Is MS done? What's next on the table?

So we all know now MS is determined and they're filthy stinking rich. Rich enough that Bill Gates probably wipes his ass with Benjamin's. I don't think MS is done yet. 100 billion spent on gamepass?? That's still nothing for MS. Who do you think they will target next?

I bloody hell hope so.

it'd be nice to see them put those studios to good use and make worthwhile games instead of being COD support studios or getting shut down.

my biggest fear is that they'll get too big and have to consolidate studios and layoff a lot of employees.

From Software

And immediately announce Bloodborne 2 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@sargentd: that would be hilarious...hardwenzen would melt down from elden ring

I think EA is next. Let’s go Microsoft! Make Sony bleed!

@blaznwiipspman1: legit would laugh so hard and idgaf about from software lol

@Pedro: 🤣 there's more coming, I can already see it

The netflix / Disney strategy is to acquire as much IP as possible. To me that looks like what MS is planning. Of course they will still do their original stuff as well.

I hope they slow down because that's just going to embolden Sony to do something just as crazy. I don't want any of these gaming companies forming a monopoly. That would absolutely kill the gaming industry.

@mesome713: I don't think EA would be a good choice. They make sport games and it's expensive to get the licenses. You need to sell across multiple platforms for it to be worth it.

Probably EA, then Take 2.

@Zero_epyon: 'I hope they slow down because that's just going to embolden Sony to do something just as crazy'

Sony isn't a trillion dollar company. They'll be forced to sell to one of those bigger companies in the near future. Sony relies on the Playstation brand to keep them afloat. The brand can't compete if it's getting no games.

Imagine if they buy Square Enix.

What's Xbox's budget? Is it the entire MS budget?

That would suck...

Basically this going forward:

Imagine if (Insert Game Company here) bought (Insert Game Development/Publishng Company Here).

My response will likely be "That would suck..."

@p3anut: if MS buys Square it's legit the final nail in the coffin for Sony.

That was one concern I always had, but it's really one component of a larger issue. These types of mega-mergers and consolidations are typical when growth slows in global markets. The cigars aren't going to see small-time studios as something worth investing in. Cutting to the chase, this means that any small dev making passion project games will not be able to continue without hoping to get bought by a big company like MS, possibly Sony or Tencent etc.

Eventually, we'll have just a few big players. It's already happening.

True, but if Microsoft bought EA. A lot of EA sports games would be exclusive to mobile, PC and Xbox, meaning Sony Playstation is fucked! Konami screwed up with PES/eFootball, so Microsoft will have the plethora of cash to tie up all the licenses and sink Konami's PES/eFootball franchise!

Think I am getting ahead of myself ha!

Agreed.

@Zero_epyon: I was under the impression Sony was looking into buying SE? If anything, I'd feel better if they go with Sony over MS.

Microsoft will probably buy EA, Square-Enix, Konami, Capcom, Namco, Sega in the next 10-20 years. You heard it first right here :P

Sony should grab Konami. The dev/publisher might be mega trash, but they do have really fitting IP's for sony. Imagine a Castlevania game created the same way GoW2018. That would be juicy.

No, they should not.
Mega acquisitions like this need to stop. Ideally the antitrust ban hammer should come down

Sure, but its not stopping. They get them or somebody else will.

Next year they're just gonna buy Nintendo and Sony... Collect the set.

No gaming version of OPEC or Big Tech, please!

They really don't need to and this needs to stop.

Amazon Prime Streaming competes with Netflix, Hulu, and Disney...but all are available on a Amazon Firestick. Sony should make a huge purchase or 2 and go the way of Gamepass. And both services need to be available on each others hardware. I think that would be good for the both of them.

Keep Google and Amazon from buying anything up and i will be happy.

Tell that to MS, cuz we all know they ain't stopping. EA has been in a massive shitter. After they release their next innevitable failure, its the perfect opportunity to jump on an acquisition.

