Microsoft has bottomless pockets, and in the aftermath of its Bethesda acquisition, it looks to be reaching deep. The worry, of course, is that things could escalate both dramatically and rapidly – with other publishers potentially purchased by giants like Google, Tencent, Apple, and the aforementioned Redmond juggernaut.
In fact, this is what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had to say about current events in an interview with CNET: “You can't wake up one day and say, ‘Let me build a game studio.’ The idea of having content is so we can reach larger communities.” According to the executive, that means the company will “consider buying even more video game companies in the future”.
The real danger for PlayStation is that it could very quickly find itself muscled out of an industry it’s dominated for decades. Sony simply doesn’t have the same kind of capital as its competitors, and while it’s made smart acquisitions in the past, its primary efforts have revolved around organically growing its own intellectual property and homegrown production pipeline.
Ultimately, we’ll need to wait and see how things play out. PlayStation is, remarkably given recent events, still by far the global market leader, and acquiring giant publishers like EA and Capcom will not be straightforward – as we’ve seen with Ubisoft takeover attempts in the past. It’s going to be a fascinating generation, but maybe not always for the right reasons.
[source cnet.com]
Comments 109
Come on, you can’t tell people not to bait in the comments and then write articles using the words ‘Microsoft Threatens’. That’s just asking for trouble.
Jesus that headline reads like one of those cheap clickbait reaction videos on YouTube with 10 midroll ads
For me its a good thing the more studios Microsoft buys up the better Gampass gets
I remember in xbox 360 era sony is not the cool kid anymore and nearly everyone abandon ps3 (or didn't make exclusive games for it) and go to xbox, but sony hunker down and released some really great, game of the year games on ps3 and people buy it. When ps4 released people buy it because they see the list of great sony games and trust sony will make more great games on ps4.
That's why I didn't understand why sony released their 1st party games on pc, yes it will make money, it's a small money though (horizon sells 10M+ on ps4, only about 500k on pc), but people won't buy their console anymore if there's hope their exclusives games will come to pc. Nintendo didn't have that problem and their console is selling great.
'Microsoft is the devil!' as Bobby Boucher's Ma would always say.
@TheFrenchiestFry @nessisonett If you don't think spending $7.5 billion on a publisher and then saying "we wouldn't mind buying more" isn't a threat, I don't know what to tell you.
The sheer amount of money that Microsoft has spent has changed the gaming industry landscape completely. It can't be overstated how much of a massive power move this is. Without question, it'll have the likes of Google, Tencent, Apple, and yes, even Sony paying very close attention.
If a company like ZeniMax can be bought out for more money than Disney spent on Star Wars and Marvel combined, it changes everything, and it will have a domino effect on the industry as we know it.
I'm not attached to any platform. I play wherever I think it suits me best. If MS are willing to fight for my attention and money this way- so be it. I only stand to gain from this as a gamer. This gen it was Sony. Next gen- we'll see.
@ShogunRok Then make the article a soapbox about it being a threat. Microsoft have not ‘threatened’ anything here, they didn’t say that unless we all went out and bought an Xbox they’d buy up everything we know and love. They refused to rule out buying more companies, same as Sony have done. The scale of the purchases might vary but the intent is the same.
We just might be witnessing the fall of gaming. Dramatic... maybe. But buying up a single small studio here and there sucks, but doesn't hurt the landscape of gaming. The Bethesda purchase is so far extreme, its no doubt going to cause a ripple effect. If Sony is muscled out the industry it will be over for our hobby.
So, realistically what Sony/Playstation can do is use its assets smarter. Stop spending money on pointless timed exclusivity deals since they only offer short term returns (that lessens now that people know the games will reach the platform of their choice) and use it to make a bigger variety of games. Bring back IPs and expand on them while also invest in a variety of genres. While the meme, "Sony games are all the same" isn't entirely true, you can't deny that they at least have a similar tone, even if that's based on first appereances. Fortunately or not, they matter in this industry, so if they could show that they offer a bigger variety if what they already offer, in every aspect, from gameplay to looks, then they will get people on their side. Unfortunately, it seems PS just wants to be "another place" to play, even if they say otherwise.
@TheFrenchiestFry @nessisonett I altered the headline. 👍
@wiiware "only" 500k copies is still $20million dollars. Not bad for a bad port of an old, dead game. Clearly they thought it was worth it.
I just want to say Rare.
Threatens...ponders...how people are so easily triggered these days.
What happened when Tencent "threatened" to buy controlling stake in Epic Games and get control of the engine used by the maority of games under the PROC flag?
What happened when Sony "threatened" to buy Insomniac and countless other studios?
This one is "big" because it's a publisher with several studios. But it's not exactly a monolithic or terribly large publisher, it just so happens it comes with multiple huge IP.
What happened when EA "threatened" to buy Westwood, Bioware, Maxis, DICE, Bullfrog, Origin, Gamefly, Hypnotix....?
Sony started the war with hammering about exclusives, exclusives, exclusives and all the studios bought under Worldwide as it's selling point. For years Microsoft insisted they aren't interested in exclusives as a strategy. They closed most of the studios they had. But Sony kept buying studios and hammering "exclusives, exclusives, exclusives". Fans here rallied "XBox has no exclusives!" Well, Microsoft wasn't going to just play a losing war forever. They joined the game and they're going to buy studios and get exclusives like Sony wanted them to. Sony may not like that they poked a much, much bigger bear than themselves that can spend them into a hole, but that's what they did.
I'm not too worried about MS's role in this as so far theyve demonstrated a lot of restraint, and it's clear they don't want to "bury" Playstation. Both companies benefit from the console status quo, and gamers benefit from them both being equally strong. Compared to MS Sony is really bumbling this launch and stumbling out of the gates, but I think fierce competition from microsoft is going to make PS5 much better than PS4. When they wake up they're going to have to compete hard, and we win. They've been lazy for years, delivering on only what they promised through 2016. Strong XBox means Strong Playstation.
