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I don't understand how people can anticipate or cheer on studio acquisitions

Acquisitions on their own would be fine, but these days there seems to be implied platform exclusivity with every acquisition (and there seem to be many acquisitions planned). I play on PC so this doesn't affect me much (for now, anyway)

Still, why would you suddenly want a game that everyone used to be able to play to suddenly be limited to one ecosystem?

For example, after seeing the anticipation for Elden ring from all areas of the community, do people really want FromSoftware to suddenly be tied down to making games for one console alone?

I understand the benefits acquisitions bring for studios(security, stability, funding, marketing, technical expertise, etc.) and I get that this is how the business of videogames has been run. But the exclusivity of formerly platform-neutral ips or studios just fractures the community
So why do you, the players, want it?

Only reason I can imagine is "since everyone's being bought, it might as well happen in favour of the ecosystem I'm already in"
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
How awesome would it have been if Nintendo had acquired say, Factor 5, or SEGA Lobotomy back in the day, we'd have had such great games and expanded on their legacies instead of shut down studios & nobody stepping up to take their place.

Unlike these (or the likes of Looking Glass), other studios that otherwise may not have continued to exist or have never grown out of an indie niche hole that didn't allow them to really realize their dreams and visions, did get to do so.

Sure, other times it went bad, everyone cringes when EA buys. Still, acting as if all you play and enjoy is indie stuff and corporations, first or third party, that acquired this or that studio never made shit you liked? Come on.
 
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ckaneo

Member
Honestly I have never owned an Xbox system and yet I cheered to Bethseda acquisitions because it felt like they were actually gonna compete this generation. I'm part of the problem lol
 

bender

What time is it?
Only reason I can imagine is "since everyone's being bought, it might as well happen in favour of the ecosystem I'm already in"

Apart from the normal tribalism and console warring, I think this sums it up well. Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax and their massive stable of IPs was earthshattering for the gaming landscape. The natural question becomes "who's next?", especially when you have as deep of pockets as Microsoft.
 

Kilau

Gold Member
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S

SpongebobSquaredance

Unconfirmed Member
Corporatism in a nutshell.

Big companies buying smaller companies happened for years and it will continue to happen. Not much we can do about it.

Maybe it will lead to good games and a healthy relationship between the parties. Maybe it will end in a disaster with people loosing their jobs and customers getting poor products. The future will tell.
 
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Mozzarella

Member
I agree with you, i truly despise console wars, its one of the dumbest things i have ever seen in gaming community.
I never understand the mentality of the person who defends a big corporation on the forums based on their games, i mean you can just defend the games and be a fan of the people that worked on them, be a fan of the director, of the designer of the writer, why be a fanboy of the corpo who funded the project with money, he literally doesnt care as long as they fill their pockets with money and some people go crazy lengths just to prove that a box of gaming is superior to the other box. Justify your purchase? there is not need for that, its like kids debating which toy is better. Instead if you are a true gaming enthusiast and not a person searching to join a team. Then simply you will get every tool that allows you to play the games you like. In the end they are not that expensive if this is your main hobby and even if you cant play them and you are jealous, it still doesnt justify acting like a toxic fanboy.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I don't care if studios are acquired. Adds some stability to the industry. Most independent studios are one failure away from bankruptcy anyway. The good ones might as well get some pockets behind them.

If they wanted to maintain their independence they'd say no to an acquisition, anyway. It's not cheerleaders on message boards making acquisitions happen. These studio heads want to be bought.
 

Warablo

Member
Building a studio is in the past for big corporations, way too much time and effort.
 
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ACESHIGH

Banned
Its all about console gamers and their list wars... Acquisitions are like ammo for those wars. I can't wait until consoles go the way of the dodo...
 
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MrA

Banned
With a company like konami an acquisition would be the best course of action. Since konami isn't doing anything worthy on their own.
Nor are either of the 3 platform holders,
Sony and Nintendo have stacks of their own ips that they don't touch, ms doesn't have quite as many ips but they still have a few dormant ones.
 

Fare thee well

Neophyte
Or be the enthusiastic stock analyst for game companies too. 'Woah man Capcom hit 30% margins in their 3rd quarter!'

Woah shit really man, no way. 😄

Just not for me.
 
With a company like konami an acquisition would be the best course of action. Since konami isn't doing anything worthy on their own.

The problem is that Konami is the company that does the acquiring, not the other way around.

I wonder how things would be in the alternate timeline where Hudson Soft bought the big K rather than the other way around.

Anyway, long story short, I can recall better historically the acquisitions that were not favorable to gamers than ones that were, including:

1) When Microsoft got Rare

2) Pretty much any EA company purchase, by now I lost count.

3) The drama when SNK initially went bankrupt

4) As mentioned, Konami purchasing Hudson Soft

5) Arguably the merger that caused Sega-Sammy Holdings, which sealed the deal that Sega was never gonna be a 1st party studio again.

