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[Mr Moose]

Sony bought out Insomniac Games in 2019, Housemarque in 2021, Guerilla Games in 2005, Bluepoint Games in 2021, Nixxes in 2021, Sucker Punch in 2011, Naughty Dog in 2001, none of those studios were founded by Sony. My point being is give it a few years at people will adjust to the idea that Bethesda games and Acti-Blizz games are MS first party games too.

The difference is Sony made those games, MS didn't make any of these Acti/Blizz/Bethesda games, they were already being made. The article is giving MS the credit for opening their cheque book.
It's like giving Sony credit for Destiny.

 

[SHA]

no cap

To lead the mobile division, you need the right attitude, Phil have the right attitude.

 

[lh032]

Sony bought out Insomniac Games in 2019, Housemarque in 2021, Guerilla Games in 2005, Bluepoint Games in 2021, Nixxes in 2021, Sucker Punch in 2011, Naughty Dog in 2001, none of those studios were founded by Sony. My point being is give it a few years and people will adjust to the idea that Bethesda games and Acti-Blizz games are MS first party games too.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

If I find a stranger on the street and ask him if he has a $20 bill and I give him 3x$5 and 5 singles as change I just made $20 Revenue.

I'm going to be rich if I keep this up

 

[Larivel]

"Revenue"

 

[Red5]

The difference is Sony made those games, MS didn't make any of these Acti/Blizz/Bethesda games, they were already being made. The article is giving MS the credit for opening their cheque book.
It's like giving Sony credit for Destiny.

Not really comparable. Guerilla, Sucker Punch, and Naughty Dog was fledgling studios when Sony acquired them and they were built up into the studios they are today. Housemarque is of the same vein. Nixxes and Bluepoint don't have any IP. Bungie is a better comparison than those other studios.

Sure, that's why Acti-Blizz costs 70$ Billion. But this is business and neither company is in it for the "art", MS just happens to have a bigger warchest. Sucks for the gaming industry but it is what it is.

Yes why wouldn't they be? They're owned by MS, any new IP or sequel is going to be financed and paid for by MS so it's first party.

 

[Flutta]

When you have nothing else to brag about….

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Joke´s on him - Sony always was in the third place!

 

[Daneel Elijah]

The article is not that bad. Some good bits that make it a little more than copium:

What you need to know​

• Microsoft and Sony have long been intense rivals in the high-end console gaming market, with Sony typically out in the forefront by almost every metric.

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S hardware sales continue to dip year-over-year, and lag behind even that of the Xbox One, despite how maligned that console's launch was. Microsoft's strategy of putting its games day and date onto PC is undoubtedly having an impact on the desirability of its own console hardware, and I would argue the lack of innovation and investment in console features has contributed to a reduction in excitement and interest in the platform. Sony has plowed ahead with experimental accessories like PSVR, its PlayStation Portal streaming handheld, and pioneering haptics in its controllers. The Xbox Series X|S by comparison actually shed features from its predecessors, losing Kinect, SPDIF audio optical, and HDMI pass-through, by comparison. Leaked documents also suggested that Microsoft has no interest in building its own Xbox handheld, despite clear demand for devices like the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally.

Xbox's future is undoubtedly secure either way. Its unearned "underdog" status is now surely shed, owing to the vastness of its combined portfolio with Activision-Blizzard and ZeniMax, and the diversity of its offerings across every platform. As a fan of the traditional Xbox console hardware ecosystem, though, I hope Microsoft has more tricks up its sleeve to reverse its fortunes in that space as well.

It is true that buying Activision means that Xbox will obviously continue to exist in the foreseeable future. But we all know that it won't help them in the console front unless they do drastic mesures like putting COD on Gamepass, and that would cost them a lot. For me the most interesting will be the reaction of the market to that move. Will Sony work with EA to make a COD killer? Will Take Two use the opportunity to have a hard stance against Xbox and like Activision did for COD have a great deal to put GTA 6 on Xbox? Will Xbox manage Activision studios better as unlike previous management they may want to give Blizzard the time to make the games that they were known for? Or will the studios no longer feel the fear of failure as they know that Microsoft has basically infinite money?

In a few years some gamers will play their first game and for them what happened in 2023 will be ancient history. Outside of them it will take decades for that to happen IMHO and a lot can happen in the next few years that will change the industry even more like Steam will maybe selling itself when Gabe Newell will inevitably grow old/ die/ stop caring as much about his company. I am angainst it, but we have to recognise that it is a really big move from Microsoft in the gaming space.

When you have nothing else to brag about….

Amen to that.

 

[diffusionx]

Apple sideloading isn't going to do jack shit. The amount of people who are going to sideload Xbox store onto their iPhone is not even 1% of users. The idea that it is going to be some major driver of growth is absurd. I mean Google has always allowed sideloading and Tim is suing them still, enough said.