I think what both companies and gamers should beware of is what Googazonpple does as they try to convert everything to a streamed world, now. But if they were going to make moves, they were going to do it anyway. And Tencent has already been on the rampage, in case you've been sleeping.
Well, I see it this way: we've known Sony for starting PlayStation small and then growing to the empire it is today. However, we've never seen Sony actually buy companies that are already established if they didn't have close ties with them. It seems like Microsoft wants to buy enough companies just so that they can push the "we have games!"narrative (I'm no fanboy, I'm just trying to see both sides of the argument). People were scared when Microsoft bought Zenimax, but we still don't know what the future holds for Sony.
I believe that Microsoft should've put that money into their already 13(?) established Game Studios so that they can produce great and beautiful games, not just buy a company and leave em in the dark (sorry Rare).
Sony puts their money into their studios, is it really that hard for Microsoft to do the same?
This shouldn't be worrying, unless they take away games from PS, then it's a problem.
Another point: Nintendo is doing just fine with their console exclusives, so I agree with what @wiiware said. If Sony wants to sell PS5'S keep console exclusives. Microsoft needs to understand that.
@rockman29 Disney's worth almost 200bn. Zenimax was south of 8.
PlayStation buying rockstar will make me forget about evil within dishonored.prey not being on ps5 posibly.word up son
With Microsoft turning up the heat, and going all in on Gamepass, Sony definitely needs to form some sort of response.
Obviously they can't beat Microsoft in terms of sheer purchasing power, so they need to make smart moves and strike with precision.
@NEStalgia "They've been lazy for years."
Just to be clear, you're talking about Sony here?
If you go by what's happened in the past, buying up big studios doesn't always work out that well. Studios only sell up if things are a bit rocky and it seems to me that Bethesda in particular were struggling to get out of the grave they have dug for themselves this gen.
Hopefully all this does is create space for other studios with fresh and exciting content to rise into the space that's been created in the market.
The saddest thing about this is that a platform holder owns Doom now. That and studios like Arcane and Tango are tied up too.
I think that Sony's biggest mistake was going for timed exclusives. This practice helps no one and creates a bad impression. I've said this before, but in regards to exclusives the best way forward for a platform holder is to buy small studios and help them flourish and produce quality exclusives for your console. Doing this only improves the industry and is a valid way of keeping games to your platform.
And another thing: the CEO said, "You can't wake up one day and say, let me make a game studio..." So what about indie devs? Sure, they didn't have a large team whenever they're making games and stuff, but after a few months/ years, haven't we seen them become studios? What about Pisyonix (Rocket League)? The devs behind Fall Guys? Heck, even Bridge of Spirits? Have we seen them grow into a studio?
Someone help me understand this... PLEASE! (I could quite possibly be wrong....)
I don't really see it as that big a deal. MS have always had this money and early on bought Rare and Bungie. They still only sold 18 million original Xboxes, 12 million of which were in NA, and lost 4 billion dollars that gen. The 360 had a year head start and still sold less than PS3. The XB1 had backwards compatibility and has sold half of what PS4 has and has been outsold by the non-BC, far less powerful Switch despite having a roughly 3 year head start.
I'm not sure why people are suddenly scared when MS has more BC than Sony and buy a studio again. It's never really worked for them before - so far their greatest success is to sell less than Sony's worst selling console when they had a 1 year head start and a 33% hardware failure rate. Could this time be different? Theoretically. But across 3 generations in a row they've always fared worse in terms of getting gamers to buy their consoles and in terms of having interesting games you can't get elsewhere.
Welcome to the despicable arcticle of "The sun"
It's not, but it's almost the same bias.
The amount of money is pretty crazy, but I doubt Microsoft will hold all of their games to PC and Xbox. I feel a few games will still be multiplat, but PS5 versions will most likely have less content or release at a later date.
This is it guys...Microsoft will buy Sony xD
They better leave Sega the hell alone! Microsoft have a habit of watering down every developer and franchise they acquire.
Look at what the did to Halo and Gears after they bought them from Epic and Bungie, they're crap in comparison to their entries on the original Xbox and X360!
Rare? Sea of Thieves? Really? And TES/Fallout? Yeah they'll probably turn them into filler microtransaction rubbish for their 'service'.
But if they ever acquire and ruin Persona, well I don't know what I'd do but I sure as hell will quit gaming!
Like others have mentioned before Sony's answer should be to grow more their studios. This strategy with timed deals is just a waste of money. Bring back older IP build new ones. Buy MGS IP from Konami and go from there. A smart move would be to buy square enix and bring back Legacy of Kain - Soul reaver.
@ShogunRok Don't make it a news article then. Make it a soapbox. Obviously as a staffer at PushSquare you're biased towards PlayStation but for actual journalism it's better to actually be as neutral as possible. Saying stuff like Microsoft THREATENS is obviously just a cheap way to get all the fanboys clicking on your headline and stir up a reaction since it's very opinionated
I think everyone knows for a fact Microsoft has "wipe my ***** with 500 dollar bills" kind of money.
Sony needs a few sponsors lol
@blacklivesmatter that would be a massive disaster for the future of gaming.
Sony needs to buy bluepoint and other teams they have a good relatioship with. Really pissed they closed multiple studios: zipper, guerilla cambridge, evolution studios, big big
Yet another clickbait article here. Commenters have complained over and over again, but nothing changes, since there seems to be no room for integrity when money is involved. Sure, you get more traffic, but what at what cost?
I've been visiting Pushsquare ever since its MOVE days. Now I'm considering leaving and finding something better.
It'd be different if you guys were listening, but it's clear that you don't.
Edit: just saw that you changed the headline. It's something.
@Matroska I find it mad that PS3 outsold Xbox 360, everyone I knew had an Xbox and PS3 had many many issues before the eventual U-turn.
@naruball The headline was edited a good 40 minutes before your comment so I'm not really sure what you're reacting to.
Sorry you feel that way, but the rest of the article is fine and surely worth discussing? Feel free to elaborate if you have further feedback, though.
@wiiware how many of those 10m+ have a gaming pc? I think it’s not necessary lost sales there. At least not many.
