. I wonder why.
Sounds like you're making excuses and moving goalposts. You originally said "produce quality content," so before I go on and talk about MSFS, for example, you rush to change it to "1P studios managed by Xbox" in your new post. Funny how dem goalposts change. They always do.

I didn't forget about 2022, it's barren af, lmao. Sony had a, what, 7 or 8 month drought before HFW? Shit happens. That's what overwhelmingly large backlogs are for. I mentioned 2023 because it has 2 of the most anticipated 2022 games that was pushed back into it, plus the absolute plethora of other games not to mention the ABK acquisition 100% finalized before then. 2023 is looking like the biggest gaming year in a long time.
 
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I wonder why he didn’t decide to work with Itagaki and his studio last year? Itagaki was Xbox’s biggest supporter in Japan and the fact that Microsoft just let him flounder back when he left Tecmo is just shameful. He could have been an incredibly valuable developer for Microsoft.
 

Fredrik

Member
Hmm, sounds like Asia to me. I know nothing about the studios and the ownership there though. What about the dev making Black Myth? Or Project Eve?
 
A popular japanese dev/publisher would be effectively digging themselves a grave locking themselves to xbox ecosystem. Even the japanese games they have marketing rights for don’t sell the best on their consoles. Japan will never naturally gravitate toward microsoft for the same reason they’ve been steering away from sony, their entire image and market is too western. Buying sega wouldn’t help them in japan, it would only hurt sega even more.

Maybe buying platinum since they seem desperate but their best games have been on nintendo
 

nocsi

Member
A popular japanese dev/publisher would be effectively digging themselves a grave locking themselves to xbox ecosystem. Even the japanese games they have marketing rights for don’t sell the best on their consoles. Japan will never naturally gravitate toward microsoft for the same reason they’ve been steering away from sony, their entire image and market is too western. Buying sega wouldn’t help them in japan, it would only hurt sega even more.

Maybe buying platinum since they seem desperate but their best games have been on nintendo
No Japanese developer/publisher will want to shoot them selves in the foot. I don't know how much the rest of you know about Japanese culture (I'm an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in America where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw someone over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
I wish they had snagged Crystal Dynamics. They were already working on Perfect Dark and the price was dirt cheap. Really a shame.
Such a bizarre open goal for Microsoft to miss. $300m and that includes the rights to Tomb Raider as well? I know they will claim they aren’t trying to compete or replicate Sony but come on - the PR of having Tomb Raider, and in CD a studio that can take on Uncharted. I’m amazed.
 
I wonder why he didn’t decide to work with Itagaki and his studio last year? Itagaki was Xbox’s biggest supporter in Japan and the fact that Microsoft just let him flounder back when he left Tecmo is just shameful. He could have been an incredibly valuable developer for Microsoft.

If Microsoft couldn't make money with Mistwalker what could they make with itagaki?

Such a bizarre open goal for Microsoft to miss.

Not really, that buy out is quick, there's a chance that deal was set up before Microsoft even knew Square was selling it, same with Eidos in general.
 

Calverz

Member
I wonder why he didn’t decide to work with Itagaki and his studio last year? Itagaki was Xbox’s biggest supporter in Japan and the fact that Microsoft just let him flounder back when he left Tecmo is just shameful. He could have been an incredibly valuable developer for Microsoft.
I agree but think he is a loose cannon lol
 

ChorizoPicozo

Gold Member
Sounds like you're making excuses and moving goalposts.
No.

You originally said "produce quality content," so before I go on and talk about MSFS, for example, you rush to change it to "1P studios managed by Xbox" in your new post. Funny how dem goalposts change. They always do.
Produce is categorically different from:

Acquiring/Money hating.

To Produce implies being involved since the conception of a project.

I didn't forget about 2022, it's barren af, lmao
Of course you didn't forgot. You just choose to ignore it.

