GDC 08: Microsoft To Buy Out Epic, Gamepro Says

With an attempt to buy Yahoo seemingly thwarted, is Microsoft looking at yet another acquisition in Epic Games? That's the word from GamePro editor Travis Moses, who writes in the latest issue of the mag that "Microsoft will buy Epic Games for $1 billion this summer." While that sounds like Moses is fairly assured, we're considering rumor and speculation at this point. Local North Carolina station WRAL reports that Epic would be a good get for MS, securing long term rights to Gears of War, Unreal Tournament and royalties from the Unreal Engine.

While we fully expect someone from Microsoft to utter the words Gears of War II at GDC this week, unless determined to prevent an Unreal Tournament III for Xbox 360 cockblock, we're a bit hesitant about buy-out talk. The company does have a keynote planned this week, which we'll be liveblogging (*gulp*). Ready the F5 key for news.

http://kotaku.com/357741/microsoft-to-buy-out-epic-gamepro-says

This could be potentially huge. :?PS3Compass

We'll still get PC versions of EPIC games, though.:) Just no PS3.

They could've got Bioware/Pandemic for cheaper. :|

Well it would help them since they lost Bungie but Epic doesn't do much third party stuff so it won't hurt me at all.-Renegade

Actually, MS just doesn't own Bungie. But Bungie did say that MS gets the first shot at their games.

[QUOTE="PS3Compass"]This could be potentially huge. :?BioShockOwnz

We'll still get PC versions of EPIC games, though.:) Just no PS3.

What will happen to the Unreal Engine? :o

I honestly see this happening after what EPIC said...club-sandwich

lol i love your sig

didnt you had a sig with a can of tune and a loaf of bread saying they wanted to make sandwiches?

Well it would help them since they lost Bungie but Epic doesn't do much third party stuff so it won't hurt me at all.-Renegade

Hahaa. Last thing I will see this gen is Bungie making a game for PS3. It's like a first-party dev for 360 anyways. It's like Konami. Konami will never do anything serious on 360.

They could've got Bioware/Pandemic for cheaper. :|

JayPee89

[QUOTE="-Renegade"]Well it would help them since they lost Bungie but Epic doesn't do much third party stuff so it won't hurt me at all.dkhw

Hahaa. Last thing I will see this gen is Bungie making a game for PS3. It's like a first-party dev for 360 anyways. It's like Konami. Konami will never do anything serious on 360.

[QUOTE="JayPee89"]

They could've got Bioware/Pandemic for cheaper. :|

BreakingPoint8

All they could have bought both...that would have made much more sense.

Lol what would be the point of that? inertk

I'm kinda wondering that, too. Why pay them when they'll still going to develop games on your machine. It's silly on MS's part, but it does hurt to be Sony if it does indeed happen. EPIC is one of the bigger names in the industry.

[QUOTE="PS3Compass"]This could be potentially huge. :?BioShockOwnz

We'll still get PC versions of EPIC games, though.:) Just no PS3.

Yeah but all Cows have gaming rigs anyway so it's doom for MS

[QUOTE="inertk"]Lol what would be the point of that? BioShockOwnz

I'm kinda wondering that, too. Why pay them when they'll still going to develop games on your machine. It's silly on MS's part, but it does hurt to be Sony if it does indeed happen. EPIC is one of the bigger names in the industry.

[QUOTE="inertk"]Lol what would be the point of that? BioShockOwnz

I'm kinda wondering that, too. Why pay them when they'll still going to develop games on your machine. It's silly on MS's part, but it does hurt to be Sony if it does indeed. happen. EPIC is one of the bigger names in the industry.

I'd say it doesn't relaly hurt them that much. I mean their biggest IP (now) is Gears of War and that is a 360/MS only IP....so...I really don't see Microsoft's need to buy them up. But hey, maybe their threatening to do some Gears of War-type PS3 games...who knows.

They could've got Bioware/Pandemic for cheaper. :|

JayPee89

Epic is definitly worth more then Bioware. Epic makes some of the best gaming engines, whereas Bioware only makes games. Plus, mark my words, this move was also done to help promote GFWL in the future.

[QUOTE="inertk"]Lol what would be the point of that? BioShockOwnz

I'm kinda wondering that, too. Why pay them when they'll still going to develop games on your machine. It's silly on MS's part, but it does hurt to be Sony if it does indeed happen. EPIC is one of the bigger names in the industry.

I doubt it will hurt Sony that much. It's not like Epic's games are Playstation system sellers.

Microsoft buys Epic? No. Never in a million years. At this point it just appears as though Microsoft is trying to look 'cool' by buying out companies that 18-30 year olds will use, like Yahoo! and now rumors of Epic. You know why? Because Microsoft is trying to get cool again, the throne Apple took from them. Come on, It's pretty obvious they're bying companies for this. Vista sucks, Leopard is awesome, the iPhone, iPod, MacBook Air, iPod Touches, stuff like that. Meanwhile, the Goliath Microsoft has a lousy operating system, a delayed new platform(Surface), firm belief that they are #1 in the console market, and Bill Gates is leaving. Microsoft won't be able to buy Epic. It's an evil plan that proves that Microsoft is just an evil giant wanting to rehash the 1990's, so they can be another monopoly.

-end

Hmm, are they actually going to, you know...

Fix UE3? It's broken for anyone other than Epic, even then running Gears on the 360 made it sound like it was gearing up for take off.

