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Phil Spencer: "Definitely not done" buying game studios

https://www.videogameschronicle.com...x-is-definitely-not-done-buying-game-studios/

“So we’re always out there looking for people who we think would be a good match and teams that would be a good match with our strategy. So we’re definitely not done.

“There’s no quota. There’s no kind of timeline where I have to go acquire studios by a certain time, but if we find a studio where we have a good fit, we share what we’re trying to go do and what they’re trying to go do, and if we feel we can both get better together, absolutely.

“It’s one of the privileges we have of being at Microsoft and having the capability to take a long-term approach, and adding amazing creators to the portfolios is an important part of that.”
 

Topher

Gold Member
Spencer goes on to say "In fact, next Wednesday....."

You Got It Reaction GIF by BrownSugarApp
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
“There’s no quota. There’s no kind of timeline where I have to go acquire studios by a certain time, but if we find a studio where we have a good fit, we share what we’re trying to go do and what they’re trying to go do, and if we feel we can both get better together, absolutely.

Then why in the hell haven't you bought Asobo yet???
 

GametimeUK

Member
It sucks we won't ever see Bluepoint port / remake a Gears game.

It sucks we won't see the next Elder Scrolls on PlayStation.

Aside from fanboy list wars, I don't really see how this benefits the larger gaming community outside of platform specific eco system features (like xcloud, gamepass and cross buy with PC).
 
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MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Aside from fanboy list wars, I don't really see how this benefits the larger gaming community outside of platform specific eco system features (like xcloud, gamepass and cross buy with PC).

This. As long as Microsoft keeps releasing their games on PC I will always root for them. I can play Forza Horizon 3 today in 21:9 4k 120FPS and HDR on my PC and I love it. If I want to play Driveclub I'm stuck on PS4 with 30FPS 1080p.

It's critical for game preservation that they are released on PC.
 

Gobjuduck

Banned
Lately its been Sony acquiring great studios. MS will make another move eventually. So many rumors that something is imminent for xbox, I will believe it when is see it.
Sony always had those studios in their grasp, making it official was long overdue. It was clearly just a marketing strategy from Sony to combat Xbox’s big acquisitions.
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
It sucks we won't ever see Bluepoint port / remake a Gears game.

It sucks we won't see the next Elder Scrolls on PlayStation.

Aside from fanboy list wars, I don't really see how this benefits the larger gaming community outside of platform specific eco system features (like xcloud, gamepass and cross buy with PC).

Blame the fanboys for their stupid exclusive list flashing the last decade.

Spencer tried to say fuck exclusives gamers should choose what to play where, became the laughing stock, and went all in in the opposite direction.

Fanboy wars woke the sleeping giant.
 

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
I can only hope that Microsoft knows what they are doing and all the studios and IPs they hold continues producing great games and experiences.

I love game pass, but I'm still skeptical about their business model, I don't know how this subscription based service will provide enough resources for AAA games. One thing I know for sure, even Microsoft's money isn't infinite and there will be a limit to how much they bleed before wanting to see some returns.
The way I see it, one of two things will happen: The Game pass price will increase, or the games will be smaller in scope. I, for one, think is a great opportunity to produce games with smaller campaigns but without all the BS they put in games today to artificially inflate the lengths and makes us waste time...
 
Oh right, yeah I meant publisher but I didn't know they had a developer as part of Bethesda....who are they?

Alpha Dog Games. They acquired them in October 2019, and once they were acquired by Microsoft, naturally they became part of Microsoft also.


When Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media, it got the rights to a bunch of studios. One of them was Alpha Dog - a Canadian mobile developer, known for creating "top-tier" 3D games for portable devices.

Their most recent game was a doom mobile title.



 
Feels like we hear him say this every few months. Them getting all buddy buddy with Crystal Dynamics for Perfect Dark makes me think though.

That's always been, for me, a dream Xbox pickup. They're the perfect team to join Xbox, if it happens imo. That team I always felt should have been "The Initiative" with the talent Microsoft has already gathered.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
Sony always had those studios in their grasp, making it official was long overdue. It was clearly just a marketing strategy from Sony to combat Xbox’s big acquisitions.

Sony will be fully aware that unless they do something now(which they have been doing) there future line ups will look sparse compared to Microsofts.
Im curious if sony will continue to buy more.
 
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wolffy71

Banned
We could have had way more multiplats. It wasnt even sony or ms that drove all this exclusivsivity. It was the fans really. MS and Sony have little choice when people talk in into existence.
 
was never a question. only question was which studio could they buy next? also sony will buy kojima productions eventually. you can see it coming a mile away.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
I can only hope that Microsoft knows what they are doing and all the studios and IPs they hold continues producing great games and experiences.

I love game pass, but I'm still skeptical about their business model, I don't know how this subscription based service will provide enough resources for AAA games. One thing I know for sure, even Microsoft's money isn't infinite and there will be a limit to how much they bleed before wanting to see some returns.
The way I see it, one of two things will happen: The Game pass price will increase, or the games will be smaller in scope. I, for one, think is a great opportunity to produce games with smaller campaigns but without all the BS they put in games today to artificially inflate the lengths and makes us waste time...
Gamepass will increase in price just like Netflix. That's a given.
 
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RCU005

Member
It's great and all that they are buying studios to improve their gaming line-up, but just for once, I would like them to actually build a studio and not just buy them.

Sony has created many popular IPs by themselves, and other that might not have been as popular but great nonetheless.

God of War
Horizon
Killzone
Warhawk
The Last of Us
WipeOut
Ratchet and Clank
Shadow of the Colossus
Heavenly Sword
LittleBigPlanet
inFamous

I could go on for a long time...

I guess success come from creating great IPs, not buying the studios. Many Playstation games have been made by independent studios before they were bought out by Sony.

The same goes for Nintendo. They have created so many great IPs and they are so popular that they are stuck with them. However, they keep creating some few new ones like Splatoon, ARMS, etc. Recent Nintendo games have been made in partnerships from 3rd party, so they don't need to buy the studios. (They do need to by Mercury System though).

Microsoft is just looking at already established IPs and buying the studio who makes them instead of creating IPs themselves. They have Halo and Forza, but other IPs, were already established like Minecraft and now all of Bethesda catalogue.

It's like they want to be in the gaming business but don't want to put the effort in creating new games so they just buy them.
 

Kagey K

Banned
Everybody is looking out for that next deal. It's all a matter of seeing the right studio for the right price.

I don't think anyone is going to sit back and say, "We're done now, you guys enjoy grabbing up the rest."

It does seem like Embracer is actually being the most aggressive out of everybody though.
 

JPSLotus97T

Member
If Microsoft were to make any large acquisitions, Sega is really the one to go after. Their back catalog and IP's are massive. There are so many dormant IP's Sega has that they don't touch, and let's not forget about their arcade catalog that has never seen the light of day on any home console.
 
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