• 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.

What publishers/developers should Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo buy next?

Topher

Gold Member
MS should buy Sony and Nintendo.

Sure.....after all three of them relocate to Antartica. And then they face regulation from.....Penguins...

push GIF
Penguin Bap GIF
Attack Falling GIF
 

//DEVIL//

Member
MS ain't buying SHIT till the deal closes on the ACT. if they can manage that even. any other purchase before that will not be in their favor.

Sony seems to be a smarter company when they purchase something. they are interested in buying talent plus the studio name. just like recently did with Bungie and Insomniac. So i expect their next purchase to be something like that smart.

That is what I think

Nintendo is just stupid from the ice age. they should have bought that studio that made FAST RMX game and gotten them to make F Zero game but nope. they live in their own bubble.
 
Last edited:

Woopah

Member
Sony should buy From Software
Nintendo should buy MercurySteam
MS has enough going on

I don't think they should/will buy all of them, but if they continue acquiring they should consider these ones, which I assume most of them won't want to sell:
  • Sony: Capcom, From Software (not the whole Kadokawa), Devolver, Annapurna, ARC System Works, Square Enix (at least some of their studios and IPs) and if their next game is good and successful enough Arrowhead, Firewalk, Deviation, Ballistic Moon. Plus a handful big Asian (console friendly) mobile/PC dev like miHoyo, Netease or NC Soft, and some other AAAish VR dev. I think they should also create or acquire a Polish studio that would have PS Studios decent management mixed with former top (specially from the creative and narrative areas) talent from CD Projekt, Flying Wild Hog and Techland. They also should sign more AAAish 2nd party games with Ember Lab, BlueTwelve, Nagoshi Studio, Bokeh or Sloclap and if these game work well to buy them shortly after release.
  • Nintendo: Platinum, Monolith, DeNa, Game Freak, HAL, Intelligent Systems, Good-Feel.
  • Microsoft: after acquiring ABK I think they should pause the acquisitions for a while, make some changes in management and focus instead on properly integrating all the studios they bought in recent years, ensure all their internal teams properly collaborate with each other sharing all knowledge and tech needed, and also improve their productivity to ensure MS highly increases their output of big AAA 1st party releases, having at least a one or two per quarter every single year. Once they achieved this, try to buy (and keep all their games full multiplatform) EA, Take 2, Embracer Group, Sega or Konami.
Nintendo already owns MonolithSoft
 

Iced Arcade

Member
Honestly if the ABK acquisition gets blocked, you can pretty much cement there won't be any more large acquisitions.

Even if it gets approved I highly doubt we will see any more large acquisitions.
 

Jinzo Prime

Member
I don't think there's a safe choice for Nintendo.
Frankly, I don't think Nintendo can afford to keep playing it safe. Microsoft, Embracer, and Sony are buying up the entire industry. Where would Nintendo be without Bandai-Namco, who make Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros Ultimate? Or MonolithSoft with Zelda support and Xenoblade?

Nintendo needs to re-evaluate and go on the offense against the big giants. The plate of available 3rd parties is getting smaller, and Nintendo is surprisingly reliant on outside help for their games. Even Pokemon and Fire Emblem are made by outside companies. They need to secure their future.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Sony should buy Take Two. It would be a power move after Activision.

Not sure how much of a power move that would be when regulators would undoubtedly force them to keep GTA multiplatform. If the deal was even approved, given their position
 

Ozriel

M$FT
I’m sure Microsoft has asked Gabe if he’s got a number. Valve solves the PC storefront issue that’s been holding them back, let’s them make a potential Game Pass on Steam be more than just first party (like how EA’s Play version is just EA games), and provides VR and portable hardware. Horrible for competition in the industry though.

Nearly every regulator in the world would reject an MS purchase of Steam. It won't even be close.
 

Ozzie666

Member
Nearly every regulator in the world would reject an MS purchase of Steam. It won't even be close.

With Valve being a privately owned company does this change things at all? I was always under the impression if it was not a public company, there was nothing anyone could do to stop a sale.
 
With publishers and developers being bought out constantly, who should the big three purchase next?


Nintendo: I think Nintendo should buy out platinum games. Platinum games make unique games that aren't found on other platforms and helps Nintendo stand out more. Plus platinum games are just fun.

Sony: They should purchase Ubisoft as their games (with a few exceptions) are single player story driven narrative games that Sony fans like. Sony could also help polish up Ubisoft games which it desperately needs.

Microsoft: EA makes the most sense because the sports games on game pass day one would be huge. Even if it isn't exclusive to Xbox this will help drive up subscriptions.
Sony should buy Capcom
 
Frankly, I don't think Nintendo can afford to keep playing it safe. Microsoft, Embracer, and Sony are buying up the entire industry. Where would Nintendo be without Bandai-Namco, who make Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros Ultimate? Or MonolithSoft with Zelda support and Xenoblade?