Beyond that, I think MS has real reasons to be concerned about the future prospects of A-B. COD has really slipped in quality - the last 3 games have been turds. yea they're still really popular but they suck. This can only go on for so long as people drift away, as MS knows all too well with their big FPS that crashed and burned. Blizzard is a total piece of shit studio. MS absolutely needs to shore up this side of their business before it spins out of control, and that means devoting even more resources to it beyond what they already have. And well I'm not that confident in MS' ability to do that.

 

[BennyBlanco]

What blows my mind about all this is that Candy Crush is still so popular. I thought it’s moment in the sun passed like a decade ago.

 

[twilo99]

Apple has been designated a "gatekeeper" tech firm by the European Union, which means they will be forced to open up their platform to third-party app stores and side-loading of apps from 2024. Microsoft has been incredibly transparent about its desire to build an Xbox mobile game store, and is dedicating a significant amount of resources to that end. If Microsoft can deprive Apple of revenues from Call of Duty Mobile, Minecraft, and other major third-party games by offering a better revenue split, it could help further Microsoft's goal to create the "Steam of mobile."

This is the intriguing bit

 

[proandrad]

Close one, Microsoft was on the verge on bankruptcy.

 

[Skifi28]

Number one baby. Playstation well on its way to becoming a third party publisher and ditching hardware.




Right? RIGHT?

 

[twilo99]

Not really comparable. Guerilla, Sucker Punch, and Naughty Dog was fledgling studios when Sony acquired them and they were built up into the studios they are today. Housemarque is of the same vein. Nixxes and Bluepoint don't have any IP. Bungie is a better comparison than those other studios.

They were still acquired and not built from the ground up by Sony, which is what most Sony fans believe to be true about any of their studios.

Did Sony manage those acquired studios well? Absolutely.

Its just about passage of time, people forget…

 

[Ozriel]

Meh. I'd actually be impressed if they did this with their own studios and IP.

Eh. Revenue is revenue.

Meanwhile COD continues to hemorrhage users year over year since the peak with MW19.

They’re making nearly $2b more annual revenue these days than 2019 so…

 

[diffusionx]

They were still acquired and not built from the ground up by Sony, which is what most Sony fans believe to be true about any of their studios.

Its just about passage of time, people forget…

Sucker Punch made all of one game on N64, by probably 20 people, before they pivoted to PlayStation platforms and being published by Sony. I don't know when they were officially acquired but I don't think it really matters.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Apple sideloading isn't going to do jack shit. The amount of people who are going to sideload Xbox store onto their iPhone is not even 1% of users. The idea that it is going to be some major driver of growth is absurd. I mean Google has always allowed sideloading and Tim is suing them still, enough said.

Beyond that, I think MS has real reasons to be concerned about the future prospects of A-B. COD has really slipped in quality - the last 3 games have been turds. yea they're still really popular but they suck. This can only go on for so long as people drift away, as MS knows all too well with their big FPS that crashed and burned. Blizzard is a total piece of shit studio. MS absolutely needs to shore up this side of their business before it spins out of control, and that means devoting even more resources to it beyond what they already have. And well I'm not that confident in MS' ability to do that.

Modern Warfare 2 was quite good IMO. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t played CoD in a very long time but I got like 200+ hours out of the multiplayer.

CoD is kinda like Madden and NBA2k. Even if everyone knows it sucks this year theyll still buy it because there’s no viable competitor every year and nobody else has the resources to get it done at their pace.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

While this probably isn't true, I hope it is for the sake of competition. The industry seems a bit complacent.

 

[dotnotbot]

We bought revenue stream of 7-8 billions per year for 70 billions! Look at how our business is thriving!

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

In revenue - I doubt, as Sony is selling more consoles and can increase their revenue by that.

But profit-wise, I think Xbox will surpass Sony. I mean ABK by itself is crazy profitable and has been more profitable than Sony even (not sure if higher than Nintendo).

What blows my mind about all this is that Candy Crush is still so popular. I thought it’s moment in the sun passed like a decade ago.

There are multiple Candy Crush games and a lot of mobile games - like Clash of Clans - has been on top for years. So even on mobile we have the giants. King is one of those.

 

[adamsapple]

Meh. I'd actually be impressed if they did this with their own studios and IP.

They are, Activision is first party.

 

[twilo99]

Close one, Microsoft was on the verge on bankruptcy.

Microsoft has been on the verge of bankruptcy for almost 30 years now.. still hanging in there with their fake revenue, etc

 

[Topher]

Sure, that's why Acti-Blizz costs 70$ Billion. But this is business and neither company is in it for the "art", MS just happens to have a bigger warchest. Sucks for the gaming industry but it is what it is.

