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Sony Interactive Entertainment head says PlayStation isn’t done with acquisitions yet

arvfab

Banned
*Like for example, you called Nier A a masterpiece. Why you think so? What was about the game that made you openly consider it a masterpiece?

Gameplay and story, same reason as for GoW or TLOU2.

What happened to Death Stranding? Was critically acclaimed, sold well and people liked it. I platinumed it and enjoyed every second of it.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
Gameplay and story, same reason as for GoW or TLOU2.
Be more detailed, because Nier A's gameplay is far from being a strength in the game, and its story has way too many flaws to earn merits by itself

What happened to Death Stranding? Was critically acclaimed, sold well and people liked it. I platinumed it and enjoyed every second of it.
I think you missed the wave of people hating on it for not having enough pew pew kaboom in it.
 
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lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
So kadokawa is the winner of this gen?
Sony acquire Kadokawa

GIF by Identity
 

arvfab

Banned
Be more detailed, because Nier A's gameplay is far from being a strength in the game, and its story has way too many flaws to earn merits by itself


I think you missed the wave of people hating on it for not having enough pew pew kaboom in it.

I liked the hack and slash gameplay, the RPG elements, the boss fights.
Story wise I don't remember the details, but loved the fact you had to go through the game 3 times to actually "complete" the story. The side missions helped to find out a lot about the world, too.

And sometimes it had that quirky humor many Japanese games have.

Regarding DS: and yet the game was successful. Only because a vocal minority doesn't like some things, doesn't mean what they say is true. Similar to how a vocal minority seems to dislike the Sony 1st party games 🙃
 

Guilty_AI

Member
I liked the hack and slash gameplay, the RPG elements, the boss fights.
Story wise I don't remember the details, but loved the fact you had to go through the game 3 times to actually "complete" the story. The side missions helped to find out a lot about the world, too.

And sometimes it had that quirky humor many Japanese games have.
Welp, the things we saw in the game were completely different.

Hack'n'slash was cool but far below what i've seen in other games, including platinum games titles. Rpg elements did more harm than good. Game had some pretty good boss fights, but also some pretty bland or even reskinned ones.

Why did you like going through the games 3 times, what about that elevated the game for you in any way? So you liked side-missions because they helped you find out a lot about the world, even though the world building in that game is absolutely horrendous and even nonsensical at times?

Regarding DS: and yet the game was successful. Only because a vocal minority doesn't like some things, doesn't mean what they say is true.
"Succesful". Its true the game made a profit, but its sales are below what publishers usually expect from game with that kind of budget

Similar to how a vocal minority seems to dislike the Sony 1st party games 🙃
I know a loooooooooooot of people who either dislike them or just don't think much of them.
 

arvfab

Banned
Welp, the things we saw in the game were completely different.

Please, go on, what did you see? What did you like?

"Succesful". Its true the game made a profit, but its sales are below what publishers usually expect from game with that kind of budget

So you are into the Sony and KojiPro financials? What was the budget? What were the sales expectations?

I know a loooooooooooot of people who either dislike them or just don't think much of them.

And I don't give a fuuuuuck about them, as well as I don't care for the millions of people who actually love them.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
Please, go on, what did you see? What did you like?
Game design, the game actually uses "the game" to further its plots and themes, even if those are flawed by themselves. A famous moment for example is 2B being affected by the logic virus while you have to walk her to a certain part of the map. Plot-wise, its quite nonsensical (why she got afected now? Why is it taking time to corrupt her while it was instantly on others? The whole premise of her having to go to that specific place is kinda dumb) but its delivered so well that people just gloss over the weird bits (the grave circunstances are fully conveyed by "the game", by corrupting hud elements, occasionaly making her slow and unable to jump and attack despite being surrounded by enemies, all while giving error messages, etc.)

For comparison, i remember gow18 director saying they weren't making a game script but a script. Thats the wrong way to do it. Its a video game, it should have a game script. Instead its almost like as if he's ashamed to be making a game, ashamed of his previous works and it shows. No creativity on how he uses the game to tell the story he wants, not much thought given on how old kratos became current kratos and the fact that the story itself is boring doesn't help either.