. Sony had a, what, 7 or 8 month drought before HFW?
Oh...is this what you called "moving the goal post"? Cuz I didn't mention the cadence of releases. I just mentioned the quality. Yet this proves my point even harder:


TloU part 2: June 2020
5 months
Miles Morales: Novembre 2020
5 months
MLB21 April 2021
2 months.
Ratchet and clank: rift apart. June 2021
8 months
HFW : Feb 2022
1 month
GT7: March 2022
1 month
MLB22 : April 2022

Average release schedule: ≈ 4 months.


Sea of thieves: March 2018
18 months
Gears 5 September 2019
7 months
Gear tactics: April 2020
16 months
phychonauts 2 * August 2021
3 months
Forza Horizon 5: November 2021
1 month
Halo Infinite: December 2021.

Average release schedule: ≈ 9 months.


Note: No second party/ No money hats/ no re releses-Remakes/No acquisition in the same year of game release.(*a bone thrown at MS). Without this the average number will be 14 cuz we now that Psychoanouts was almost done by the time they got acquired.

Note: All the games above are ≥80 on Meta

Does Sony has a problem/defcit producing quality content? At the very least they are more consistent than MS, that is the point:


I mentioned 2023 because it has 2 of the most anticipated 2022 games that was pushed back
Now you are taking again about cadence of releases. (Not my original point).


into it, plus the absolute plethora of other games not to mention the ABK acquisition 100% finalized before then.
Games like Diablo/Call of Duty/Overwatch2/Redfall/Starfield for example are games that started production without MS involvement. (My original point)

2023 is looking like the biggest gaming year in a long time.
Sure.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Such a bizarre open goal for Microsoft to miss. $300m and that includes the rights to Tomb Raider as well? I know they will claim they aren’t trying to compete or replicate Sony but come on - the PR of having Tomb Raider, and in CD a studio that can take on Uncharted. I’m amazed.

I don’t understand how any of the big publishers, ( MS, Valve/Steam, EA, Playstation ) didn’t go for the IP’s at the least ( Tomb Raider, Dues Ex, Legacy of Kain)
 
If Microsoft couldn't make money with Mistwalker what could they make with itagaki?

It’s not always about making money from the game itself, it’s about making exclusives to attract more users. Exclusives make or break the success of a console, and Microsoft needs as much as they can get.

Though I would say that Mistwalker’s catalogue is less appealing to the average user compared to the action games Itagaki made.
 
It’s not always about making money from the game itself, it’s about making exclusives to attract more users.

if Microsoft couldn't attract users with mistwalker In japan, or western fans of Japanese games, especially Square Enix titles, what makes you think they would with Itagaki?

Though I would say that Mistwalker’s catalogue is less appealing to the average user compared to the action games Itagaki made.

What?
 

Infamy v1

Member
Produce is categorically different from:

Acquiring/Money hating.

To Produce implies being involved since the conception of a project.

Conception? Another goalpost you're moving, except this time trying to redefine what a word means just because you're a fanboy?

pro·duce
[produce]

VERB

  1. cause (a particular result or situation) to happen or come into existence
  2. to give being, form, or shape to
I can produce documents to the police that I had no involvement on creating or being a part of since their conception.

I can produce an idea to the public that was completely derived off a colleague.

There's like a million examples you can use here, which are all irrelevant because you're just trying to find creative ways to shill.
Of course you didn't forgot. You just choose to ignore it.

But...you literally said I forgot. Now I didn't? You're not very good at trying to reframe arguments.

Oh...is this what you called "moving the goal post"? Cuz I didn't mention the cadence of releases. I just mentioned the quality. Yet this proves my point even harder:


TloU part 2: June 2020
5 months
Miles Morales: Novembre 2020
5 months
MLB21 April 2021
2 months.
Ratchet and clank: rift apart. June 2021
8 months
HFW : Feb 2022
1 month
GT7: March 2022
1 month
MLB22 : April 2022

Average release schedule: ≈ 4 months.


Sea of thieves: March 2018
18 months
Gears 5 September 2019
7 months
Gear tactics: April 2020
16 months
phychonauts 2 * August 2021
3 months
Forza Horizon 5: November 2021
1 month
Halo Infinite: December 2021.