I think pc releases put me off having multiple consoles. I pick one (PlayStation currently). And pick up Microsoft games on my aging gaming laptop where I see the need. I guess it’s similar for people with Xbox.
So glad yall made this article. Ive been saying this for days on here, and alot of people are so blind that they really think Sony can compete like this. I said this stuff from a concerned fans standpoint. People might not wanna believe it, but MS finally figured out how to guarantee victory for themselves. Sony might make it through this generation okay, but if MS continues to buy publishers up, like I believe they will, Sonys future is in trouble.
@get2sammyb Indeed. They did well to put together their studios, features and services, and have a really compelling start to PS4 after the problematic PS3. The hardware itself wasn't great, but both companies for whatever reason made the same mistakes there. They saw the giant opportunity MS and Ninty created and wasted no time taking advantage of it. If you didn't want a PS4 and did want an X1 in late June 2013, you were clearly not paying attention. And they kept that momentum going......for a few years....
But in the second half of the gen, shortly after the Pro arrived, they pretty much stopped and went the Nintendo route of "the console sells great without us, lets just stop paying attention." There's the argument "but they've released these big games!" Most of those were the same ones they promised in the early years finally arriving. GoT and Spiderman were genuine surprises. But mostly they took their hands off the communications wheel. The same lack of coherent message we're seeing at launch now is the same lack of coherent message they've had for the past 3 years.
I'm a Nintendo fan and a Vita owner....I know what a lazy, complacent console vendor looks like.
Ms is going to buy Ms and eat itself like the snake they are.
🐍
@NEStalgia Very well said
@Old-Red I agree, timed exclusives are a waste of time. When I was watching the Playstation event and saw timed exclusive for Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo i was rolling my eyes as hard as I could.
I think it's great Microsoft bought Bethesda, they need more games, they just don't have enough exclusives. But I don't want them to go overboard and buy up more studios.
@get2sammyb why bend the knee? The headline was fine. Write the article you want to write.
microsoft is going to buy up ALL the studios!
so let me get this straight. the only way xbox can beat playstation is if microsoft purchases the largest, most influential publishers and developers and takes away any possibility of 3rd party support for sony? this is probably true, but pitiful all the same and borderline monopolistic should they go too far down that path. thankfully, the likes of take-two is probably too much even for microsoft, valued at over $13b.
with ALL that said... if microsoft seeks to get a healthy return on its massive investments, it likely means it needs to port software EVERYWHERE, and that includes playstation. meaning, it shouldn't affect ps5 hardware sales so much so long as playstation gamers can play the bethesda games on there. even if some bethesda games don't land on playstation, it remains to be seen how much that would impact sony. less dependency on 3rd party software has not hurt nintendo as much as one would believe since its 1st party studios does the heavy lifting. sony can be similar to nintendo in this regard should it choose to, but that means no pc ports whatsoever and maintaing the traditional value of the hardware — i.e. being the ONLY place to play the games.
anyone thinking this is the gaming apacolyose should chill out. playstation will be fine. microsoft cannot purchase s-e, sega, capcom, bandai namco, platinum, ubisoft, ea, activision, take-two, cdpr AND (drum roll) nintendo, so relax.
@Ken_Kaniff
Almost makes Nintendo's plan to concede, back off and operate in its own little bubble seem like a smart decision. Not saying MS can't force it's way into Nintendo's current sector too but it may have bought itself more time than Sony.
@NEStalgia Dude. Dont even get me started on my beloved Vita. Im still annoyed at how that all went down.
@wiiware the difference is Sony had the Japanese market. So while it looked like the 360 dominated in the west, worldwide there was nothing in it, PS3 actually doing better by 1 million units or so. Whereas the xbone is a definite flop with PS4 leading by about 70 million sales at this point.
In short - microsoft are struggling to save the xbox brand and they don't have the in-house talent that sony has - like you said - to hunker down and crack it. They are desperate.
@Porco Microsoft would love to release on Playstation im sure. If they could get Game Pass on there, they would be over the moon. But i dont see Sony ever allowing it.
It remains to be seen i guess whether Micro$oft will allow Bethesda titles to release as standalone products. It makes financial sense, but it depends whether money is driving their thinking right now
@NEStalgia So are you talking about PR statements from them as a platform holder or the actual games/content they've been releasing?
Because I've no idea how you could look at the games they've published this year alone and conclude they're being "lazy"?
Sony, and certainly PlayStation as a brand are not going anywhere. The consoles may stop production eventually (it's almost an inevitably at this point that somewhere in the future they won't be console based, maybe an OS or store front only) but certainly not anything to be concerned about for at the very least this generation. They also have enough studios under their umbrella to churn out games almost constantly through the years. Just because Ms are opening their wallets doesn't mean ps has too much to worry about. I say good. Competition is good for consumers.
@Starkei i think they may have saved their brand through all of their acquisitions.
The gap will be much closer this time around. But in the process, as ive said before, game pass will end up hurting gaming. All these extra staff, all these huge purchases. It all needs to be paid for.
It will ultimately water down the investment in these studios, and it will also dictate the types of game microsoft will want to be developed. They will want more service games, possibly more microtransactions, and it will be the death of the single player experience.
And ultimately, the ownership of each game is out of the consumers hand. Microsoft will be able to pull access any time they want.
And whilst they are being nicey nicey to tempt consumers into game pass, the price will continue to creep up. It's inevitable
For those who think this is a great thing for gamers, I'd say it isn't. Monopolization isn't great. As a track record, Microsoft have been very bad at stuffing microtransactions and live elements into their games for years. Gears 5 had a Terminator crossover to promote a film. One of their flagship franchises. A Terminator promotion. Now others are equally bad or worse, my point is that when someone controls a large segment of the output, they will control what gets made and that can kill variety. You can't look at it now and state - wow, can't wait for Elder Scrolls to come to gamepass because who knows what the next Elder Scrolls will be with MS in control.
I'd feel the same if Sony did the buying. Or Google. Or Amazon.
@Rob_230 Excellent points.