So you are into the Sony and KojiPro financials? What was the budget? What were the sales expectations?
For comparison, GoT released almost an year after DS, its on a single platform and already sold more than it.
And I don't give a fuuuuuck about them, as well as I don't care for the millions of people who actually love them.
You clearly do give a lot of fucks considering how bothered you seemed by a simple "they're boring" statement by a random guy on the net
 
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arvfab

Banned
You clearly do give a lot of fucks considering how bothered you seemed by a simple "they're boring" statement by a random guy on the net

Which you wrote quoting my message....

I wanted to be polite, asked for your opinion. You responded, and it seems that we agree to disagree. Still don't give a fuck.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
Which you wrote quoting my message....

I wanted to be polite, asked for your opinion. You responded, and it seems that we agree to disagree. Still don't give a fuck.
Theres no rule saying we have to answer everyone that quotes us you know. I certainly don't.

And either way, i merely gave you my opinion just like you wanted.
 

Dr.Morris79

Gold Member
surrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre bud

I like how seeing someone's back MUST mean they are all the same. Thats like saying being able to see from the first person perspective means Bioshock, Call Of Duty, Firewatch and Fallout 76 MUST all be the same game, genre etc.

ok bud.

Good luck with that logic
Jesus, thats some jimmies rustled there! :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

yurinka

Member
So you are into the Sony and KojiPro financials? What was the budget? What were the sales expectations?
The most recent Death Stranding sales number was 5 million, so with the Director's Cut push will very likely become the best selling Kojima game ever. Being as niche and weird as a postapocalyptical postman simulator new IP instead of a super popular classic IP, they must be more than happy.

I know a loooooooooooot of people who either dislike them or just don't think much of them.
If they really exist, aren't representative as the total since many of them have been the game with more GOTY awards of the year during this decade.
 
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arvfab

Banned
The most recent Death Stranding sales number was 5 million, so with the Director's Cut push will very likely become the best selling Kojima game ever. Being as niche and weird as a postapocalyptical postman simulator game, they must be more than happy.

But haven't you heard him? He said it's a failure, so it must be true. Duh.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
The most recent Death Stranding sales number was 5 million, so with the Director's Cut push will very likely become the best selling Kojima game ever. Being as niche and weird as a postapocalyptical postman simulator new IP instead of a super popular classic IP, they must be more than happy.
But haven't you heard him? He said it's a failure, so it must be true. Duh.
Ghost of tsushima released an year later, wasn't on PC and still has more sales (6.5 million), not to mention this number is from an older report than DS. Take more well known IPs like GoW and we're looking at 20 million units.
MGSV sold 6 million in less than half a year of its release, so DS becoming his best selling game ever is a dream within a dream.

As i said, it wasn't a failure, it just can't be seen as enough of a success considering the investments made.


If they really exist, aren't representative as the total since many of them have been the game with more GOTY awards of the year during this decade.
These GOTY mean shite mate. A bubble of a few selected journos and game devs, along another bubble of players who actually care about what they have to say.
I don't know anyone who plays games in real life or outside this site who actually believe these games are god incarnate. They're either playing stuff on the Switch, or some MMO, or looking for some cool MP games to play with friends, or somo FIFA/COD game, yada yada.
 

yurinka

Member
Ghost of tsushima released an year later, wasn't on PC and still has more sales (6.5 million), not to mention this number is from an older report than DS. Take more well known IPs like GoW and we're looking at 20 million units.
MGSV sold 6 million in less than half a year of its release, so DS becoming his best selling game ever is a dream within a dream.

As i said, it wasn't a failure, it just can't be seen as enough of a success considering the investments made.
These comparisions don't make sense:
-Ghost of Tsushima follows the blueprint of a super successful mainstream AAA blockbuster.
-Same goes with MGSV, which on top of that is from a legendary super popular IP and is a multiplatform game.
-Death Stranding is a quirky, bizarre and niche new IP made by a smaller team released in a single console so it had way less numbers.

It's like saying a game didn't sell so well because Minecraft sold more. Btw, what investment are you talking about?
 

arvfab

Banned
it just can't be seen as enough of a success considering the investments made.

And I ask you again, as you seem to know more than everybody else:

What was the investment? How much did the game cost? How much did Sony hope to sell?