Average release schedule: ≈ 9 months.

Note: No second party/ No money hats/ no re releses-Remakes/No acquisition in the same year of game release.(*a bone thrown at MS). Without this the average number will be 14 cuz we now that Psychoanouts was almost done by the time they got acquired.

Note: All the games above are ≥80 on Meta

Lmao, what? You prove absolutely nothing with list warzzz with self-made rules. You unironically use "goalpost" wrongly and the proceed to do just that. Nice job on continuing to make a fool of yourself 😂

Does Sony has a problem/defcit producing quality content? At the very least they are more consistent than MS, that is the point:

No, that's not the point. You said I forgot about 2022, which has no 1P releases until Pentiment (unless I forgot something). You weren't implying about some LaCk oF qUaLiTy for 2022 Xbox titles, since there are none. Stop lying and playing stupid. To which I replied "I didn't forget about 2022, it's barren af, lmao. Sony had a, what, 7 or 8 month drought before HFW? Shit happens."

You got caught moving a shit ton of goalposts, right there for everyone to see. What do you do? Double down and do it some more. 😂
 
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reinking

Gold Member
This is repeated every 12 months or so. No kiddying they want to expand into other markets. They have been trying to break into Japan for how long?
 
Bloomberg

This screams Asia, which we know Phil has a vested interest as of late. Who's next after ABK?

SEGA, imo. Not that big of a scrutiny by regulators; long lasting relationship; huge catalogue; Persona and Yakuza for japanese games amateurs.
I also see them pick up a studio ala Platinum, and a team in South Korea for good measure.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
Maybe they could find a small Swedish publisher to pick up, that's not one of their regular markets is it?


ryan reynolds GIF


:messenger_tears_of_joy:

Jokes aside, hopefully they get all the game genre bases covered. They have Western RPGs and FPS games on lock for GP as it is (+ they have the Coalition to cover 3rd person shooters), maybe the next adds will cover some of the more niche genres. The C&C type games, shmups, RTS, etc. Third person action/adventure games are represented on GP, but not directly by MS that much, so that's another area.
 
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Such a bizarre open goal for Microsoft to miss. $300m and that includes the rights to Tomb Raider as well? I know they will claim they aren’t trying to compete or replicate Sony but come on - the PR of having Tomb Raider, and in CD a studio that can take on Uncharted. I’m amazed.
It's possible that MS would have to take Eidos as well and they didn't want them too or something. It's also possible the Activision deal took all the air out of the room.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
It's possible that MS would have to take Eidos as well and they didn't want them too or something. It's also possible the Activision deal took all the air out of the room.
Yeah. To be honest if Obsidian, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software and Playground can continue to deliver on the single player games MS won’t miss Crystal Dynamics anyway.
 

Infamy v1

Member
SEGA, imo. Not that big of a scrutiny by regulators; long lasting relationship; huge catalogue; Persona and Yakuza for japanese games amateurs.
I also see them pick up a studio ala Platinum, and a team in South Korea for good measure.
Platinum would be risky, IMHO.
 

Chukhopops

Member
They don’t need to buy anyone to improve their situation in Japan, I don’t know why people focus on that so much.

Just a partnership with some key JP devs like KT, NIS, Falcom, Spike to guarantee ports is more than enough, it’s not like there are a ton of other good devs.
 

octiny

Banned
Sea of thieves: March 2018
18 months
Gears 5 September 2019
7 months
Gear tactics: April 2020
16 months
phychonauts 2 * August 2021
3 months
Forza Horizon 5: November 2021
1 month
Halo Infinite: December 2021.

Average release schedule: ≈ 9 months.


Note: No second party/ No money hats/ no re releses-Remakes/No acquisition in the same year of game release.(*a bone thrown at MS). Without this the average number will be 14 cuz we now that Psychoanouts was almost done by the time they got acquired.

Note: All the games above are ≥80 on Meta

Where's AoE4 & MSFS?

