It is apparent to me that in regards to the Xbox brand, Microsoft has spent the entirety of the Xbox One's lifespan mashing buttons like they're losing in a game of Tekken 7 and if their most recent statement says anything, they're bringing their button mashing to the next generation. I dunno why, but my gut feeling says that they'll be incredibly sore losers if the PS5 dominates the console market and rather than taking their losses gracefully, they'll call quits.
Because of this, i think it might be worth it to speculate what companies and franchises will be auctioned off in the event Microsoft sells the Xbox brand in piecemeal portions a la the THQ auction.
To start the thread off, here's what I think would be the most likely buyers (re-organized from most to least likely):
Halo/343 Industries: Sony Computer Entertainment.
While I think that Microsoft would be the sore losers in the console wars, I also think Sony will be the sore winners. They'll probably try to do everything they can to win this specific bid by a $4+ million margin, even if such a move to were to prove self-destructive. The satisfaction of dancing on Microsoft's grave will be too attractive for Sony to ignore.
Rare/relevant IPs: Nintendo
While Mario, Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Legend of Zelda will remain their top priorities, I can see the Big N wanting to re-acquire Rare for the development of lower budget Nintendo exclusives. Plus, the re-acquisition of Rare would be a massive boost in the company's popular opinion, I think. Only time would tell if such an acquisition would lead to an announcement of Banjo 3
Age of Empires and Rise of Nations/Legends: Paradox Interactive
Being the kings of strategy games, I think the acquisition of Microsoft's RTS franchises would be the most obvious one. I don't even know if AoE and Rise of Nations/Legends would be all too expensive for Paradox.
Gears of War/The Coalition: Epic Games
Would Epic even need to be part of such an auction? I feel like Microsoft would more than likely work an agreement with Epic behind the scenes before an Xbox IP auction even starts
Fable, Crackdown, Forza, pretty much all the cheap stuff and possibly the Xbox logo too: Nordic Games
While the Xbox brand is home to a fair chunk of mainstream first-party titles, it has a lot in the way of lesser known franchises that can probably be purchased in bulk for a very low price. I think it's reasonable to say that for the titles and companies that have failed to gain the attention of the major publishers, it'll fall on Nordic's lap. If THQ is anything to go buy, I can't help but think that that they'll eventually want to call themselves "THQ Xbox" for all future games published by Nordic and Koch Media.
inExile Entertainment: Paradox Interactive again
While Paradox is mostly known for strategy games, haven't they published a few RPGs as well? I know they published the Obsidian-developed Pillars of Eternity. Either way, i can definitely see Paradox wanting to expand their RPG lineup.
Obsidian Entertainment: Either Sega of America or Bandai Namco Europe
This one is definitely a bit of a stretch, but I dunno if Obsidian would be able to buy themselves from Microsoft should the Xbox brand be sold in piecemeal portions. Sega and Bandai Namco's respective western publishing divisions seem to be the most interested in the kind of work Obsidian does but even then, my prediction is definitely stretching things. I think System Wars can think of a more likely buyer.
Log in to comment