-
If you have been following the news, you should be aware that the people of Lebanon have been under a violent bombardment that has recently escalated. Please consider donating to help them if you can or trying to spread word of the fundraiser.
-
Asheville and Western North Carolina at large are in crisis after Helene, please consider contributing to these local organizations and helping the people whose lives have been destroyed.
Brad Sams: MS, Amazon, and Google are looking to make acquistions. EA and Sony (not as much as Google and Amazon) also looking
- Thread starter jbug617
- Start date
With MS I know I get to keep playing locally and they will keep the major games as physical media release.
Google and Amazon though? Not looking forward to cloud-exclusive games.
Google and Amazon though? Not looking forward to cloud-exclusive games.
I don't want platform holders acquiring devs and publishers. That fucking sucks. Stop taking games away from people. Most of us can't afford all the different systems and subs.
edit: Stop quoting me, corporate shills.
edit: Stop quoting me, corporate shills.
Last edited:
This generation is going to be a miserable garbage nightmare no matter which platform you prioritize.
People shouldn't be surprise if Amazon makes some moves. They understand that exclusives content moves subscription, we are seeing their moves with Prime Video.
Amazon will get Capcom
Google will get Square
EA will get Platinum
MS will get Mistwalker
Sony will get Bluepoint
Google will get Square
EA will get Platinum
MS will get Mistwalker
Sony will get Bluepoint
Honestly, video games are already on an unsustainable path with developers dying left and right for decades. I don't think acquisitions are that much worse than the alternative the industry has already dug into.
There isn't really much to talk about here? Those companies are looking for acquisitions, we already knew that.
I wonder what are these 3 acquisition targets though, but it could be anyone so....🤷♂️
I wonder what are these 3 acquisition targets though, but it could be anyone so....🤷♂️
If a platform holder is going to buy up developers and publishers I want it to be Microsoft more than anyone. They are the only one that has demonstrated that they want to put games on their console as well as PC. This isn't to shit on Sony, but they clearly are focused on their console and PC is an afterthought. Microsoft I have a massive library of games and they are providing future technology with xcloud. Google and Amazon would be my worst fears come true. I wouldn't play any games they offer unless they were on PC.
"I am OK with games being taken away from other people, as long as they're not taken away from me"
I am very optimistic towards Microsoft and XBOX in general but I think there's a lot of reason to be cautious with Microsoft buying companies, as they have struggled in the past to get games out from certain studios.
I haven't owned an xbox since 360, but I'd probably agree with you. At least I know I'd probably still be able to play their games on my pc. I still don't want it, though. I have a PS4 and I'll surely buy a PS5, but I don't want them buying anyone up, either. It largely sucks for everyone when it happens. I don't trust Amazon or Google one bit, so I would hate to see them buy anyone up.
Nope.
Last year showed them big time how reliable gaming can be in terms of steady flow of cash. Even during a global crysis.
And i'm sure amazon, google, etc. are well aware what microsoft is doing right now. Especially after their bethesda shopping spree.
EA, Activision, Square-Enix, Ubisoft, Sega and even Capcom to a lesser degree may not be particularly "cheap" but google and amazon can still buy one or two of them without opening their wallts too deep. I'm sure even Nadella would listen to Phil when he can show that amazon and google are making a move.
Whole industry is headed towards this over the next few years even more than it already has been. Companies like Tencent, THQ Nordic, Keywords and others have been gobbling up other companies, middleware, QA houses, outsourcing studios, etc throughout the industry for years now.
Much like the movie industry, be ready for some major consolidation over the rest of this gen.
Much like the movie industry, be ready for some major consolidation over the rest of this gen.
Every. Single. Time.
I'll repeat what I've been saying all along: platform holder acquisitions are bad unless it's one of the following 2 scenarios: the studio was already exclusive anyway, or the studio likely would have gone bankrupt/through a massive reduction of workforce without the acquisition.
I agree with this, I'd rather platform holders invest in creation of new studios.
If a platform holder is acquiring a studio, at least make it a 2nd party studio that is already pretty much only making games for your platform.
Amazon (and Sony to a lesser degree) are after IP that they can use in more than just games. I'd think Amazon would keep most developers multi-platform for that very reason, cause they could leverage the IP in other ways on Twitch, Amazon Prime, etc.
Not looking forward to Google or Amazon making moves. Microsoft at least you know there are options there.
On the bright side, big acquisitions will also probably mean an infusion of talent opening new studios, if some people leave in the wake of those acquisitions.
On the bright side, big acquisitions will also probably mean an infusion of talent opening new studios, if some people leave in the wake of those acquisitions.
Yeah, frankly, it's best for most people if Microsoft is the one doing the acquisitions. Sony doesn't have the money, and Microsoft is obviously competing with Sony directly to the extent that the Xbox ecosystem is a pretty clear GOOD alternative to the PlayStation ecosystem if Microsoft continues to make acquisitions to fend off Amazon and Google. I really don't know what to think about Amazon, as I think the whole Fire TV gaming initiative was TERRIBLE, yet Luna is pretty solid in terms of the quality of the experience (even if the selection isn't amazing yet). Google's attempt to get into gaming seems to be really misguided. I really, really wish Google would stay out of it, though I do think Stadia is a potentially incredible platform for game development, and I'd like to see Google simply give companies access to amazing development tools, maybe in exchange for promising a Stadia release of games (but not EXCLUSIVE to Stadia). I do think there's some merit to cloud services, but Google messed up by just sort of going the OnLive route. At least OnLive had amazing sales to make it KIND OF worth the buy-in.
"If a platform holder is going to buy up developers and publishers I want it to be Microsoft more than anyone. They are the only one that has demonstrated that they want to put games on their console as well as PC. "
What part of that suggests I want to take shit away from anyone? I only said that *IF* a platform holder is *GOING* to buy up developers I would rather have it be Microsoft because they are putting their games on both PC and Xbox which puts them in front of more people than if it were purchased by Sony, Amazon or Google. Dafuq, brother? Like you just accused me of the literal opposite of what I actually said.
Its not only that. A lot of studios and even publishers are thinking they are reaching peak value, so its time to sell.
So its neither of your scenarios are going to play out and more one of "time to cash out because the cat will never be more fat" for quite a few of the sales that are going to happen.
It's going to happen a lot this gen, especially as IP becomes more coveted.
"I am OK with games being taken away from other people, as long as they're not taken away from me"
MS being the preferred choice is hardly surprising. They release their games multi platform and for anyone already subbed to Gamepass its another boat load of free games