Exactly. Microsoft bought established IPs. As did Sony with Bungie and Destiny. However, to the original point being made, I do think it is more impressive to build up a studio to that point than to simply buy up what's already there. Not to say Microsoft isn't doing that as well. I expect Compulsion, Inxile and Double Fine to also grow beyond what they were prior to being acquired.

They were still acquired and not built from the ground up by Sony, which is what most Sony fans believe to be true about a of their studios.

Its just about passage of time, people forget…

Acquired, but then yes, they were built up as studios much different than what they were originally. This is not comparable to buying publishers like ABK or Bethesda. Again, Bungie is the better comparison.

 

[diffusionx]

Modern Warfare 2 was quite good IMO. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t played CoD in a very long time but I got like 200+ hours out of the multiplayer.

CoD is kinda like Madden and NBA2k. Even if everyone knows it sucks this year theyll still buy it because there’s no viable competitor every year and nobody else has the resources to get it done at their pace.

Well, if you liked MWII who am I to claim otherwise. Thing is, they turned the DLC into a full game (MWIII) because MWII did not have the player retention they wanted. The game was just not as good as it should have been, opinions aside.

COD is not like Madden/NBA2K, because those games have licenses that make them relevant. COD is just a brand, if it is shit game after shit game then people will find another shooter to play. MS cannot rely on inertia alone. I think there is plenty of evidence that Activision can no longer handle the dev cycle they established in the late 2000s at the quality it needs to be at.

 

[Thirty7ven]

100B spent.

 

[K' Dash]

There is something wrong with this picture.

 

[jroc74]

I guess revenue is new metric now.

Not really, but it will be the new main talking point......

It already started before the acquisition was complete.

 

[Ozriel]

Apple sideloading isn't going to do jack shit. The amount of people who are going to sideload Xbox store onto their iPhone is not even 1% of users. The idea that it is going to be some major driver of growth is absurd. I mean Google has always allowed sideloading and Tim is suing them still, enough said.

I agree with this. I’m really skeptical about the chances of this so-called Xbox mobile store.

COD has really slipped in quality - the last 3 games have been turds. yea they're still really popular but they suck. This can only go on for so long as people drift away

How are people drifting away if they’re really popular (as you say) and still making more money than ever?

as MS knows all too well with their big FPS that crashed and burned.

…mainly because of Call of Duty.

Blizzard is a total piece of shit studio. MS absolutely needs to shore up this side of their business before it spins out of control, and that means devoting even more resources to it beyond what they already have. And well I'm not that confident in MS' ability to do that.

Blizzard’s just coming off a very successful Diablo, the news of the WoW expansions seem to be received with much enthusiasm by the fanbase and they’ve got a new AAA IP that’s coming out soonish.

What’s the basis for your lack of confidence in MS devoting resources to their studios? They’ve got a good track record of doing that these days.

 

[twilo99]

Acquired, but then yes, they were built up as studios much different than what they were originally.

Well, I’m not really familiar so perhaps I’m wrong, but what criteria is used when we say they were built by Sony post purchase?

Did they let everyone who worked there previously go and put in their own developers instead? Did they just buy the equipment and took over the leases for the buildings and simply used the brand name? If that was the case why even bother keeping the studio name and not simply calling it PlayStation studios?

I’m really just trying to understand

 

[Ozriel]

If I find a stranger on the street and ask him if he has a $20 bill and I give him 3x$5 and 5 singles as change I just made $20 Revenue.

I'm going to be rich if I keep this up

Where do you people come up with these analogies?

 

[StealthGoblin]

Sony bought out Insomniac Games in 2019, Housemarque in 2021, Guerilla Games in 2005, Bluepoint Games in 2021, Nixxes in 2021, Sucker Punch in 2011, Naughty Dog in 2001, none of those studios were founded by Sony. My point being is give it a few years and people will adjust to the idea that Bethesda games and Acti-Blizz games are MS first party games too.

What did those studios work on while they were independent? Who bankrolled them for the most part?

 

[ReBurn]

Silly journalists. Don't they know that the only thing that matters is number of consoles sold? Nobody cares about revenue.

 

[Topher]

Well, I’m not really familiar so perhaps I’m wrong, but what criteria is used when we say they were built by Sony post purchase?

Did they let everyone who worked there previously go and put in their own developers instead? Did they just buy the equipment and took over the leases for the buildings and simply used the brand name? If that was the case why even bother keeping the studio name and not simply calling it PlayStation studios?

I’m really just trying to understand

Has nothing to do with equipment or buildings. Just look at the games. Naughty Dog went from making Crash Bandicott to Uncharted and TLOU. Guerrilla went from making Game Boy games as Lost Boys Studios to making Killzone for Sony. Sucker Punch was more like an Insomniac acquisition. Before they started making exclusive games for Sony they made a single Nintendo 64 game.

Again, if we want to compare those studios to those with a similar trajectory look to studios like Compulsion, not ABK and Bethesda.

