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Hypothetical: Which Company Would Be Most Interesting Absorbed by Microsoft?

mindsale

mindsale

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,911
With the rumored EA acquisition that would cost Microsoft ~$40B, or 5% of its market cap, I was curious why it wouldn't just buy Sony or Nintendo, both valuated near the same figure?

It's no secret that Microsoft has a perceived disparity in first-party content compared to its Japanese peers, and an acquisition of one of them sounds very appealing from a gaming perspective.

Which company's stable of IP's would be most interesting to see under the Xbox branding?

Could a new Third System arise in the absence of Sony or Nintendo? Apple? Amazon? Google? Dreamcast 2?

Would this hypothetical acquisition leave room for Sony's film and television and music and manufacturing divisions? Are those avenues Microsoft would even have an interest in assuming it passed antitrust hearings?

Could the Nintendo Switch remain a companion system to the mainline Xbox brand? Would you like to see Nintendo's content gracing a more conventionally-powered set top console? What might it mean for a concurrent Switch platform - mobile Halo RTS? Battletoads Amiibos for use in Shovel Knight?

Which games might you like to play on a Microsoft Switch or Microsoft PlayStation? Which console branding would the company retain for its platform names?

Again, purely speculative. This thread is designed to explore the more peculiar possibilities one might not immediately appreciate if such an acquisition took place (and spoiler: it won't).
 
Knight in Shining Armani

Knight in Shining Armani

Member
Oct 30, 2017
8,967
I'm drawing a blank here. They're not exactly the bastion of creativity or risk taking so I'd like for everything to stay the way that it is.

Anything as big as EA would stay unchanged anyway. They're a business. They're in it for the money. Not console wars.
 
DocSeuss

DocSeuss

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,784
Japanese companies are really difficult for non-Japanese companies to buy out. This was explained to me years ago so I kinda forgot, like... all the details, but yeah. Like, if Microsoft wanted to go for Sega or Capcom or someone like that, they'd have a really hard time. It was much easier for Japanese people to engage in a hostile (?) takeover of Sega in the 1970s (fuck, id on't remember, man, I'm coughing up a storm and running a fever, sue me) than it would be for someone to take it back. Japan protects their businesses better or something.

Ironically, I think Capcom would be the most interesting company for MS to buy (because of their ties with Sony in games like Monster Hunter and Street Fighter, the internet Salt would be amazing), but I'd be fascinated by a Sega takeover too, not because of Sega Japan, but because of all the Sega Europe strategy game stuff like Total War/Endless.

Microsoft taking over pretty much any of the Big Four (Ubi/ATVI/EA/2K) would be a phenomenal get for the brand. 2K would probably be the most interesting one because they have the biggest variety of active stuff (Borderlands, GTA, etc), but EA's really interesting because it gives Microsoft control over a bunch of old Bullfrog/Lionhead stuff, as well as Command and Conquer.

Both Sega and EA give Microsoft really interesting opportunities in the PC-only space that the others don't.
 
Glio

Glio

Member
Oct 27, 2017
24,553
Spain
I've always had a morbid curiosity about how Bioware would be today if Microsoft bought it instead of EA
 
tyfon

tyfon

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,680
Norway
Every time one of the big three, Microsoft, Google or Apple buys or "absorbs" another company it is a loss for consumers, shareholders, innovation and market health so I'd rather they not "absorb" anything.
 
OP
OP
mindsale

mindsale

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,911
DocSeuss said:
Japanese companies are really difficult for non-Japanese companies to buy out. This was explained to me years ago so I kinda forgot, like... all the details, but yeah. Like, if Microsoft wanted to go for Sega or Capcom or someone like that, they'd have a really hard time. It was much easier for Japanese people to engage in a hostile (?) takeover of Sega in the 1970s (fuck, id on't remember, man, I'm coughing up a storm and running a fever, sue me) than it would be for someone to take it back. Japan protects their businesses better or something.
Click to expand...
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Let's skip the logistics, because I don't see any of these actually happening. What might be some of the gaming curiosities that would result of this?

A Master Chief Amiibo for use in Smash Bros with Voodoo Vince, Banjo, Battletoads & Blinx? A gyroscopic Panzer Dragoon sequel on Switch?
 