6) Activision-Blizzard-King

7) Whoever the heck owns the Atari name now

8) Amazon buying Twitch

9) GameStop's takeover of smaller brick-n'-mortar game shops like EB Games and Funcoland

I'm keeping an eye out on Bandai-Namco. That one concerns me.
 
Nor are either of the 3 platform holders,
Sony and Nintendo have stacks of their own ips that they don't touch, ms doesn't have quite as many ips but they still have a few dormant ones.
What? Microsoft has more known IPs and they're not the same 3rd person action adventure genres.

Starfield
The Elder Scrolls
The Evil Within
Doom
Quake
Halo
Forza
Forza Horizon
Fallout
Wolfenstien
Age of Empire
Rage
Dishonored
Prey
Gears of War
Psychonauts
Fable
Wasteland
The Bard's Tale
Minecraft
Hellblade
The Outer Worlds
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Pillars of Eternity
Perfect Dark
Banjo Kazooie
Killer Instinct
State of Decay
 
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As a Sega fan I wouldn't mind Sega being first party through an acquisition by a bigger entity. It would be cool if Sega had the funds to make AAA games for their well known franchises like Virtua Fighter 6, Persona, Yakuza, Judgment, Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon and Daytona.
 

Stuart360

Member
I honestly dont mind Microsoft or Sony buying up studios as it keeps studios out of the reach of the likes of Google, Amazon, and other big time players that inevitably going to want a piece of gaming pie over the next few years. The likes of them would make them exclusive to their streaming sites, and streaming is something most of us dont seem to want.
Plus being a PC gamer means i get all Microsft games, and by the looks of it most Sony games after a time.
 
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Anyone Xbox buys means I get their games in Gamepass.

Anyone Sony buys will be funded well and have tech sharing options with other Sony studios that know how to use the system to the fullest.

Anyone Nintendo buys gets personally coached on game development and puts out dramatically better stuff.

For me its honestly win / win / win. People will still set up new studios and the cycle continues.
 

BlackTron

Member
As in all things my opinion depends on what will put a better game in my hands. And it will change accordingly.

For example I don't really think the world would benefit if Microsoft bought Square Enix. On the other hand, I have to admit I wouldn't mind if Nintendo had control of the Sonic franchise.

Acquisitions CAN be a good thing, for example it would seem like a good business move for both parties if Sony took on the Kena: Bridge of Spirits studio. In this case the devs get the resources for their next game to be even better, gamers win. But when Activision bought Blizzard, a puppy died.

So I don't think you can judge all discussion on the topic out of hand, even though admittedly, the mentality that fuels it is most often just fervor to strengthen your own camp.
 

TransTrender

Gold Member
I don't understand it either.
It's also disappointing the publishers have all the power and actively undermine and blackmail the independent developers to weaken their position to force a takeover.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
The typical argument is "I'll get the games for free on Game Pass", but in most cases the real answer is that people just enjoy seeing things taken away from other people.

People said they’d get the game on Gamepass when Sony acquired Housemarque, Bluepoint, Nixxes and Firesprite this year?
All acquisitions you cheered, by the way.
 
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Zannegan

Member
If you think a studio's talents line up with a company's IP and are excited for the kinds of ganes they could make under their umbrella, then it makes some sense to cheer on an acquisition. The reverse is also true, where you see a publisher with excellent unused IP that would flourish with the first party studios of one or any of the big 3 (cough Konami cough). A timely pickup could also save a struggling but talented studio or publisher that might operate more effectively with better management and/or a more stable income.

For the most part though, you're right, begging for a buyout just console warring. In the saddest cases, locking away the IP as exclusives is not just an unfortunate byproduct of a buyout but the draw itself.
 
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onQ123

Member
I don't like it either unless it's someone who was making games for mostly that platform to begin with & the bigger company stepped in to help financially to keep them afloat.
 

MrA

Banned
What? Microsoft has more known IPs and they're not the same 3rd person action adventure genres.

Starfield
The Elder Scrolls
The Evil Within
Doom
Quake
Halo
Forza
Forza Horizon
Fallout
Wolfenstien
Age of Empire
Rage
Dishonored
Prey
Gears of War
Psychonauts
Fable
Wasteland
The Bard's Tale
Minecraft
Hellblade
The Outer Worlds
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Pillars of Eternity
Perfect Dark
Banjo Kazooie
Killer Instinct
State of Decay
Granted most of those franchises were part of acquisitions in the past 5 years so they havent had the chance to enter dormancy but that's neither here nor there
You'd be amazed at how much stuff Nintendo and Sony own that they don't use,
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
people are cheering for acquisition because they want to prevent their favorite game studio acquired by other company. Its a defensive action.

If you have notice, the acquisition begging started since Microsoft acquired Zenimax. Majority of people does not care about acquisition before this.

Every company is making a move now, its unavoidable.

Better acquire asap than waiting someone else to do the same.
 
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Fare thee well

Neophyte
I haven't cheered a moment since George Lucas sold us out to the Disney-EA butt buddy duo. I'll miss LucasArts forever; even their worst attempts 🤪
 
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