[QUOTE="BioShockOwnz"]

[QUOTE="inertk"]Lol what would be the point of that? PS3Compass

I'm kinda wondering that, too. Why pay them when they'll still going to develop games on your machine. It's silly on MS's part, but it does hurt to be Sony if it does indeed happen. EPIC is one of the bigger names in the industry.

I doubt it will hurt Sony that much. It's not like Epic's games are Playstation system sellers.

Well, nothing has been a Playstation 3 system seller yet, lol. They still haven't got that one huge game in the vein of Halo or Gears.

I think this is the worst news I've read in a long time. Epic has always been great to the gaming community. They've always been on the gamers side and have long supported big communities, made development tools available and of course supported MODS. You can kiss all that good bye if MS buys them.EmperorSupreme

Yeah I forgot about that side of it all, MS LOVES to charge for **** we should get for free.

Luckily I'm not even touching DLC on any platform.

[QUOTE="PS3Compass"][QUOTE="BioShockOwnz"]

[QUOTE="inertk"]Lol what would be the point of that? BioShockOwnz

I'm kinda wondering that, too. Why pay them when they'll still going to develop games on your machine. It's silly on MS's part, but it does hurt to be Sony if it does indeed happen. EPIC is one of the bigger names in the industry.

I doubt it will hurt Sony that much. It's not like Epic's games are Playstation system sellers.

Well, nothing has been a Playstation 3 system seller yet, lol. They still haven't got that one huge game in the vein of Halo or Gears.

True, but that's not the point.

Hmm, are they actually going to, you know...

Fix UE3? It's broken for anyone other than Epic, even then running Gears on the 360 made it sound like it was gearing up for take off.

inertk

Incorrect. BioShock ran perfectly fine on the UE3.

They better hurry before EA gobbles them up first.EVOLV3

But what will happen to the Unreal Engine then? Will M$ have exclusive use of it? :question:PS3Compass

Wait, if MS buys out Epic, does that mean only 360 exclusives will be able to use the UE3? :shock:yellowandmushy

[QUOTE="inertk"]

Hmm, are they actually going to, you know...

Fix UE3? It's broken for anyone other than Epic, even then running Gears on the 360 made it sound like it was gearing up for take off.

BioShockOwnz

Incorrect. BioShock ran perfectly fine on the UE3.

Oh yeah.

So that's like what, 1/30? Got any more?

Edit: Actually **** that, game stopped working at the halfway point for me. So either the 360's hardware is horrid or the game's code.

Well it would help them since they lost Bungie but Epic doesn't do much third party stuff so it won't hurt me at all.-Renegade

They hardly lost bungie. They agreed to make the studio independent. And they still publish all of their games.

[QUOTE="EmperorSupreme"]I think this is the worst news I've read in a long time. Epic has always been great to the gaming community. They've always been on the gamers side and have long supported big communities, made development tools available and of course supported MODS. You can kiss all that good bye if MS buys them.inertk

Yeah I forgot about that side of it all, MS LOVES to charge for **** we should get for free.

Luckily I'm not even touching DLC on any platform.

It's not just MS, though. 2 Resistance maps are like $8...

Warhawk has expensive DLC, also.

[QUOTE="PS3Compass"]But what will happen to the Unreal Engine then? Will M$ have exclusive use of it? :question:numba1234

Which is a big deal.

[QUOTE="PS3Compass"]But what will happen to the Unreal Engine then? Will M$ have exclusive use of it? :question:numba1234

It's good for making games look pretty, but it has a hefty cost on performance in most cases.

They better hurry before EA gobbles them up first.EVOLV3

[QUOTE="inertk"]

[QUOTE="EmperorSupreme"]I think this is the worst news I've read in a long time. Epic has always been great to the gaming community. They've always been on the gamers side and have long supported big communities, made development tools available and of course supported MODS. You can kiss all that good bye if MS buys them.BioShockOwnz

Yeah I forgot about that side of it all, MS LOVES to charge for **** we should get for free.

Luckily I'm not even touching DLC on any platform.

It's not just MS, though. 2 Resistance maps are like $8...

Warhawk has expensive DLC, also.

Yeah, Motorstorm had overpriced DLC also. Two bucks for an ONE extra car. :evil:

[QUOTE="numba1234"][QUOTE="PS3Compass"]But what will happen to the Unreal Engine then? Will M$ have exclusive use of it? :question:PS3Compass

Which is a big deal.

[QUOTE="inertk"]

[QUOTE="EmperorSupreme"]I think this is the worst news I've read in a long time. Epic has always been great to the gaming community. They've always been on the gamers side and have long supported big communities, made development tools available and of course supported MODS. You can kiss all that good bye if MS buys them.BioShockOwnz

Yeah I forgot about that side of it all, MS LOVES to charge for **** we should get for free.

Luckily I'm not even touching DLC on any platform.

It's not just MS, though. 2 Resistance maps are like $8...

Warhawk has expensive DLC, also.

Where does MS or Epic fit into that? Wait, didn't Epic have a problem with MS making them charge for extra content for Gears? I can't recall correctly.

And LOL if you think Sony is even in the same realm as Downloadable content-bull as MS.

[QUOTE="PS3Compass"]But what will happen to the Unreal Engine then? Will M$ have exclusive use of it? :question:numba1234