«The real danger for PlayStation is that it could very quickly find itself muscled out of an industry it’s dominated for decades. Sony simply doesn’t have the same kind of capital as its competitors, and while it’s made smart acquisitions in the past, its primary efforts have revolved around organically growing its own intellectual property and homegrown production pipeline.»
Rewriting history much? There was nothing organic about how Sony, one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic products, entered the world of video games, 20 years after the business started. Ask Sega and Nintendo if they felt any muscle.
When it comes to exclusives, I’m surprised that Microsoft haven’t bought more developers over the past 20 years, considering exclusives is what Sony and Nintendo have over them.
That being said, I belive Sony and Microsoft are digging a grave for the console market. All the games you can’t play on Playstation 5, you can play on Xbox Series X and PC, and appearantly Sony is also going to release more of their games on PC. So, how can you get all the exclusives? Buy both consoles (and all the subscriptions etc.) or buy a PC.
Now here's a crazy idea. What if Ms knows the xbox brand won't compete with PS5. So buy up as much as they can to be like Activision or EA. Maybe this is the last Xbox and they want to be stream/digital only. They can't get Halo right so how will they manage all the other titles. Plus if those games don't sell they'll put them away forever . Remember project Gotham racing, Conker, and lot more gone because of low sells. Scale bond will never see the light of day.
@Rob_230 game pass on playstation is an interesting thought. to be honest, i am having a hard time seeing a negative side from sony's perspecive in doing this. it would just mean more options for playstation gamers on top of the sony exclusives (which is presumably the main selling point of playstation for many). if anything, i wonder if microsoft would be against the idea of game pass on playstation since it would hurt its hardware sales and the only selling point of xbox. but who knows, maybe microsoft is willing to take a massive hit on hardware in the hopes of getting out of the hardware game altogether next generation and operating entirely at the service level.
Quality over quantity
Gamepass is taking over the gaming world.
And i'm all aboard:p
A year of gamepass alone is the equivalent of 2 PS5 Games. I play many different types of games a year so if i even beat 5 games that year, would have gotten way more than my money's worth.
Competition is great for us (consumers) sony are going to respond somehow to this which is great for us.
Has microsoft won the next gen console war lol backwards compatibility is king.
this is getting cringy Sony has beaten them so bad they are chucking money away & making nothing back not how you do it lol. Gamepass is already a black hole for them this is not going to end well the majority will buy PlayStation again.
Further on in that article:
"We'll always look for places where there is that commonality of purpose, mission and culture," Nadella said, noting that the Xbox team has worked with ZeniMax companies including Bethesda since the first Xbox was released in 2001. "We will always look to grow inorganically where it makes sense."
Bethesda under the XBOX brand, as much as I'd prefer them to be independent, that purchase really does make sense. They've always worked well together in the same way that Sony and FromSoftware do.
I don't see MS buying up too many of the other publishers. Surely there would be a competition law somewhere that would not allow that to happen.
Microsoft cant beat sony, so they will try to buy all the big 3rd party studios they can and try to choke the life out of playstation. Funny thing is, im still not getting an xbox series x anytime soon.
@ShogunRok Rob c'mon, don't play dumb, you're not.
You know full well what @nessisonett and @TheFrenchiestFry meant, and they're perfectly right.
It's about form, not substance. We all already know what you're saying.
@NEStalgia....... What's frustrating is Sony wasting money on these unnecessary time exclusive... Heck even Epic is buying up studios quicker than Sony....just found out Epic bought to dev for Rocket League I mean this game lieterry launched on the Ps4...... They are just frustrating sometimes....... I wish they were as aggressive as the ps1 days where they would completely obliterate any competitor who dropped the ball....... Sony needs to realize they playing very key role in gaming without them we would no longer own our games and we would game streaming and subscription slaves and all games will go GAAS..... PRAY THEY WAKE UP SOON FROM THIS SLUMBER........ LIKE THE PS3 WAS THE MOST WANTED PIECE OF ENTERTAINMENT / GAMING DEVICE/ HARDWARE after the massive success of the Ps2 and Sony stuffed it up giving ground to MS and mobile gaming and gaming starting to move towards mtx, lootboxes, always online play, drm and now GAAS and streaming and subs..... Had Sony hit the ball outta park as was expected with the Ps4 gaming today would be so much better and the focus of the industry would still be on making unforgettable gaming experiences........ They look like they are stuffing up the same with the Ps5 after the absolutely phenomenal Ps4..... And the worst part is that like the PS3, the PS5 is the wanted gaming device because is absolutely insane hence Microsfts aggressive moves... That is why MS is spending money they are spending to trying to entice as gamers every opportunity they can because even afterall the game pass and all information about the XSX and their Ecosysem...their market analysis shows them the PS5 IS STILL THE MOST WANTED GAMING DEVICE LET ALONE CONSOLE..... But Sony is doing nothing about it........... In my wet pipedream when Sony shows Ps5 game play next week they mention that they have brought CDPROJECT RED.......... that would render anything MS have done up to so far pretty much irrelevant........ One can only dream
@playstation1995 dont expect take two to sell rockstar to anyone, unless someone wants to buy take two as a whole i dont see that happening.
Sony has not been as organic as the article implies. Almost every studio making the games that Sony relies on right now were also acquisitions.
Naughty dog, aquisition.
Imsomniac, aquisition
Sucker Punch, aquisition
Guerrilla Games, aquisition
I think only current pillar studios that are home grown is Santa Monica Studio (God of War) and Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo)
Only console manufacturer that can claim most its IPs are home grown is Nintendo, and even they have done big acquisitions like Monolith (Xenoblade)
@naruball Ive changed before, but what is out there? Playstation Lifestyle? Kotaku? Well, if you find something good let us know though.
@JapaneseSonic sure looks like it.
@clvr @nessisonett @TheFrenchiestFry Well if I had written this article, I'd be keeping the headline purely out of spite at this point.
Be thankful that Sammy is a much more benevolent editor!
What a clickbait image!
I never gave a dime to Microsoft and passed from the Amiga to Apple. They should only be allowed to use xbox money for their xbox division.
