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PlayStation buys Firewalk Studios

graywolf323

graywolf323

Gold Member
Heisenberg007 said:
Yep, Larian will also be a good get — especially if Sony can use their expertise like they are doing with Bungie to help with other AAA games.

I feel like Sony might also be looking at NSoft to buy as one of the big publishers.

But Capcom should be the #1 priority right now, imo.
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Larian makes sense also since who else is left making Western RPGs that Microsoft hasn’t already bought? that is still independent I mean (Bioware is owned by EA)

but Xbox has Bethesda, Obsidian, and InXile
 
Wulfer

Wulfer

Member
Varteras said:
For sure. If Microsoft would have only bought Zenimax and then just continued buying smaller studios here and there, yeah. There would be no reason for Sony to go hard. The moment the ABK deal happened, all bets were off. Sony will go over their acquisition budget this year if the opportunity arises and I won't be surprised if their next multi-year investment plan is even larger than the $18 billion their current one started at. I also see them placing a heavy emphasis on using that money for PlayStation.
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That feeling when you out buy the competition on a well valued prize. Also, don't forget MS just filled up the ink in its pen, if the prize is right!
 
hemo memo

hemo memo

Gold Member
Elder Legend said:
So Jimbo gave up on blocking CoD/Blizzard from MS then? Wonder how CMA will be looking at this.
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Remember the last time Sony thought throwing money at something would work?

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James Sawyer Ford

James Sawyer Ford

Member
SlimySnake said:
. I suspect the same thing to happen to all of these games especially if they launch at $70. If I was Sony, id be sweating bullets at the Suicide Squad reception because thats exactly what their games are going to look like lol. Not to mention looking at the insane sales of Hogwarts, GOW and RE4, and wondering why they invested so heavily in GaaS instead of traditional single player games. Spiderman 2 will literally be their only first party game this year. they shouldve had like 4 of these SP games out this year. they wouldve cleaned up.

My guess is that this is insurance policy in case MS takes CoD exclusive. they want to be ready with their own CoD or Fortnite clone.
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Thankfully a huge portion of their GaaS approach is being done via acquisitions and other teams can focus more on SP.

I'm not sure Suicide Squad is the best example of what their games will be like. I think Factions will probably be able to carve out a unique niche in this market if done right that does not have the backlash Suicide Squad does.

But I do think you're right that this is insurance policy for CoD and Fortnite, and I think they have a good shot at landing 1 or 2 big GaaS titles. If the rest fail, then they can simply restructure those studios into the ones that have been successful and double down on them, which is a good strategy. Or they could have those studios go make SP games instead.
 
Elder Legend

Elder Legend

Banned
mansoor1980 said:
PlayStation Studios family!

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That's great and all but can we please see some fucking games already? 2 years in and Jimbro still thinks it's a good idea to skip the PlayStation Showcase from last year and continue to show nothing at all to this day. God I fucking hate modern day Sony marketing team/higher ups. The new crew is absolutely shit.

Andrew House and Shawn Layden was where Sony was best, now they're all playing this mouse and cat bullshit game by not doing any big shows and doing these State of Plays that focus on single titles or a bunch of indies no one cares for.

Yes, I'll admit I am very upset. PS5 is a great machine, but this marketing has been a shit show. The PS4 marketing was so much more exciting snd interesting, every year there was something interesting that got announced. Wolverine sounds great and all and I want it don't get me wrong, but that's not enough for announcements.

I don't care for Spiderman 2 simply because I just don't like the superhero. I am sure the game will be great regardless though.

They bought all these studios and are supposedly working on these GaaS titles. Where is the Twisted Metal? Where is the new game from Bungie? Where is TLOU Factions? Where is the game from San Diego? Where is the game from Sony Bend? It's been 2+ years since Bluepoint's last release (Demons Souls), where is their next title? Hello???? Knock knock motherfucker, announce PS Showcase already, please for fucks sake man. 🙏

Sorry, I had to get this off my chest. I love my PS5 but I just wanna see some more god damn games dude. So much potential and they've been quiet for way to long and it's starting to get old.