Nintendo needs to re-evaluate and go on the offense against the big giants. The plate of available 3rd parties is getting smaller, and Nintendo is surprisingly reliant on outside help for their games. Even Pokemon and Fire Emblem are made by outside companies. They need to secure their future.
I couldn't disagree more, Nintendo are so self sufficient that they don't need anyone else. They can easily set up new studios if they wish. They can also just acquire what they want. But Tekken going exclusive to Nintendo will be the end of that franchise.

The thing about Nintendo is, if they acquire someone, they aren't going to let them be multiplatform. Frankly I was astonished when they let Mario go on iPhone. But honestly they really don't need any big publisher and as long as there's talented developers out there, they have someone who can make a game for them. That simple really.

Plus they don't turn over Sony/Microsoft numbers so it's not like they can piss money up the wall on buying things for the sake of it.

Funny though, nobody seems to bother mentioning Nintendo when it comes to ABK like it doesn't affect Nintendo owners.
 
Some indie developers benefit from having a stable corporate overlord to allow them to make the games the want without having to worry about the business aspect of keeping a studio open. Pentiment wouldn't exist if Obsidian was still independent , so there is some value in it.
Guess I should have been more clear, but was mainly talking about full buying of publishers. Some studios here and there aren't too bad. Especially some recently like playground and bluepoint that just make sense, as while they weren't first party studios before, they were pretty much locked into an ecosystem
 

Roberts

Member
I'm in a "wait and see" mode as far as that is concerned. I want to see what these devs can do having started and finished games under Microsoft's umbrella. Hopefully, they improve their games in every way, but that's not always the case with studios after being acquired.

Definitely. We haven't had the chance to see much of their work in action. But I remember reading that Psychonauts 2 or Wasteland 3 would have been noticeably compromised without MS involvement. And those turned out to be my GOTY games. So, I can’t help but feel optimistic.
 

VAVA Mk2

Member
With publishers and developers being bought out constantly, who should the big three purchase next?


Nintendo: I think Nintendo should buy out platinum games. Platinum games make unique games that aren't found on other platforms and helps Nintendo stand out more. Plus platinum games are just fun.

Sony: They should purchase Ubisoft as their games (with a few exceptions) are single player story driven narrative games that Sony fans like. Sony could also help polish up Ubisoft games which it desperately needs.

Microsoft: EA makes the most sense because the sports games on game pass day one would be huge. Even if it isn't exclusive to Xbox this will help drive up subscriptions.
Microsoft would never be allowed to buy EA. Too huge. Sports games monopoly. Also, they don't need to. EA Play is part of GPU.
 
Microsoft would never be allowed to buy EA. Too huge. Sports games monopoly. Also, they don't need to. EA Play is part of GPU.
They are buying Activision which is bigger than EA. Sports games will have to be multi-platform just like MLB the show. The benefit would be game pass. The problem with EA on GPU it takes at least 6 months for it to appear.
 

VAVA Mk2

Member
They are buying Activision which is bigger than EA. Sports games will have to be multi-platform just like MLB the show. The benefit would be game pass. The problem with EA on GPU it takes at least 6 months for it to appear.
If Activision actually goes through, I just don't see this happening. MS knows they will Uber piss off regulators. I see Capcom or Sega or Square/Enix or Bandaid Namco as more realistic options. They need studios that appeal to Japanese market.
 
If Activision actually goes through, I just don't see this happening. MS knows they will Uber piss off regulators. I see Capcom or Sega or Square/Enix or Bandaid Namco as more realistic options. They need studios that appeal to Japanese market.
I can see Capcom because it has a huge western audience thanks to Resident Evil and Street fighter. I think Square Enix and Sega are terrible options because Japan market is shrinking badly for Playstation and Xbox.
 

VAVA Mk2

Member
I can see Capcom because it has a huge western audience thanks to Resident Evil and Street fighter. I think Square Enix and Sega are terrible options because Japan market is shrinking badly for Playstation and Xbox.
I think Sega is cheap enough they could do that and then something else. MS has a lot of cash and it is losing value due to inflation...
 
I think Sega is cheap enough they could do that and then something else. MS has a lot of cash and it is losing value due to inflation...
I just don't see much value in Sega in the long run. A good company that won't cost too much is wildcard studio the creators of ARK.
 
I have a feeling that Sony convinced Konami to bring back its big IPs, Is going to see how they do, and then buy them. The market cap hovers around 5-6 billion.
 
I have a feeling that Sony convinced Konami to bring back its big IPs, Is going to see how they do, and then buy them. The market cap hovers around 5-6 billion.
I have a gut feeling MGS1 remake is going to be announced soon. Just don't know who is going to do it. It is going to be the 25th anniversary of MGS1 soon. Maybe blue point studio.
 
Last edited:

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
MS ain't buying SHIT till the deal closes on the ACT. if they can manage that even. any other purchase before that will not be in their favor.

Sony seems to be a smarter company when they purchase something. they are interested in buying talent plus the studio name. just like recently did with Bungie and Insomniac. So i expect their next purchase to be something like that smart.