Buying a publisher was always going to be anti consumer, we don't know the long term effects of this. Or where they will stop, I can see Google taking this opportunity to buyout a publisher and make it exclusive. We'll basically see a new problem where we'd need each console to play certain publisher's games. Its a future I hope not to see. Let's hope Bethesda is the only one that goes in the near future.
@Shepherd_Tallon I've long made the argument that IF (and that's still a very big IF at this point) streaming and exclusives to specific streaming services are the future for video games, anyone dismissing the possibility of an "acquisition war" in the industry isn't a student of business trends and is being dismissive of the exact same thing already having happened in television and film.
Disney acquiring Lucas Entertainment.
Disney acquiring Marvel.
AT&T acquiring Time Warner.
Disney acquiring (most of) 21st Century Fox.
CBS and Viacomm merging.
Other transactions that aren't really worth mentioning here, with more deals of varying sizes potentially on the way (ex: one of the larger companies could easily go out and acquire AMC tomorrow if they wanted).
All of those were done to prepare for a future where content is king and the company/companies that own the most/best content are the most powerful and successful. That already does not seem all that dissimilar from the way the video game industry is structured at present, and that is before we've even had a chance to see whether streaming services are truly viable for gaming or not (which, in my opinion, the internet speeds haven't been there to truly get a sense of that - that'll change as 5G and other faster connections become more widely available and more companies try their hand at launching their own streaming platforms, the same as has happened in television and film).
And as far as your statement that surely there is a law or regulator that would stand in the way of something like that happening - not really. I work in a related occupation and it's not often that big deals get scrapped b/c of regulators anymore (instead, it's been more likely that they require concessions for the deal to be approved). Really the only thing I can see regulators getting in the way of is when it's a foreign company trying to acquire a domestic one in their country (ex: I can't see the Japanese govt signing off on a deal where a Microsoft, Apple, Google, or Amazon tried to acquire Sony).
@MJ Well, thank you for that nightmare fodder. Won't be sleeping for a while.
Yep "It'll all end in tears" for the companies Microsoft have bought i.e just look how rubbish RARE are nowadays and most things Microsoft buy
@ShogunRok wow, what a display of maturity.
I'll make sure to burn an incense at the altar of Sammy, cause choosing not to be inflammatory is something that earns you endless praise, certainly not something that should be the standard. /s
(I do appreciate Sammy changing it, I just wanted to point out how faulty your reasoning is.)
Mark my words: sooner than later MS will become exclusive an publisher!
@GREGORIAN Agreed, absolutely. I feel like I'm reliving PS3 all over again. The hardware isn't a trainwreck this time, so at least it won't get that bad, but Sony's stance is a replay post PS4 and post-PS2. Personally I feel they WILL get kicked out of complacency. Microsoft's moves are so massive and aggressive Sony won't be able to not respond somehow. And I think it will make PS5 fantastic by the end. But I don't think we'll see "new Sony" for a year or two. It takes time to correct what's wrong inside this new Playstation and it takes an executive shakeup to do it. PS3 was different in that the hardware itself was a disaster. It was designed around their internal ambition without a thought toward outside studios, and when they realized they ran aground, they could do absolutely nothing to repair their problems other than wait for the new hardware generation. It's not like it was a business failure, but it's not how they wanted to follow up PS2, sales-wise, that's for sure. This time the hardware is just fine, so Sony's business is PS5's problem, and that can be turned around a lot more smoothly than PS3 in which the machine itself was a problem. They can start by shifting their messaging from the current "pay up or get out" strategy they're going with while their competitor is handing out free candy at the entrance.
@get2sammyb The games themselves are certainly high quality. If they weren't I wouldn't have PS5 preordered. It's their communications, their presentation, and their ability to manage momentum and perception that eroded, along with a shift from presenting themselves as customer friendly in the early PS4 era to their current presentation of the entrenched industry titan that can do what they want and consumers will have to pay.
Those great games, though were all games that started in production before they settled into their complacency. I'm somewhat apprehensive about what we may find when we peel back the lid on the future games. Not HzD2 and Ragnarok - that's building on the existing template. It's what comes after and how Sony's penny pinching policies will affect those games I have some reservations about the unknown. Anything after that was started after the "we're the leader and have everyone on a string" mentality set in. And maybe more importantly, the era in which Ryan has had unfettered control.
I do believe they will be shaken to action and get out of this complacent mentality. They have to. And I think we'll look back in 7 years and say "Wow, PS5 was amazing! But that first year or two....that was rough..."
@Rob_230 I see what you mean. I think Sony has earned a bit of loyalty this gen though and the market should hopefully reflect that. And mostly with single player experiences! Personally, it will take a heck of a lot more than whatever the developer of Fallout 76 (service game with microtrans stuff was already their canvas bag) is working on, along with Gears of War 6 and Halo 37 to get me to consider whatever the next Xbox is called (Xbox XS is it? CBA to google it) before the PS5 and any single Sony first party title.
As long as games keep coming on PlayStation and studios manage to keep their creativity going, it doesn't matter who is behind them. It's when the studios are locked for their ecosystem that it becomes a problem. And to be honest, I'm not sure it's legal for one company to purchase all others and own the market, for instance Disney had to go on trial when purchasing Fox.
Also, some publishers should just stay far away from any high-quality studios, such as EA. They break whatever they touch if it's not sports related.
@Porco I mean, i think Microsoft are heading in that direction. I dont think they care where you play, so long as you are locked in to their ecosystem on game pass. The Series X/S is just a means to an end. Thats why they went all in on saying all releases would still be playable on xbox one for up to two years, and why they made such an investment in xcloud.
They want you to be able to play game pass where ever you are or whatever tech you have available. They will go anywhere that can increase their playerbase on Game Pass. Its make or break for them. And thats why they need to buy so many studios. They need a constant flow of new releases to keep players engaged.
