• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Colin Moriarty says Sony should sell Bungie, PlayStation rethinking its Live Service strategy...

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman



There's so many brilliant things said in this 8 minute segment that you really need to hear it for yourself. Colin has found some high quality games reporting and is really extrapolating some profound thoughts. I'm surprised a large publisher hasn't offered him a job as their CEO yet.
 

Interfectum

Member
Colin's understanding and affection for the gaming industry are becoming outdated as the industry rapidly progresses. His perspectives often reveal a lack of awareness about broader industry trends, being overly concentrated on single-player AAA console gaming. This narrow focus significantly influences his entire analysis of modern gaming.
 
Just because it sounds good to the ppl that hate Live service games doesn’t mean it’s a good idea 😂.

Sony would sell Bungie at a loss I don’t see it happening .
 

Gaiff

SBI’s Resident Gaslighter
Sounds easy enough, just put it on Ebay
For sale: Bungie (Serious offers only)
Condition: Mint with a few years of usage
Description: Great Bungie for sale with all its employees and buildings. I'm selling it because I won't need it anymore.
Asking price: $3.1B (originally bought it for 3.6, so you're saving $500M).

From: AssOfCanWhopping@gmail.com
Subject: Bungie for sale
I can give $30 and a used copy of TLOU on PS3. I can come pick it up right away. Let me know if that's good enough for you. Tx.
 
Last edited:

Porticus

Member
Why some users here give so much space to literally no ones as this gguy and the other one that are simply toxic?

Please don't give them notoriety.
 
Colin's understanding and affection for the gaming industry are becoming outdated as the industry rapidly progresses. His perspectives often reveal a lack of awareness about broader industry trends, being overly concentrated on single-player AAA console gaming. This narrow focus significantly influences his entire analysis of modern gaming.

Nailed it.

I clearly remember back when he was at IGN (or Gamespot, I forget), a show was over (probably E3), and there's this girl named Miranda who was his colleague along with Kinda Funny Games host (with the glasses), bringing up the topic of mobile gaming and how much of a billion dollar industry it is and on the same revenue peak of console/pc at the time, and this fucking 🤡 was outright denying the mobile gaming boom in places like Asia, and went on and on about being in denial how big an impact it is in the industry, especially Japan.

The chat called him out on his bullshit and this idiot kept on going with his incoherent garbage. 🤦🤦🤦
 
Last edited:

N1tr0sOx1d3

Given another chance
Sony need to abandon plans for their multiple Live Service games. Nobody has the time for 1 type of these games with multiple chars never mind multiple games.

Sony also need to consolidate Bungie top management which have proven to be completely incompetent in delivering a streamlined, fair and welcoming experience for Destiny players.
Destiny is a constant shoutout for our wallets. The need to intravenous drip from our bank accounts is there for all to see.

Greed is destroying so much of what we love these days that there’s very little left to enjoy.
 

ByWatterson

Member
One Destiny expansion (Lightfall) brings it all down. One full release can turn it around.

I remain incapable of telling when you're being sarcastic, but Destiny has had its ups and downs for nearly a decade and, yeah, single expansions tend to dramatically turn the whole thing around, but again, and again, and again - that's the issue, no stability.

Their problem seems to be their revenue goals are out of step with how swingy their fortunes are.

I don't think selling them makes sense right now, though.
 

DeepSpace5D

Member
I respect Colin, but the guy seems almost borderline anti-social with his gaming habits, correct me if I’m wrong but he is pretty much entirely a single player gamer. I don’t think he plays online multiplayer games at all from what I’ve seen him say on Sacred Symbols.

I don’t think he has the most informed opinion when it comes to a studio that makes online multiplayer gaming experiences.
 
Last edited:

Deft Beck

Member
Colin can be stubborn and narrow-minded in his takes, but I see where he's coming from with this one.

I don't think selling Bungie is really worth it at this point. They need to pivot in another direction.