That is what I think

Nintendo is just stupid from the ice age. they should have bought that studio that made FAST RMX game and gotten them to make F Zero game but nope. they live in their own bubble.
No kidding, Sony has gotten FAR more value out of Insomniac than all of MS acquisitions in the last 10 years combined. Sony's acquisition of Bungie is quite puzzling to me.

MS has given me no faith that they know what to do with all these studios they've acquired.

The biggest acquisition that Sony and MS missed the boat on was Eidos for $300M.
 
No kidding, Sony has gotten FAR more value out of Insomniac than all of MS acquisitions in the last 10 years combined. Sony's acquisition of Bungie is quite puzzling to me.

MS has given me no faith that they know what to do with all these studios they've acquired.

The biggest acquisition that Sony and MS missed the boat on was Eidos for $300M.
I disagree. Playground games has done wonders for MS and most of MS acquisitions didn't start until 2018. Starfield is going to be huge and redfall looks great. Can't wait until Doom and Wolfenstein to drop as well.
 
I disagree. Playground games has done wonders for MS and most of MS acquisitions didn't start until 2018. Starfield is going to be huge and redfall looks great. Can't wait until Doom and Wolfenstein to drop as well.
I think Spider-Man alone says otherwise.

Now, if Playground is able to pull of a Guerrilla with Fable...that would be another conversation. (despite Fable not being a new IP).
 
I highly doubt Sony will purchase any huge publishers. They had a few opportunities to my knowledge and it seems like they don’t really pursue them or maybe they don’t want to pay all that money for them? Maybe some small studios here and there and that’s it. Nintendo probably won’t acquire anyone major anytime soon. I even have doubts for Microsoft for quite some time mostly because of the Activision acquisition deal.
 
Platform holders should not be allowed to purchase third-party publishers and hollow this industry out further. Period.
 
Last edited:

//DEVIL//

Member
No kidding, Sony has gotten FAR more value out of Insomniac than all of MS acquisitions in the last 10 years combined. Sony's acquisition of Bungie is quite puzzling to me.

MS has given me no faith that they know what to do with all these studios they've acquired.

The biggest acquisition that Sony and MS missed the boat on was Eidos for $300M.
This, it really bothers me why Sony didn't Crystal Dynamics ? they are one of the few talented studios in the world and Tomb Raider and Dues Ex name alone is worth more than 300 million. makes me want to slap both Jimbo and spencer in the face >_>
 
This, it really bothers me why Sony didn't Crystal Dynamics ? they are one of the few talented studios in the world and Tomb Raider and Dues Ex name alone is worth more than 300 million. makes me want to slap both Jimbo and spencer in the face >_>
Maybe they are not
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
Nintendo should acquire Platinum Games. Would be perfect for them.

Sony should acquire Square Enix, Take Two Interactive, Ember Lab and Deviation Games.

Microsoft should acquire CD Projekt Red, Techland, People Can Fly, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts.
 

//DEVIL//

Member
Maybe they are not
what not ? the name not worth 300 million or the studio? are you kidding me now ?


Worldwide Box Office :
$273,477,501
The last movie ALONE made this much profit

The last game sold around 8.9 million copies as of Dec 2021

so yeah.. They are worth it. and the talent alone is worth it.

Let alone the fact they have been developing Tomb raider's new game using unreal engine 5 for a couple of years. so I assume once they release the game, a lot of profit from that 300 million investment will be brought back.

The only explanation I can think of is the studio it self gave square Enix a warning to either go to a multi-platform publisher or they will sort of disband and create its own studio like Respawn did which kinda forced Square Enix to sell to a 3rd party publisher. otherwise ill stand by what I said Sony and MS are stupid.
 
what not ? the name not worth 300 million or the studio? are you kidding me now ?


Worldwide Box Office :
$273,477,501
The last movie ALONE made this much profit

The last game sold around 8.9 million copies as of Dec 2021

so yeah.. They are worth it. and the talent alone is worth it.

Let alone the fact they have been developing Tomb raider's new game using unreal engine 5 for a couple of years. so I assume once they release the game, a lot of profit from that 300 million investment will be brought back.

The only explanation I can think of is the studio it self gave square Enix a warning to either go to a multi-platform publisher or they will sort of disband and create its own studio like Respawn did which kinda forced Square Enix to sell to a 3rd party publisher. otherwise ill stand by what I said Sony and MS are stupid.
Maybe are things that only they know....that we don't know.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I disagree. Playground games has done wonders for MS and most of MS acquisitions didn't start until 2018. Starfield is going to be huge and redfall looks great. Can't wait until Doom and Wolfenstein to drop as well.
Those ain’t got shit on Insomniac. Forza has sold a fraction of what Insomniac has. In fact, I’d bet Spider-Man has outsold the last 3 Forza games. Please tell me you’re joking.

I’d love to believe that Starfield will be great (Redfall looks bad to me) but I’d say it’s far more likely that MS ruins Bethesda than the other way around. MS has simply failed to demonstrate that they have any competence on first party exclusives. I’ll change my tune if those games deliver, but I bet Starfield gets delayed again until 2024.
 
Top Bottom