I am gonna assume they're staying quiet because of the Activision Blizzard acquisition bullshit and don't want to show their guns until that whole fiasco is done and over with. But that's just a personal assumption. For all I fucking know maybe the games are just not ready, I don't know :/
 
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Beastclaw Raider

Beastclaw Raider

Banned
Elder Legend said:
That's great and all but can we please see some fucking games already? 2 years in and Jimbro still thinks it's a good idea to skip the PlayStation Showcase from last year and continue to show nothing at all to this day. God I fucking hate modern day Sony marketing team/higher ups. The new crew is absolutely shit.

Andrew House and Shawn Layden was where Sony was best, now they're all playing this mouse and cat bullshit game by not doing any big shows and doing these State of Plays that focus on single titles or a bunch of indies no one cares for.

Yes, I'll admit I am very upset. PS5 is a great machine, but this marketing has been a shit show. The PS4 marketing was so much more exciting snd interesting, every year there was something interesting that got announced. Wolverine sounds great and all and I want it don't get me wrong. But I don't care for Spiderman 2 simply because I just don't like the superhero. I am sure the game will be great.

They bought all these studios and are supposedly working on these GaaS titles. Where is the Twisted Metal? Where is the new game from Bungie? Where is TLOU Factions? Where is the game from San Diego? Where is the game from Sony Bend? It's been 2+ years since Bluepoint's last release (Demons Souls), where is their next title? Hello???? Knock knock motherfucker, announce PS Showcase already, please for fucks sake man. 🙏

Sorry, I had to get this off my chest. I love my PS5 but I just wanna see some more god damn games dude. So much potential and they've been quiet for way to long and it's starting to get old.

I am gonna assume they're staying quiet because of the Activision Blizzard acquisition bullshit and don't want to show their guns until that whole fiasco is done and over with. But that's just a personal assumption. For all I fucking know maybe the games are just not ready, I don't know :/
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Yes because it was so easy to develop games from 2020 to 2022. The whole industry (be it ps5, xbox, pc or whatever) all have this problem right now.
 
Elder Legend

Elder Legend

Banned
Beastclaw Raider said:
Yes because it was so easy to develop games from 2020 to 2022. The whole industry (be it ps5, xbox, pc or whatever) all have this problem right now.
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Dude, we're all well past covid now. Sony out of all the video game companies managed to stay consistent and still released their exclusive titles in a timely matter.

Not saying COVID didn't have an effect at all, but I feel like we're all past that point. Why would have PS showcases for 2 years straight during the COVID years and then skip 2022 which is towards the end of COVID?

They did their showcases during the most difficult times. So that doesn't make sense.
 
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Beastclaw Raider

Beastclaw Raider

Banned
Elder Legend said:
Dude, we're all well past covid now. Sony out of all the video game companies managed to stay consistent and still released their exclusive titles in a timely matter.

Not saying COVID didn't have an effect at all, but I feel like we're all past that point. Why would have PS showcases for 2 years straight during the COVID years and then skip 2022 which is towards the end of COVID?

They did their showcases during the most difficult times. So that doesn't make sense.
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COVID had an effect, we're done with it but it's effect on the gaming industry is still there.

For PC gaming, we had a whole generation of cards that came out during it that are basically getting skipped by lazy devs because higher VRAM cards are out.

God of war ragnarok was supposed to come out in fucking 2021 and it came out at the end of 2022.

It definitely left some marks on the gaming industry and for everyone
 
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Lupin25

Lupin25

Member
Yeah, seems light on the 1st party front, but there should be plenty to play from 3rd party between big exclusives like FFXVI, Spider-Man 2, and whatever else manages to come this year.

There’s still other stuff releasing on different platforms like Starfield, Hades 2, Hollow Knight Silksong, Alan Wake 2, COD again, Assassin’s Creed, Tekken 8, Silent Hill 2, etc.
Seeing Sony space out their releases for some of their partners more this year after the incredible last year they’ve had isn’t surprising, I guess.

Setting up 2024 with a big showcase in May/June before MS goes all in on Starfield, and whatever else is coming seems to be the move. Nobody seems to be ready to reveal it all just yet.
 
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Poltz

Poltz

Member
Elder Legend said:
Dude, we're all well past covid now. Sony out of all the video game companies managed to stay consistent and still released their exclusive titles in a timely matter.