MGS5 was released on 5 platforms and was a sequel to a popular franchise, yet DS will surpass it on just 3 platforms and being a completely new franchise.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
And I ask you again, as you seem to know more than everybody else:

What was the investment? How much did the game cost? How much did Sony hope to sell?

MGS5 was released on 5 platforms and was a sequel to a popular franchise, yet DS will surpass it on just 3 platforms and being a completely new franchise.
read the timelines mate, 6 million in less than 6 months, aka by the end of 2015. After 2 years of release DS hasn't even reached those numbers yet.
And i just mentioned MGSV at all because the other guy for some reason thought this was going to be Kojima's best selling game.

As for the costs, all you need to known is that it stars an expensive actor as the main character. As for how much it hoped to sell, at least similar numbers to what other high profile AAA games get in one year.
These comparisions don't make sense:
-Ghost of Tsushima follows the blueprint of a super successful mainstream AAA blockbuster.
Which completely demonstrates my initial point.

-Same goes with MGSV, which on top of that is from a legendary super popular IP and is a multiplatform game.
-Death Stranding is a quirky, bizarre and niche new IP made by a smaller team released in a single console so it had way less numbers.

It's like saying a game didn't sell so well because Minecraft sold more. Btw, what investment are you talking about?
You're the one said DS was going to be Kojima's best selling game. All i did was point out it wasn't.
 
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Lognor

Banned
This is really a non-statement. They're not going to rule anything out. Same as Microsoft.
Sony's MO has been to acquire devs they've worked closely with for a longer period of time (Insomniac, Bluepoint, etc.). I don't know who else would fit that bill at the moment. Maybe Kojima Productions, but I think he would want to stay independent. I can't see Sony going any monster acquisitions (Capcom, SE, etc.). They'll keep them on the smaller side, I think.
 

arvfab

Banned
read the timelines mate, 6 million in less than 6 months, aka by the end of 2015. After 2 years of release DS hasn't even reached those numbers yet.
And i just mentioned MGSV at all because the other guy for some reason thought this was going to be Kojima's best selling game.

As for the costs, all you need to known is that it stars an expensive actor as the main character. As for how much it hoped to sell, at least similar numbers to what other high profile AAA games get in one year.

Which completely demonstrates my initial point.


You're the one said DS was going to be Kojima's best selling game. All i did was point out it wasn't.

So assumptions and guesses. Thanks, now I know that you are just trolling.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
So assumptions and guesses. Thanks, now I know that you are just trolling.
Should be obvious if you see sales from other ps or third party titles of similar profile, all new IPs too:

HZD -> 7.6 million after one year
GoT -> 6.5 million less than a year after
Sekiro -> +5 million after one year
DS -> 5 million after two years
 
Oh, right, november, i was remembering it releasing the middle of the year.

Point still stands though.

It hit 5 million after barely a year. Same time frame as Sekiro as you referenced. Was it as successful as Ghosts or Horizon?

No.

Did it need to sell as much as those to be a success?

No.

People want to keep referincing those celeb actors (you're greatly overestimating the costs) but you also conviently ignore the fact that it was made in three years with less than 100 people, where as Ghosts and Horizon both took over 6 years with 200 or more
 
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Guilty_AI

Member
People want to keep referincing those celeb actors but you also conviently ignore the fact that it was made in three years with less than 100 people, where as Ghosts and Horizon both took over 6 years with 200 or more
Those celebs and actors easily cost 10-30 million dollars, which is why people keep referencing them.
For reference, HZDs budget was around 50 million. Its also important to mention these studios are also often working on many projects at the same time so they aren't working to their full capacity, unlike KP that dedicated itself exclusively to DS for these 3 years.
 
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Hezekiah

Banned
Kadokawa acquire is inevitable
Would be a much better acquisition than Kojima Productions in my opinion. Highly-rated games pumped out relatively quickly, less dependent on one individual, plus they can work on two games at once.

Don't care about all the manga/anime stuff but strategically that would make sense for Sony too.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
Lmao no they don't. You're just pulling that out of your ass. Do you think the devs from 2 minutes spent tens of millions for their celeb actors too?
lol, Mad Mikkelsen charges a minimum from 75k to 150k dollars just to speak at an event.
Now try and guess how much he'd ask for working on a 3 year project. Hint: Just 10 or 20 times that amount would've been extremely generous of his part.