I respect Colin, but the guys seems almost borderline anti-social with his gaming habits, correct me if I’m wrong but he is pretty much entirely a single player gamer. I don’t think he plays online multiplayer games at all from what I’ve seen him say on Sacred Symbols.

I don’t think he has the most informed opinion when it comes to a studio that makes online multiplayer gaming experiences.

Colin only plays single-player Sony games and refuses to play anything on the Switch. He doesn't emulate, either. He said recently that he marveled at how good the FFIV Pixel Remaster looks on the Playstation Portal and I just felt so sorry for him.
 
Last edited:

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I don't think I've ever heard this guy give a take a I agree with. This was entertaining though lol. He always says dumb shit. I've never been able to stick through even a single episode of his podcast.

Even if you think Bungie sucks or lied, it's possible this would somewhat work out for Sony. They take over if the revenue drops. The shitty Bungie management leaves. Sony overpays for a top tier FPS studio. It's not the end of the world.

To really comment further we just need a lot more insider info which we will never get. We don't know if Factions sucks and Bungie had good suggestions. We don't know if they even reviewed it like people claim. We don't know how Marathon is. We don't know the broader Sony GAAS strategy. We don't know why Jim Ryan is leaving in the middle of all this turmoil or who is following him. We don't know all the details of the other Sony layoffs, or why Connie is gone. Going to be up to Schreier and Jaffe to dig up some dirt, because that's all we'll ever get.
 

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
Phil be like:
Birdman Rubbing Hands GIF
 

bxrz

Member
Colin's understanding and affection for the gaming industry are becoming outdated as the industry rapidly progresses. His perspectives often reveal a lack of awareness about broader industry trends, being overly concentrated on single-player AAA console gaming. This narrow focus significantly influences his entire analysis of modern gaming.
Yup. His whole thinking is outdated. But I feel like thats many Playstation fanatics, not just him
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Great idea. Let's just hope Sony kept their receipt. They can just go back to the store where they bought Bungie and ask for a refund at the customer service department.
Not if the store they bought Bungie from has a customer service department like their own.
 

Thirty7ven

Banned
Colin isn’t the guy you listen to on stuff like this. It’s a knee jerk reaction and his reasoning is flimsy and holds no water.

He’s against industry consolidation, and he thinks Bungie is somehow the culprit for the whole factions thing.

Anyway, he’s no dumb and people who say he’s dumb are dumb, but it’s an ignorant take.
 

Embearded

Member
Or keep it, get rid of execs as soon as their contracts are done and bench those with bad influence - decisions.
There is definitely talent in Bungie. Even though i am not a fan of the game itself, the moment to moment and shooting mechanics are very good.
Maybe they could involve them with Killzone?

They surely don't need to sell them, but they need to get rid of the high salary execs and cut off their bonuses.
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Im so fucking happy their stupid ass Live Service games/plans are failing miserably before they even released.

LMAO at buying bungie and having them make multiplat GAAS trash, thinking thats what we want
kaz.png


12 live service games, literally every single one of them will either flop or never come out
kaz.png


Bungie telling ND how to make games, and they can barely stay afloat as a studio.
kaz.png


Good riddance.
 
Last edited:

Xyphie

Member
Pivoting from their GaaS push now would be absolutely devastating and just make sure that the PS5 exclusive lineup is a 2023-like wasteland for the rest of the generation as their studios embark on either retooling assets into traditional games (and thus delaying them signficantly) or start brand new +5 year projects from scratch which will end up being cross-gen at best. We've seen their financial guidance, it's no secret that Sony's investment in AAA SP games is effectively flat despite launching a new platform with significantly higher development cost which means they have fewer of them in active development.
 
Last edited:
Can’t tell if your Colin idolizing was sarcasm or not.

I’ve very obvious that the main issue at Bungie is the executives prioritizing their salaries over the health of the company. Maybe they’re ready for a Sony takeover and just want to make as much money as they can before the switch happens.

Most of what he says in the clip is common sense, and maybe Sony can sell Bungie and lose money and come out better in the end, but they could also take them over and right the ship.
 