Is that bad? I think its bad for the industry personally. In the medium to long term i think it will change gaming and not for the good. However, for now its AMAZING for the consumer. I never thought id buy an xbox. Ever. But its certainly an interesting proposition. They buy Sega and id have no choice
I am still buying a ps5 on day one and i still trust Sony to bring the goods, but they reallllly need to start talking. I certainly dont think they would allow Xbox onto the Playststion ecosystem, even if it made sense for both parties. Game Pass would mean players are getting Xbox Live Accounts, running Xbox Live on a Playstation (xbox would demand it) and Sony wouldn't get a cut of the 3rd party titles that are featured on game pass. It just wont happen.
I think Sony's way of responding will be more timed exclusivity. I see alot of 3rd party devs releasing on playststion first. Reaping the money they get from charging 70 pounds a pop, before moving to xbox and potentially game pass 12 months down the line
@Flyin45s Everyone I know is. Lots of PS4 owners are moving to series X for Gamepass and the better hardware specs.
@Deadlyblack sold for $70 but included in GamePass.
@Pikki how often do Last of Us games come out?
I find it interesting many kept saying Xbox has no games... MSFT has heard this and look at them now.
Lets be honest the most dangerous companies are ones in the US and China trying too buy everything instead of creating.
There will always be a Playstation and Xbox regardless of who buys what publishers. When Microsoft said they're not competing with Sony they weren't lying. If Sony truly is using Microsoft's cloud for gaming in the future Microsoft wins no matter what.
There's a reason one is worth $1.5 trillion vs $100 billion. Microsoft's only real competition is keeping Google, Amazon and Apple out of gaming as much as possible. By agreeing to partner with Microsoft, Sony also seems to feel the same way. Look at where IBM makes the majority of their money now..... off cloud and tech services.
@gollumb82 I think that is the right attitude. We tend to go overboard with brand loyalty. I've always preferred PlayStation over Xbox but it's about games. Whatever happens. I will be sad sure but can't afford to buy all systems or have time to play every game.
whats happened here is everyone going on about they would only ever buy a PS5 over the XSX because of all the exclusive games has dug a hole that will harm sony in the long term. It seems Microsoft now see the need to have big name games you cant play on the PS5. This wont be the only Microsoft purchase of studios.
Microsoft didn't buy Zeni for the Xbox if you think that your mad. This is Microsofts last generation making a console. Look at the effort put into this one no new controller and a 2000 mini pc case. It's all about Xstream for them and killing console gaming as we know it. What's amazing to me is how many people are applauding it. Yes that 15 million subs sounds great but how many are still on or started the buck a month deal? They want the set it and forget it crowd. Nah I own every console this gen I'm afraid I'll only support the two Japanese makers this generation. I'm a old timer who doesn't like to rent or lease the things I love.
@Darthrau This ! I said the same thing. They can't beat PS5, i think we'll see xbox live on Ps6 . Ms xbox will become stream service .
As I've always been against the idea of timed exclusivity, i am getting quite a chuckle out of Sony paying Bethesda for 6 month exclusive rights to those couple of games, that money now being effectively Microsofts money. Great lot of good 6 months exclusivity will do when they will go on Gamepass for the low low price of nothing except the subscription price. Sorry Sony, you can't keep playing by the same rules. Make a move. Upend the coffee table. Do something. Staying the same and doing business as usual isn't going to cut it this gen. I want a Sony kept on it's toes and firing on all cylinders, not this arrogant early PS3 era we seem to be having a "renaissance" of cough irrelevant Spiderman remaster cough
Microsoft have done things perfectly, rewriting all the wrongs from this gen. I've always had both consoles but this gen has been all playstation and psvr for me, this gen I'm not so sure 🤔
I've already pre ordered ps5 but because of the xbox all access deal I've ordered an xbox series s too... l would have gone for the x but its rightly completely sold out. but this is the thing, if you're a mad gamer like me and have already secured a ps5, why not pick up the cheaper xbox for £20.99 a month for 2 years with gamepass included? (the deal is £10 CHEAPER than paying for console in full and subbing to gamepass for 2 years too!)
when you speak of value for money xbox and gamepass is second to NONE! its actually quite astonishing 😲
@deathaxe....... True that and you are very much correct but think what it will do to the moment for the PS5 if Sony just announce they have brought Game Science Studios and Black Myth is coming exclusively for the PS5...... That would kill all Xboxs momentum....... We really need Sony to remain on top of gaming for the sake of gaming....... Mif MS, Amazon, Google or Apple budge their into gaming dominance then gaming is we know will be dead........ I mean let's be honest for all eh talk of Game pass and Microsoft good customer relations as perceived....... I have not seen a single hint from that they are even interested in Single Player Games.... These games are the staples of the industry............. Everything thing else that is not SP game is just a store front for the background Mtx, loot boxes, GAAS and all the like.... I mean even Rpgs today are designed with in game spending in mind........ We will also never ever get GTA at the same level of fun and detail as say GTA SA why because of GTA5 online do you honestly think R* will give the same attention to GTA6...... Sure we will get a game that is a step up for GTA 5 buy most of its context and designed will be primarily for the next GTA 6 online......... Once MS has the numbers they need to sub on Game pass you can bet that games will all follow the mobile game design where game play is locked being pay to play or pay to win pay walls....... Sony needs to step their ish up....
@dbunny.....
It's not value for money..... How can something you don't own become value for money... Please explain that to me....... This all thing is design to make not think and then hook you into the sub....... The system is currently bleeding money...... Who do you think will pay back all the money they are loosing in their drive to get people to sub to Gamepass............. Gaming budgets are dwarfing movie budgets and are getting closer to the billion mark................ MS dont give a rats ass bout consumer value or satisfaction.... They plan is to do the Google Play Store version in gaming........ Think about it when you have an android phone...... You phone is intrinsically tied to Google even though you did not buy the phone from Google....... Over 95% of every software for Android needs you to be tied to Google........ And look at the garbage and vapour of most of the app on the play store..... Half of the apps you can't use if you are not constantly connected. To the internet cause you have to view adverts in order to be able to fully use the apps...... This is were MS wants to take gaming....... . Look at how they have the pc market by The balls because everything game on Pc need Direct X to run......