VillagerMax

Member
Nov 4, 2017
279
If Microsoft somehow buys Nintendo or Sony, I doubt consumers would continue to buy their products due to the Western influence they would have as seen with the XBOX sales in Japan.
 
DocSeuss

DocSeuss

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,784
mindsale said:
Let's skip the logistics, because I don't see any of these actually happening. What might be some of the gaming curiosities that would result of this?

A Master Chief Amiibo for use in Smash Bros with Voodoo Vince, Banjo, Battletoads & Blinx? A gyroscopic Panzer Dragoon sequel on Switch?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I updated my post with some stuff. ;)
 
Abrasion Test

Abrasion Test

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,780
Glio said:
I've always had a morbid curiosity about how Bioware would be today if Microsoft bought it instead of EA
Click to expand...
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Quoting myself from the other thread:
I'm confused why people think MS buying BioWare years ago would be any different. In fact it would have probably been worse. At best they would have finished the ME trilogy and then been thrust onto Kinect titles for years, then try to bounce back with a AAA title for XB1 after all the talent had bled dry. The doctors were very eager to get out of game dev when they sold and it would have been no different with MS. BioWare today is not the same, but at least they expanded into Dragon Age and the Austin studio which does SWTOR.

I really don't believe BioWare would have survived the dark days of the late 360 early XB1 era.
 

4Tran

Member
Nov 4, 2017
1,531
If Microsoft were to win the acquisition lottery, it'd be Tencent. If Tencent was just a massively profitable company, one with reach into the PC and mobile gaming space above and beyond what Microsoft has, it'd already be a huge get. But Tencent also has WeChat, and all of the social networking that it has, and the datamining potential from this platform. It'd be a dream come true! The two minor problems is that Tencent is one of the few companies out there that Microsoft probably couldn't afford, and that they'd never get permission from the Chinese government.
 
ChopTwigs

ChopTwigs

Member
Oct 25, 2017
146
Canada
None.

The obvious goal for ms when "absorbing" is certainly not to encourage creativity, but to limit the availability of games to competitors.
 
casey_contra

casey_contra

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,377
Seattle, WA
Rare

:(

In all seriousness, I think it would be interesting if Microsoft bought a company like Hasbro. Some of the products could be like Nintendo Labo on steroids. That being said - it's so incredibly not their market... but maybe it could expand it?
 
jacks81x

jacks81x

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,460
NYC
Tencent. It would give them a foothold in the Chinese market that is highly desirable by just about every foreign company. They'll get an ownership stake in one of the biggest games in the world (LoL), and also immediately become a market leader in the mobile game space.
 
Aokiji

Aokiji

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,265
Los Angeles
Idk why Microsoft never went back to buy SEGA, considering the OG Xbox was basically a black Dreamcast. Down to the controller design & memory card system.
 
Instro

Instro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,056
The the current state of Valve and Steam makes me start to think I wouldn't mind them being bought out.
 
Blizniak

Blizniak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
395
Konami. We don't lose anything and might actually get something out of it. But then again it'd just be a treasure trove of IP and no devs which is what Microsoft actually needs.
 
MRYEAH

MRYEAH

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,089
The hall across the room
Atlus solves all the lack of Japanese imports only on Xbox
Sony should buy 2k and push all exclusives in a counter move NBA/GTA/Borderlands
Nintendo just adds Capcom and has their third party support as they use Platinum as their 2nd party
(THESE ARE HYPOTHETICAL)
 
Metalik

Metalik

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
26
Moscow, Russia
Honestly, any big company would be an amazing buy, not for THEIR IPs, but for THEIR WORK FORCE. Microsoft would be able to give qualified hands their franchises that lay dormant, so everyone wins.
 
Gundam

Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
Sega.

Rebrand the next Xbox in Asia as Dreamcast II.
Meld Virtua Fighter into Killer Instinct
Bring back Phantasy Star
Sonic games for days, for better or for worse.
Crazy Taxi.
Jet Set Radio.
Alien Games.
Blast Processing.
 
Gundam

Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
Gundam said:
Sega.

Rebrand the next Xbox in Asia as Dreamcast II.
Meld Virtua Fighter into Killer Instinct
Bring back Phantasy Star
Sonic games for days, for better or for worse.
Crazy Taxi.
Jet Set Radio.
Alien Games.
Blast Processing.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE SEGA CD, SEGA SATURN, SEGA DREAMGIS
 
Schreckweg 5000

Schreckweg 5000

Member
Jan 10, 2018
6,327
The dick inside me would be interested in Microsoft buying EA and than giving them the EA treatment aka graveyard.jpg

Wrong sure, but interesting.