 

[X-Wing]

Fanboy outlets always have the craziest takes on things.

 

[Topher]

If I find a stranger on the street and ask him if he has a $20 bill and I give him 3x$5 and 5 singles as change I just made $20 Revenue.

I'm going to be rich if I keep this up

 

[adamsapple]

If I find a stranger on the street and ask him if he has a $20 bill and I give him 3x$5 and 5 singles as change I just made $20 Revenue.

I'm going to be rich if I keep this up

I think we found Scott Steiner's GAF account, guys.

 

[skit_data]

Is it like that "RT only applies to the closest vicinity around the car"-kind of on track?

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

I actually read Jez's effuse here and he is counting ABK twice. Taking this into account and they are still about $10b short to even match Sony, let alone leapfrog them.

 

[StueyDuck]

Fatty jezzy poo poo doing what he does best

 

[Ansphn]

Jez has always been a jester making a fool of himself to impress Phil Spencer.

 

[Daniel_Mallorca1985]

FTC fights Microsoft

News - Business - FTC Tells 9th Circ. That Microsoft Gets Standards All Wrong

The FTC keeps fighting: https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1766592 Microsoft's defense of its since-closed purchase of Activision is couched in the wrong legal standards, the Federal Trade Commission told the Ninth Circuit, arguing the district judge who rejected its initial challenge...

www.neogaf.com

 

[twilo99]

Has nothing to do with equipment or buildings. Just look at the games. Naughty Dog went from making Crash Bandicott to Uncharted and TLOU. Guerrilla was making Game Boy games as Lost Boys Studios to making Killzone for Sony. Sucker Punch was more like an Insomniac acquisition. Before they started making exclusive games for Sony they were made a single Nintendo 64 game.

Again, if we want to compare those studios to those with a similar trajectory look to studios like Compulsion, not ABK and Bethesda.

I see, you are looking at IP, but the people who developed those new games are the same people who were there all along, they just started working on new projects, presumably set in motion by Sony? Assuming of course that non of these projects were sitting there as ideas or already in development before Sony bought the studio.

I can see that, but it’s all rather arbitrary, wouldn’t you say?

Buying a small studio and giving it an opportunity to grow by giving it a larger budget and hardware/install base to grow on is good business, but I wouldn’t call it “grown in house”, the talent was still put together by someone else and they just bought it.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Not really comparable. Guerilla, Sucker Punch, and Naughty Dog was fledgling studios when Sony acquired them and they were built up into the studios they are today. Housemarque is of the same vein. Nixxes and Bluepoint don't have any IP. Bungie is a better comparison than those other studios.

Right. Those Sony studios are closer to a Compulsion Games taking off and becoming a prestige studio. I think Xbox can take credit for an acquired studio like Playground, though.

 

[X-Wing]

LMAO at people who think Actiblizz will release new IPs under Microsoft.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

This is like controlling an award show and giving yourself the top award. Also lol @ spending 60+ billion so you can brag about being number 2, when the actual number 2 just did the work needed to get there.

 

[ABnormal]

"Failures with money that cheated at exams"

The worst cancer this industry could have. Zero skills, just buying the market because they are totally incapable to have market share through skill and competence.

 

[Topher]

I see, you are looking at IP, but the people who developed those new games are the same people who were there all along, they just started working on new projects, presumably set in motion by Sony? Assuming of course that non of these projects were sitting there as ideas or already in development before Sony bought the studio.

I can see that, but it’s all rather arbitrary, wouldn’t you say?

Buying a small studio and giving it an opportunity to grow by giving it a larger budget and hardware/install base to grow on is good business, but I wouldn’t call it “grown in house”, the talent was still put together by someone else and they just bought it.

Eh.....call it whatever you want, but the point is not all acquisitions are equal. Pointing to Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch in response to acquiring Bethesda and ABK is just absurd. Again....Bungie is the correct comparison.

Right. Those Sony studios are closer to a Compulsion Games taking off and becoming a prestige studio. I think Xbox can take credit for an acquired studio like Playground, though.

Exactly. Playground was essentially a MS studio already having only ever worked on MS games. Very similar to Sucker Punch.

 

[DForce]

These guys are always trying to look for a win.

When they're not winning something then they convince people that it doesn't matter.

 

[poppabk]

Has nothing to do with equipment or buildings. Just look at the games. Naughty Dog went from making Crash Bandicott to Uncharted and TLOU. Guerrilla went from making Game Boy games as Lost Boys Studios to making Killzone for Sony. Sucker Punch was more like an Insomniac acquisition. Before they started making exclusive games for Sony they made a single Nintendo 64 game.

Again, if we want to compare those studios to those with a similar trajectory look to studios like Compulsion, not ABK and Bethesda.

And Avalanche software went from licensed forgettable games to the biggest selling new game in Hogwarts Legacy just by being handed a decent budget and scope.