@TheAdza..... Dude tell me about it...... I never get mad at Sony but currently the way they are doing things just pisses..... I mean even the Spiderman is now a disaster...... I mean they waste money making a remaster of game you cannot access on Bluray drive but online but only if you buy the ultimate version......... Why even make the remaster............ Why waste all those resources.....instead of making insomniac waste time on the remaster they could have made them work on a sunset overdrive remaster......... Like we desperately need Shawn Lyden more than ever in this Gen...... Jim Rian is just a corporate guy..... I don't think he gets gaming and what playstation is about
@NEStalgia........ Man you took the words outta my mouth..... I think as PS fans we should start boycotting towards Sony and demand Jim Ryan gets fired and Shawn Layden to be reinstated........ It's no coincidence that communication from Playstation started to dry the moment they changed executives....... I mean Shawn let us know what is going on o a constant basis and made Playstation as whole more transparent.... Jim Ryan is just more of a corporate shilll.... Since being in charge he has said absolutely nothing outside of the showcase events.... They guys has been in the job for almost 2 years now..... I mean I know more about PHIL Spencer's and xboxs plans and I don't even like nor want an Xbox never even owed one or planing to own one ever...........yet the device I'm saving to buy the guy in charge of running the operation is mute and does not seem to get gaming and playstation as a whole........... Gaming cannot afford the Playstation to not be at the top...........cause without playstion gaming as we know it falls completely apart............. The currently status and value of gaming to due to one device only and that is the playstation..... Nintendo had an iron grip on gaming before Sony entered they were treating devs and publishers like slaves and the like...... Sony came in and gave devs and publishers economic and artistist freedom hence the explosion of unforgettable experiences on the ps1 and this interim allowed dev and publishers to grow as they have grown today.... It's the same reason the Ps1 is the only gaming device with so many remaster and remakes and still request for more remakes and remaster..... Why because that system as weak as it maybe regarded by today's hardware standards it gave unforgettable gaming that is still yearned for to this day.......... Even Square Enix and Activision are as Big as they are because of Sony entering the gaming industry. Sony should wake up soon than later.......
You know I always have this thought that when Sony was buying up Naughty Dog back in the day....... What if they also added Rockstar during THOSE DAYS.... my God the playstation would be untouchable
@GREGORIAN good point and l do agree, but from my personal situation right now it makes sense. the quality of games isn't going to go downhill immediately and if l only play 1 game a month on gamepass it'll only cost me £10.99 as opposed to £60-70 a game, as a consumer that is value for money regardless what happens to the industry! l shall use my ps5 for VR games and playstation exclusives and the xbox for everything else!
@dbunny......... You are also correct and I can't disagree with you having choice variety on the option that will give you value on your money and also not drain your pocket.......... My only issue is that Game pass is the 2014 rejected DRM that Ms wanted to pursue only this time its wrapped good customer relations gift wrapped........ MS become interested in gaming when Doom outsold windows back in the day Bill gates could not believe the buy rate/ product attach rate for something that was in essence a virtual plaything or virtual toy....... There is no way MS will deep such deep funds on the Xbox division just to give value to customers..... In the short term it will be good value to entice to sub............. In the long term gaming and gaming design will drastically change such that we will no longer get Fifa with its stagnant offline modes but Fifa will just be Ultimate Team........... You can forget about Fallout 5 (if you did like Fallout to begin with) but expect the next Fallout to follow right on the heels of Fallout 76............so when they get their sub numbers then in the next Fallout 77 after paying the Game pass sub...... When you stream the game you will then get and pay mtx and loot boxes just for the character creation screen..........if this Game pass Model was sustainable then Anthem would still be an existing thing and EA would never have aboned it....... Game pass is bringing more Anthem like games, right now they are just hooking you with the low entry prices but you will pay through your nose down the line.......... I know $70 - $80 is a big and unexpected price hike, but don't you think the devs deserve it (I know publishers get an unfair because they are greedy) and also if we are being honest... .we have been under paying for gaming for years....and I'm not defending the price hike as I'm from South Africa and the price of the Ps5 games will cost R1500.00 a pop and this amount is about 10% of standard salary.....so for me each game will cost 10% of my paycheck....but the dev absolutely deserve..... The last thing I want is to be owned by Ms, Google, Amazon or Apple...
.........and ownership of a game is absolutely vital to me........ I know I am a dying breed of gamers as gaming will soon consider gamers like me obsolete in about 7 to 10 years time as everything is moving to online and servers and no physical ownership........... Some other gamer commented on another article that sometimes I wish gaming never went mainstream and was still considered the basement dwelling geek activity... Those were the freaking days.. When gaming was just about nothing but games......were you make a game and if it's amazing it would sell by the truckloads and everybody is happy.... Non of this subs. Mtx, server gaming, online nonsense, loot boxes, GAAS and all this crap...... If you made a game and wanted it sell....you made a damn good game......and if gamers...found it good it sold.......
Man I wish games would take the way of the game "Inside"(ONE OF THE GAMES OF THE CURRENT GENERATION ON MY LIST) were the game told its story as it wanted and did its thing and just left it like that.... No expansions, dlcs, patches... Just pure gaming....
@GREGORIAN you talk a lot of sense my friend, and its something that does concern me too for the future of games and gaming. trouble is there's not much we can do about it but sit back and see how it actually unfolds....
l do also believe devs have earned the price rise, as painful as it is for us, the price for creating them is astronomical! l shall still pay full price for my ps5 games though
on a more positive thought (for MS) you can imagine that they are aiming sky high for their gamepass, of course they are! 😁 BUT, say they get to 100000000 subs? yes, that's optimistic but that would be pulling in just over a billion every month. surely that would be enough to keep all their first party devs making quality games including a proper fallout5? (yes l love fallout!) of course MS could just pocket that cash and still make crappy online, loot box filled games anyway! lol ...but if they fill the financial hole just until they have enough subs to pay for it all, it could just work!
your not a dying breed, my middle son is 16 and he hates digital, he likes a big collection you can display physically 😉 I'm 43, I've been gaming since l was 8 or so lol l like the convenience of digital, but normally l don't like the prices of them! one things for sure, this is going to be a very interesting generation. l count myself lucky I'm going to be able sample both consoles from the start (even if its the underpowered xbox)
@GREGORIAN I don't think Shaun's ever coming back....just up and leaving like that after 30 years at the right hand of the old company president....there is some very bad blood going on there. And we're seeing why in real time, they got him out, and they seem to want us out, too.