Otherwise maybe Capcom. They are risk averse as fuck anyway and MS could help with them matchmaking, netcode etc
 
OP
OP
mindsale

mindsale

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,911
Gundam said:
Sega.

Rebrand the next Xbox in Asia as Dreamcast II.
Meld Virtua Fighter into Killer Instinct
Bring back Phantasy Star
Sonic games for days, for better or for worse.
Crazy Taxi.
Jet Set Radio.
Alien Games.
Blast Processing.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Shining Force... Seaman... Comix Zone Remaster. Love it.
 

Deleted member 5491

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,249
mindsale said:
I was curious why it wouldn't just buy Sony or Nintendo, both valuated near the same figure?
Click to expand...
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Market Cap:
- EA 36.227 Billion
- Sony 58.321 Billion
- Nintendo 51.06 Billion

And that's just market cap, so the outstanding shares.
Nintendo also only has 141,669,000 outstanding shares but
400,000,000 shares Authorized to be Issued.
Same with Sony 1,264,649,260 shares are issued and 3,600,000,000 are
authorized to be issued.
Now try to take them over with a hostile takeover. The price will go up fast
 

fireflame

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,275
I know it is hard to do legally but I wish Konami was bought by Microsoft, at least anything related to the good games dying in their hands.
 
Punchline

Punchline

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,151
Seeing as how they've treated rare and its ips i would hope that no company would go to them
 
CopyOfACopy

CopyOfACopy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,046
User Warned: Driveby posts like this don't contribute to the thread.
Microsoft should go third party, they only put out 2-3 games a year already
 
JusDoIt

JusDoIt

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 25, 2017
34,863
South Central Los Angeles
Microsoft buying another one of the big three would be just about the worst possible outcome for gaming. I doubt they'd get a lot of gaming competition from the other giants like Apple, Google, Amazon, or Facebook, because they wouldn't really be threatened by Microsoft's gaming dominance.
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
The best I can think of would be companies that are based out of the US that would make this work. It would be like saying "Microsoft should by Sony!" when Sony usually focuses on all markets and not specifically on the US. It also doesn't help that Microsoft doesn't really have as much of a foothold outside of the US like Sony and Nintendo, so we would definitely need a company based in the US and would be aimed at a US market. Something to which that EA would fit the bill rather well (for the most part anyway since the only "international" title I can think of that they work on is FIFA).

With all that said, if we had to pick someone else, I'd go with Activision-Blizzard. Definitely would be an interesting combination there while also taking up a certain company that would definitely assist with games on both Xbox One and PC.
 
Tarot Deck

Tarot Deck

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
4,235
jacks81x said:
Tencent. It would give them a foothold in the Chinese market that is highly desirable by just about every foreign company. They'll get an ownership stake in one of the biggest games in the world (LoL), and also immediately become a market leader in the mobile game space.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This would be insane
 
Nitpicker_Red

Nitpicker_Red

Member
Nov 3, 2017
1,282
Wowfunhappy said:
Jessmo24 said:
You must have never read the story on what happened last time Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo.

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1027928/how-nintendo-boss-silenced-steve-ballmer
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Is this... is this actually real?
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It's Obviously not real. First the wording is already iffy to translate in japanese (balls can be golden in japanese, but yellow? racist tones).
Note: Japanese people would not consider themselves "yellow". Skin color is white or tanned.
Second, when you look at the zeroth source of the article via archive.is it was a fake Wired article mockup. Not actually published in Wired even if you search for it.
Third, it's documented on several sites as a hoax. By looking at the Wikiquote page of Yamauchi we can even find links of other sites from the epoch disclaiming it.
Why the Inquirer still has the page up is a mystery. Who am I kidding they just don't have any scruple.

Don't spread hoaxes, even for fun, even fake-looking ones, because people will pick them up without verifying. As demonstrated here...
 
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hydrophilic attack

hydrophilic attack

Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,468
Sweden
they should buy time warner and then make them provide a slow lane to psn and a fast lane to xbox live

this would be a much more clever idea than buying ea
 
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