Not saying COVID didn't have an effect at all, but I feel like we're all past that point. Why would have PS showcases for 2 years straight during the COVID years and then skip 2022 which is towards the end of COVID?

They did their showcases during the most difficult times. So that doesn't make sense.
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Sony arent showing games 5 years out anymore.
 
C

crackajack

Member
Mr Moose said:
That's Firesprite.
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Having Firesprite and Firewalk is almost as dumb as Monolith Productions and Monolith Soft and Avalanche Studios and Avalanche Software existing in the game dev world. Studios, especially newer ones, should be a bit more unique in their name, at least now when they are under the same roof renaming one of them would be wise. It's not like either is a really established brand.
They should get Asobo next to add to any possible confusion.
 
Perrott

Perrott

Gold Member
Unknown Soldier said:
It makes no sense for Sony to buy more of Japan when MS already doesn't exist there.

They really need to try and get a major Western studio or publisher because MS has the green light to buy out the entire West if they feel like it now. Any one of EA, Take 2, or Ubisoft could be on the table here. Sony needs to get 1 before MS gets all 3. Also Sony should really try to grab CDPR, the only other WRPG studio left of any significance since Bethesda has already been taken away by MS. Sony could make a play for Rockstar since historically Rockstar and GTA got their start on Playstation.
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Talking about Sony's point of view, I don't think the reasoning behind acquiring a Japanese publisher would be that it would help them solidify their existing console market share against Xbox, but instead the concern of having foreign parties with unclear endgoals - such as Tencent, NetEase or Saudi Arabia - take over companies such as Capcom, Square Enix, Konami, Sega or Bandai Namco, all of which have deep ties with the PlayStation brand and business.
 
Varteras

Varteras

Gold Member
8BiTw0LF said:
Same size as Insomniac Games were back when Sony bought them, right?
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Pretty sure Insomniac had close to 300 people at that time. Firewalk is bigger now than Bend was during Days Gone and about the size of Sucker Punch when they completed Ghost of Tsushima. Being a part of PlayStation now should really help them recruit depending on how much they want to grow.
 
Mibu no ookami

Mibu no ookami

Member
Varteras said:
Pretty sure Insomniac had close to 300 people at that time. Firewalk is bigger now than Bend was during Days Gone and about the size of Sucker Punch when they completed Ghost of Tsushima. Being a part of PlayStation now should really help them recruit depending on how much they want to grow.
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That’s what this comes down to. You’re basically at a put up or shut up moment for the studio and their relationship with Sony.

Sony’s COD deal runs out in 2024. That gives you basically until Fall of 2025/2026 to really put out the concept of a first party competitor.

Sony buying Firewalk allows Firewalk to really ramp up the hiring. They could double or triple in size in the next couple of years.
 
Mibu no ookami

Mibu no ookami

Member
If at some point Sony buys Deviation and really builds them and Firewalk, you have potential for a large shift in gaming away from one property in FPS.

We used to have a lot of competition in the space and it’s really just died down. Medal of Honor and Battlefield both kind of flopped. In the sci-fi space, Halo is a shell of itself. There’s no Unreal/Unreal Tournament anymore. Doom and Quake aren’t what they were either relative to CoD.
 
jm89

jm89

Member
Mibu no ookami said:
If at some point Sony buys Deviation and really builds them and Firewalk, you have potential for a large shift in gaming away from one property in FPS.

We used to have a lot of competition in the space and it’s really just died down. Medal of Honor and Battlefield both kind of flopped. In the sci-fi space, Halo is a shell of itself. There’s no Unreal/Unreal Tournament anymore. Doom and Quake aren’t what they were either relative to CoD.
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Titanfall could have been that competitor, but EA doesn't seem to care much about it.

It had cod like gameplay, with its own twist of having titans and far superior parkour mechanics to what cod did.
 
aries_71

aries_71

Junior Member
jm89 said:
Titanfall could have been that competitor, but EA doesn't seem to care much about it.

It had cod like gameplay, with its own twist of having titans and far superior parkour mechanics to what cod did.
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Never understood why EA sent Titanfall to its death and then buried it under several tons of concrete. Any insider rumor on what happened?
 
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