Loomy

Thinks Microaggressions are Real
Sony announced like 2 months ago that half their 12 live service games are on track for release in FY25, and the other half have been pushed back to further polish. You don't spend money to continue developing 6 live service games if you're abandoning live service games as a pillar of your portfolio.

Bungie currently stumbling near the end of their 10 year run on Destiny does not invalidate the fact that they've developed and ran one of the most successful live service games over the last 10 years. So yes, they are more than qualified to advise Naughty Dog on what works and what doesn't in terms of long term player retention. And no, Sony is not going to be dumb enough to sell off a subsidiary they spent over $3b on 2 years ago. The Destiny IP is still very valuable, and Bungie is still one of the more talented studios out there.

GaaS isn't going anywhere. AAA development is unsustainable as it is. Everyone is looking for ways to generate ongoing revenue.

I like Colin, but that is a very narrow minded and short sighted take.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
$3.5 billion for a company who missed forecasts by 45%, laid off people already despite Bungie CEO saying a year ago they wouldnt cut jobs.

On the plus side, Sony has a great clause in the deal saying if they miss forecasts too much, they take over board control. In other words, the autonomy the Bungie exec PRed when the deal happened has a secret clause in there saying they arent so autonomous if the financials sink.
 
Last edited:

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
yep. Sony is going downwards quickly.
Gaas, gaas and gaas again.
Everything has to be a HUGE multi media miracle. No. I don't want every game made to fit the show later.
Sweet baby inc and woke writting. ESG scores.

I want snarky sony back. EVERYONE wants snarky ps4 sony combined with amazing nostalgia ps3 sony. New IPs, new games. more.
 
Last edited:

Codes 208

Member
Maybe MS will buy it again and keep it for a while before selling it to... Oh shit... they can't sell it to Activision now!
They never sold bungie to activision the first time.

Bungie bought themselves from Microsoft and then immediately sold themselves out
 
Last edited:
People love to make a mountain out of a molehill, especially if it advances their agenda.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen performed VERY well. The idea that Bungie is doomed because one expansion was ill-received is a bit bonkers.

Bungie was bought because they shipped two of the most successful live service games in history and created two of the biggest franchises in gaming history in Halo and Destiny, back to back.

The idea that Bungie can be judged entirely based on the last year alone is laughable.

Compare this to say Zenimax a company that has launched several projects with limited success including a long-awaited project in Starfield. It is a completely different story, but I don't hear anyone suggesting Microsoft sell Zenimax.

If Final Shape, Marathon, Matter, and a future Destiny 3 are failures AND Bungie fails to help Sony realize their Live Service aspirations... yeah, probably a bad buy.

I feel like I have to remind people all the time that Sony Santa Monica had layoffs in 2014 after they canceled a new IP and God of War Ascension didn't perform well. FOUR years later they shipped God of War 2018 and won GOTY. Imagine if they had closed Santa Monica or sold them off.

Imagine if Square Enix gave up on FF14 after initial lukewarm reception or CDPR gave up on Cyberpunk 2077?

Destiny 2 came out in 2017 and is in its final cycles of revenue, shit happens.
 

Phase

Member
They've got guaranteed money with Marathon. It'd be stupid to sell before they see what that egg holds inside.
 
He even realizes that within a year or two he could look like an asshole.

Imagine saying something like Sony should take a massive loss on a 3.6 billion dollar investment even though he isn't sure that he's right... literally talking out of his ass.
 

Crayon

Member
You know, I didn't follow Bungie very well at all and when Sony bought them I thought they were just some money printing machine lol. Seem more like a heartbreak printer machine now.
 
Colin's understanding and affection for the gaming industry are becoming outdated as the industry rapidly progresses. His perspectives often reveal a lack of awareness about broader industry trends, being overly concentrated on single-player AAA console gaming. This narrow focus significantly influences his entire analysis of modern gaming.
There is an extremely large segment of the console market who is only interested in the above (see sales of Elden Ring, TotK, RDR2).
 
Top Bottom