Now imagine similar fees to all the other celebs and you start understanding just how expensive these people are.
 
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WitchHunter

Member
Next in the headlines:

Sony vs Microsoft ...

X decides to buy top 1 percent Onlyfans creators.

Next:

FamousBabeXYZ with 15 million followers running naked on the street with a controller in hand and shouting: BUY THE ONLY TRUE CONSOLE! Attendance on live chat with "branded" controller only!
 

Zeroing

Banned
Man, this is the gen of acquisitions.
Yeah Sony had been 2 gens with almost no acquisitions and closing of studios. And recently the internal resize in some studios.
but I’m worried about media molecule. After Kaz left Sony, the studio lost their spotlight as the most creative studio PlayStation had.

I still think they will not buy any big studios. Those are hard to manage.
 
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Part of Embracer. Why would Sony want 77 studios from which most are making low budget niche games?
Yeah that would make no sense then. I thought they were still independent.

Frictional would be a good get I think. I'd like to see how they'd do mixing in some combat mechanics with their horror games and perhaps a bigger budget from Sony would allow this to happen.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Yeah Sony had been 2 gens with almost no acquisitions and closing of studios. And recently the internal resize in some studios.
but I’m worried about media molecule. After Kaz left Sony, the studio lost their spotlight as the most creative studio PlayStation had.

I still think they will not buy any big studios. Those are hard to manage.
I was, too, but then I noticed that Sony is all behind Media Molecule. They are now almost 100 developers.

Honestly, I don't know what MM is doing or what they should be doing. Apart from supporting Dreams or creating side, quirky projects with a smaller group of 10-20 people, I think they need to make proper AAA platformers (like Astrobot or Sly or R&C) or 2D Metroidvania-type games (like Hollow Knight or Ori). PROPER games.

They could also attempt making something like Hades, but they need to put themselves out there. They are very creative and very good but they just haven't been making projects that people buy, talk about all the time, and recommend their friends.
 

yurinka

Member
These GOTY mean shite mate.
The game with the biggest amount of GOTY awards of a year means it's the most highly acclaimed game of the year, since many of these award are voted by players, other ones by developers, and most of them by gaming media, who play most important games and are supposed to have an informed opinion.

Means that the most common opinion is that the GOTY is this game and that is the result of the most factual and unbiased way we have to decide the GOTY is this one. You may disagree and decide that Barbie Horse Rubber is your GOTY, that's fine. But doesn't mean most people agree or that you're right and everyone else is wrong.

I was, too, but then I noticed that Sony is all behind Media Molecule. They are now almost 100 developers.

Honestly, I don't know what MM is doing or what they should be doing. Apart from supporting Dreams or creating side, quirky projects with a smaller group of 10-20 people, I think they need to make proper AAA platformers (like Astrobot or Sly or R&C) or 2D Metroidvania-type games (like Hollow Knight or Ori). PROPER games.

They could also attempt making something like Hades, but they need to put themselves out there. They are very creative and very good but they just haven't been making projects that people buy, talk about all the time, and recommend their friends.
but I’m worried about media molecule. After Kaz left Sony, the studio lost their spotlight as the most creative studio PlayStation had.

I still think they will not buy any big studios. Those are hard to manage.
Before releasing Dreams they mentioned that all Media Molecule projects have been profitable, something 'easy' because they were a small team. Last year Sackboy was released, so they also partly got their spotlight.

Hermen said a few time he's ok with smaller, quirky games like Dreams or Sackboy and that they plan to continue with these kind of games.

Media Molecule mentioned while ago (as I remember was somewhere after Dreams launch) that they were planning (or already working on it) to bring Dreams to more platforms like PC or mobile in some way. Something I think it would be a very smart move. Not sure right now but as I remember they also mentioned that in addition to this and supporting Dreams they were also working on their next game.

In their website I see they have open positions for 22 different job roles, which many of them seem to be for Dreams or similar games and other ones are generic for any project. Knowing their size it means they are highly growing their studio and is a good sign, if they were in a problematic position they wouldn't be growing that much.

I also think that a CG movie or tv series about LBP would have potential and also could help the studio.
 
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