And no, without MS's help Pychonauts 2 would not be nearly as good or big per Tim Schafer himself, nor was it "nearly finished". They were acquired by MS in June of 2019 before the games actual release in August of 2021.
 

Infamy v1

Member
Where's AoE4 & MSFS?

And no, without MS's help Pychonauts 2 would not be nearly as good or big per Tim Schafer himself, nor was it "nearly finished". They were acquired by MS in June of 2019 before the games actual release in August of 2021.

Scroll down to see his reasons for excluding a bunch of games for his list warzzzz 😂🤭

Good call on Psychonauts, too. But some people are immune to logic.
 
Wouldn't be shocked if they looked to Korea. The LieS of P developer, if they deliver is the kind of company they can go for and continue to partner with.
 
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octiny

Banned
Scroll down to see his reasons for excluding a bunch of games for his list warzzzz 😂🤭

Good call on Psychonauts, too. But some people are immune to logic.

Even with his notations, they are to be 100% included in his list but he conveniently left them out. They own the IP's & were 100% involved in the active development of both games from "start to finish". Hell, Ensamble Studios themselves has been w/ MS since 2001.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter how content gets to a system as long as the content arrives. Only butt hurt people would go to a means to disqualify titles to fuel bullshit warrior agendas.

It's kinda funny he went through all those notations to disqualify titles. Based on reading his first post in this thread he thinks Bethesda games were included in Publisher of the Year. MS won PotY based off nothing from Bethesda. Bethesda had their own ranking (#5).

AOE4
MSFS (Xbox)
Psychonauts 2
Halo Infinite
Forza Horizon 5

Is what won them the title last year & highest average ever in a year from a publisher but I digress. It is what it is.

Edit:

In fact, going by his own logic some of the game he listed are disqualified. Insomniac was purchased by Sony in August of 2019, Ratchet & Clank was announced June of 2020. They had been clearly working on it before the Sony acquisition, this goes for Miles Morales as well which was announced June of 2020. Unless he really believes both games started from scratch to such polish & in a fully playable state from start to finish in 10 months between August of 2019 & June of 2020? Now to play the devils advocate, "well Insomiac has been working w/ Sony for awhile"....okay, well, is that not moving goal posts? No games in the making prior to acquisition*. If you were to disqualify Pyschnauts 2.

I think the only question is, did Insomiac or Double Fine benefit the most out of each acquisition for said games? Both Rachet & Clank & Miles Morales were going to be great games regardless of the Sony acquisition. Insomiac has released bangers left & right for years. You can't say the same for Pyschnauts 2 prior to the MS acquisition which was in development hell for so long & took over two years to release even after said acquisition.
 
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No Japanese developer/publisher will want to shoot them selves in the foot. I don't know how much the rest of you know about Japanese culture (I'm an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in America where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw someone over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.
They don't need full exclusivity

Dragon quest 11- day one for Xbox release available on game pass

Eiyuden chronicle-day one on game pass, not coming to ps+ (to my knowledge)

Persona 3-5- day one game pass release for next gen version, not coming to ps+ (to my knowledge)

Octopath traveler-available on game pass 1st day xbox release

Yakuza- like a dragon day one on gamepass, next gen 6 month exclusive, other yakuzas (sans judgements) on game pass day one they hit xbox


Yeah bro it's all about the culture, the dude doesn't need to buy the companies to increase his foothold

Partnerships/future deals doesn't mean outright exclusivity

EDIT: Kojima is making an Xbox game not coming to playstation, ohhh the shame! The lack of honor! How shall he repent?

The culture is obviously different, but let's not be so fucking melodramatic
 
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lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
Let's make Capcom into Xbox East, Phil.

GET 'ER DONE.

I highly doubt that would happen especially for Capcom, but thats just me.
Sega seems more possible. Capcom x Microsoft? ehh....it just feels weird for me as i dont feel any synergy between them. At least Acti x Microsoft makes more sense.
 
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Phil is talking about moving beyond just gaming he's talking about buying something no one expects (apart from me), Netflix that's next ladies and you can quote me on that 😉
 
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