FIFA being on GP day one would print cash and skyrocket GP subs.

They need something Japanese, I think Sega could really help diversify their catalog.

I think that if they bought Take 2/Rockstar, that’ll be the bigger blow. Now if Sony bought Take 2/Rockstar (I know this will likely never happen) that’ll put Sony back into a competing league with MS.

They need to acquire some manufacturing capacity because this content momentum is great but now they need to produce more consoles people are going to want.

MS should not be acquiring anymore companies. I am baffled why anyone would want more acquisitions especially from MS.

Doesn't Microsoft measure their worth in the hundreds of billions of dollars?

I think they're going to be OK, especially after acquiring companies that generate profits in the tens of billions. People are still going to play Elder Scrolls, COD, WoW, and Diablo.

70 billion is no small amount of change, but I imagine they'll make that back in less than a decade.

Totally agree this needs to stop and the fact we have laws about hostile takeovers, MS sure is paying top of the line Lawyers on making sure this deal gets passed.

Yeah, I don't intend to see another acquiring anymore studios cause MS can't spend anymore money then they have at this point.

@davillain: you'd be surprised how much money Microsoft has. I'm sure they are able to spend another 50 or 100 billion buying up smaller studios like SE, and Konami, Capcom, etc etc

Be careful what you wish for Lems. You want the company that was lazy and mishandled their catalog of games last gen to have all this power. Not done organically but bought? Last gen must've hurt bad for you to cheer this.

@omegamaster: The licensing agreements for sports games would mean they wouldn't be exclusive. Just look at PlayStation and MLB The Show.

@Pedro: "MS should not be acquiring anymore companies. I am baffled why anyone would want more acquisitions especially from MS."

If they're willing to expand Game Pass onto other platforms and share their games, shouldn't the exclusion of games fall on those system's refusal to allow them?

Anyhow, I would hope Sony might want to reconsider offering their own first party games day one to PS Now subscribers just to keep pace, and that would be a great value for consumers on that end, rather than paying for $70 a piece. Given their rapport with Japanese publishers who seem willing to make their games exclusive to PS systems in exchange for magic beans I am sure they can work out special deals to bring more Japanese third party games to their own service.

Not done organically but bought? What are you talking about?

Buy EA so Sony has no online games left to play lmao. Not that it has much atm anyway.

@blaznwiipspman1: Being a multibilionaire is one thing, but spending over a billion without seeing diminishing returns should be more of a concern cause we haven't seen nothing from Bethesda but have seen huge investment with Minescraft.

They will buy whatever they can really and whoever sells.

Even sony could be bought up.

Hey this could be part of uncle Phil's plan. Slowly take buy away the hidden side of sony success. They have actually been the only console company eh close enough to giant TenCent. This was never because of there exclusives but the share they had when it comes to online service games. Be it GTA, COD, EA Legends shit, Final Fantasy Online, Fortnite, Gatcha king Genshin etc etc. Hell even the niche fighters that are prevalence to the console. Maybe uncle Phil has realized what the actual strength of playstation is and he is going to take it all away bf they enter the subscription war. Playstation is not Nintendo who can win with exclusives alone.

Hopefully....but probably not. The level of consolidation going on is not good from a competition standpoint. its all going under the games as a service umbrella too which is not good (though Activision and other AAA publishers have been pushing that direction anyway).

However if i was MS the next big thing on the agenda is the big sports franchises exclusive to gamepass (or at the very least push to have them available day 1 as part of the gamepass sub). Fifa would be a route in europe and many other parts of the world. NBA, NFL etc. would also be on the cards. it's potentially a very big pool of new subscribers and they would be very reliable subscribers.

If MS are splashing around 70billion for publishers, basically anyone is on the table now.

Hope so. But they can't buy anymore big publishers, at least until the deal is finalized. This is a perfect time for Sony to strike imo.

I hope they are done tbh, for the sake of the industry.