This would have been post-announcement of the Zenimax acquisition, right?
I imagine that deal was heavily centered around the benefits it would have on console/PC in NA and Europe.
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[The Verge] Microsoft considered acquiring Bungie and Sega (and more) to bolster Xbox Game Pass, internal emails show
- Thread starter vixolus
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I imagine that deal was heavily centered around the benefits it would have on console/PC in NA and Europe.
Thankfully that didn't happen and I will continue to pray Microsoft stays the fuck away from Sega.
How anyone can continue cheerleading this corporate consolidation bullshit is beyond me.
How anyone can continue cheerleading this corporate consolidation bullshit is beyond me.
But what about Phil Spencer's Fighting Vipers t-shirt???
We forum posters are maybe more on the money than we realize? I remember all those "MS should acquire SEGA" posts.
Consolidation regardless of who is doing it- isn't great for the industry at all.
I expect MS looked at other Japanese publishers but nothing was put into motion.
I expect MS looked at other Japanese publishers but nothing was put into motion.
They were owned by MS (as part of their Microsoft Game Division from 2000 to 2007).
It was probably their first big purchase for the Xbox ecosystem.
Fair point but they were desperate to get out of that deal as well. It's always everyone else's fault but them.
lol what
Of course they did.
Them leaving Microsoft was a massive story.
However...
Activision did not own Bungie.
Sega has made sense for them for a long time. I feel like Bungie wouldn't have been down for the reacquisition though unless they got the same autonomy deal that Sony gave them.
If ABK goes through without resorting to a scorch earth option in the UK, they might not mind. SEGA just isn't that big from a marketshare perspective. I guess ultimately it depends on what they envision GP becoming.
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I'd say most of the list tbh.
- PC presence in AMR & the EU - Yes, with Wow, Diablo, Overwatch etc.
- Mobile presence in AMR & the EU - Yes, with Candy Crush and other King properties
- PC & console presence in APAC - Semi, with WoW (need new distribution partner in China), Diablo, Warcraft/Starcraft (although dead in terms of new entries) + bonus CoD Mobile
I mean if you believe the rumors MS balked at Bungie because of the contractual requirement that they be allowed to remain multiplatform.
Microsoft wouldn't start telling Atlus that they couldn't make SMT games if they got picked up.
Would be a good push for Microsoft to break out in Japan more. I doubt at this point Japan is even Atlus' biggest market anyways. I'm sure they'd be just fine under Microsoft and I'm sure Persona would be a good system seller for them as well.
Not saying I want any more of these acquisitions to go through but I don't think Microsoft would be the death of any of Segas current franchises.
Even though it's expected that MS would have looked at nearly every notable developer and publisher at some point, greedy tech titan CEO's chummily talking about how much of the industry they should absorb is pretty nauseating. It's exceedingly fortunate that none of that has happened and I'm hopeful that the majority of it won't anytime soon since all of this was pre-Activision. Also, Spencer and Nadella espousing interest doesn't mean that any of these studios and publishers (especially Sega) would have actually accepted their overtures. Sega, in particular, should never happen and would be disastrous for all involved.
Even post purchase of Bungie to Sony, Bungie stated as much that they will put their games on whatever platforms they so choose and have yet to steer away from that mentality and business choice.
But... but.. but... I can play all these games day one for as little as couple bucks though XB Gold loophole. This is a no brainer! /s
Sega just makes too much sense for MS not to try to go after it.
- Strong Japanese development presence. An area that MS sorely lacks in. Check.
- Strong group of PC development in Sega of Europe. An area that MS wants to expand. Check.
- Rovio now being part of Sega makes this even more interesting for MS, since they would further expand their mobile development. Check.
- A lot of recognizable IP that sells well to help boost Game Pass catalog. Check.
- Strong Japanese development presence. An area that MS sorely lacks in. Check.
- Strong group of PC development in Sega of Europe. An area that MS wants to expand. Check.
- Rovio now being part of Sega makes this even more interesting for MS, since they would further expand their mobile development. Check.
- A lot of recognizable IP that sells well to help boost Game Pass catalog. Check.
No, I mean the rumour that Bungie's buyout price was too high for MS, and by that I meant too high considering what MS would want out of such a deal.
Microsoft's strategy is to buy themselves into a top spot if they can't set the trend themselves.
I'm just very numb to all of this at this point.
How can I have a strong reaction to Microsoft trying to buy Bungie when Sony just have?
It's both the videogame and wider media industry currently. This is not some huge shock that they are looking at more additions, I'd imagine everyone is.
How can I have a strong reaction to Microsoft trying to buy Bungie when Sony just have?
It's both the videogame and wider media industry currently. This is not some huge shock that they are looking at more additions, I'd imagine everyone is.
It's really no surprise that most major companies have been looked at and considered. It's still very important that this list was before they went for ABK.
May I ask, why? I just don't see it, or if this is the case, then almost any company is a perfect fit for MS.
Like we would actually have any idea what happened, in terms of e.g. MS backing off because of the price etc.
Same. I'm also afraid of Larian being bought as well. Fuck that idea.
Making big games is harder and harder, every single company MS has bought recently has been looking to get bought. Activision is probably the only one that wasn't desperate to be bought. I'm sure that the teams under Activision will tell you the industry will be better off without Kotick leading union busting at one of the biggest pubs in the industry.
Oh, so it's to bolster Game Pass.
Interesting. Especially since this info is coming from the FTC case.
Interesting. Especially since this info is coming from the FTC case.
You know, I was gonna bring this up recently after the FTC hearing... 🤔
Interesting that they put the most emphasis on PC and mobile in US and Europe. Guess they weren't lying about that being their priority.
Game Pass necessitates this massive consolidation as it's a loss-leading business strategy, which is why MS will basically be the only platform holder pursuing this kind of expansion unlike Nintendo or Sony.
- big family friendly ip (sonic + angry birds). area they want to expand. check.
Not for a long, long while. Whether or not the ABK acquisition goes through, Microsoft will not be in a good place with regulators in pursuing publishers.
For as much as people like to paint it otherwise, Microsoft has had to be extremely mindful to the point of being proactively cooperative after the internet explorer/windows business. Whatever happens with the current deal will once again put them on the back foot, rather than lead to a slippery slope situation.
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