But that's just it. I think that Sony died a few years ago. A company is just a logo and a name. Anyone can buy it. It's the people that make it run, and the people that made the Playstation we loved are all gone. This is a new breed, a new company, and they definitely don't seem to be interested in offering the things we want from them. It's really sad.
I don't think any company is the "savior" of gaming though. They all take turns. Sony was obnoxious during the "Nintendo Play Station" debacle which gave us N64 and Playstation as we know it. It was Sony's corporate money grubbing that messed up the Nintendo collaboration that was to be the first Play Station with an SNES slot. If Yamauchi hadn't discovered Sony's little legal snafu in the paperwork, Nintendo would probably be gone, Sony would own Mario, and we'd be paying $140 for games now.
But they each take turns. Nintendo came off their arrogance after the N64 downturn and became friendly. Then with the Wii they got arrogant and screwed everyone with WiiU. Sony got arrogant with PS2 and messed up PS3 badly, screwed over customers, and XBox picked up the slack with 360. Then they got arrogant, started trying to chase the Wii dragon, and we all know they imploded on X1. Sony went back to being cool with PS4....and now here we are.... It's their turn again. I can't point to any one company and call them the good guys. They take turns. We need all of them to stay healthy. XBox being so weak last gen is the reason we're dealing with Ryan's hideous Sony vision today. If Matrick hadn't screwed up, XBox would have been a solid platform, and Sony would be running on all cylinders for PS5 launch. Not selling us 2 year old games again for $10 more, while MS gives away the farm.
@dbunny........ Wow absolutely great points... You have given me another perspective at looking at the situation another way...... Looking at those sub numbers if they can achieve them maybe MS will give their studio room to create quality games which will definitely make Gampass absolutely undeniably valuable to us gamers...... I am 34 and been gaming since the Ps1 days and glad to have had very warm and decent conversation with a fellow oldie gamer.... I think I would hit it off with your son and great I'm not a dying breed.... There is just something about owing the physical box......... It's shocking when u look at the collection and realize how much of your time on this earth you've spend gaming......
@NEStalgia... Very true in that they each take turns and no one is a savior.... I suppose I personally consider them a sort of a savior because for me they have been my access to be still be gaming otherwise I would stuck with mobile vapour ware gaming or playing old games or not gaming at all........... I'm not into the Nintendo catalogue so it would not make sense to buy a Nintendo console only for Zelda...... For me to game with Microsoft would need unaffordable internet connectivity (I live in South Africa and the internet is priced as a luxury product, very expensibe)........ To then game on PC would mean I would at best be playing 2010 to 2014(and a small number of 2015 and some 2016 games) as gaming pcs are expensive and we just settle for standard entry level pc. Hence on my side the PS then becomes the common lowest denominator in terms of pricing and accessibility which they are a savior to me personally..........
It is sad that all people who made PS what it was have left so I suppose Mark Cerny is last one standing (I know he was not original PS but he was at Naughy when Sony
bought them in the early days.. If I still remember correctly........please do mention if I'm wrong about this)
As for Jim Ryan..... He is proof as you say that the Sony we knew died a few years back cause who hired the guy..... And PS exclusives now moving to PC
It looks like they are slowly shutting down the console division and preparing to have a PS storefront like Steam and Epic....... Maybe if the Xbox has record launch sales still will kick Sony into gear... But I am afraid that if MS gains ground it will not be the Ps3 Era comeback again cause I personally think that if Ms gets the right grip on the market by the time Sony tries to do anything gaming may have moved on from the traditional physical home console and accelerating towards the online/streaming Era which Sony in terms of infrastructure are so far behind they will not be able to compete........
@GREGORIAN l do have a habit of being waaay too optimistic about stuff 😁 but, it could be possible for MS to achieve this. as gamepass is available, and also very attractive to PC gamers, it's conceivable that they could reach those sub numbers. also technically you don't even need a console, people could sub to gamepass with nothing but a controller and a tablet/smartphone! I've sampled game streaming on the nvidia shield TV console when it first released, its OK, not great but it works! and the tech is getting better.... and seriously it wouldn't surprise me if we see some kind of MS gamepass for ps5!! lmao! because all they are interested in is getting those sub numbers doesn't matter where they come from... it would probably just cost a little more on ps5 😉 not that playstation would ever entertain the thought!
basically MS have left it wide open for anyone to join, and they will because right now it's very attractive! it'll be down to MS to make it a success in the long run, if they can keep releasing 'high quality' games for single players and online multiplayers then it will be a success... if it ends up being a choice between ps5 with expensive very high quality games or xbox with great value but very low quality games l will be completely with sony, again! only time will tell, l don't think MS has finished buying yet though....
l feel a little bad for sony, they just can't compete with MS spending power and if MS suddenly decide to do a VR headset that's better than psvr2 they could be fighting an uphill battle
nice to meet you too buddy, if you're continuing on playstation my gamertag is the same name as on here 😉 and l know what you mean about time spent gaming, but when l look at the time I've spent, it's never enough! 😄
@Absymbel Rare has really found their stride again thanks to Microsoft buying them.
@Vorlon makes zero sense. Microsoft should be able to spend their money however they like.
@Flyin45s so don't? The rest of us will enjoy all the great content on gamepass.
Xbox has really came a long way. It's crazy hot great game pass and it just keeps getting better. Excited to see where this road leads.
@rockman29 the gaming industry is bigger than the movie, music, and comic book industries combined. So it isn’t a bad investment by any stretch of the imagination. Unless you’re a Sony fanboy, then it’s really bad.
@wiiware But Sony has 110 million PlayStation buyers, Nintendo have only 55
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