Matt and Phil at Asobo right now
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Yeeeep been saying that for a while they’ve shown they’re on the same level as Playground and there’s no way MS is going to let them get snatched up especially since they have a 10 year deal for FS
There is a caveat though that Asobo does have a deal with FOcus Interactive for one more game. I wonder if MS did snag Asobo if they’d buy out the rights just like they did Psychonauts 2.
Regardless fuck Warner Bros and fuck Bungie, get Asobo.
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I want to bring back some WB shade.
For some reason, I just started (since 12 August) to receive newsletter e-mails from WB Games to the e-mail account associated with my xbox profile. Haven’t bought nor played a WB game in a while…
Have they just created the newsletter or are we now allowed to fantasize?
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To chime in on the whole AAA/AA debate, I really don’t think it matters.
Like, would I consider Control/Outer Worlds/Hellblade/Flight Sim AAA? I’m not sure. What the former three are and what I suspect the latter is (and reviews seem to support it) are fantastic fucking games that look and play great. I genuinely think we are reaching the point of diminishing returns in the best possible way.
Devs do not have to spend 100s of millions of dollars on games accurate to the last fucking detail (horse balls shrinking, eyes dilating in the light) to make a great game. They do not need to fill them with MTX or hope to God they sell a platform to make up for lost revenues. They just need to make great games that look and play well.
If given the choice between a brilliant 15-20 hour game every 2-3 years or a 60 hour one every 7 with an obsessive attention to detail to the point of detrimental employee health, I’ll take the former. I genuinely think we are reaching the point where the lines are blurred and a team of 25 can rival that of 2500. I think we should just focus on getting great games period over “pushing the bar” from 95% to that elusive 96.
I don’t know, I’ve had a bit too many pops tonight cranking out thesis ideas so maybe I sound crazy.
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Overall i think Asobo is better value for money for MS, considering the potential that Asobo has. I think the studio has alot more to show, given more creative freedom and resources.
Although seeing the reviewss for MFS, makes me think that Asobo’s selling price just went up. Haha.
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I fully suspect that is why Asobo did not sell. Smart move on their part too.
Obsidian sold after POE 2 bombed. InXile sought help iirc. Double Fine sold to get Psychonauts 2 done. Compulsion sold for the expansion opportunities. Undead and PlayGround sold because they were already second parties.
Asobo is a second party but has had a taste of success multiplat wise with A Plague Tale. They have a healthy relationship with Focus and a 10 year deal with Microsoft. There is no need for them to sell unless offered the right price, and realistically because of their arrangement with MS, Sony, Nintendo, Amazon and Google are off the cards. They might as well bet on MSFS. Best case scenario it reviews well (which it did) and they are able to negotiate a higher acquisition fee. Worst case scenario they fall back on their existing deals. Brilliant really.
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Hoping Microsoft acquires Asobo, IO Interactive, Techland and Remedy. Would give their first party some more serious heavy hitters to go along with an already really strong lineup.
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Unfortunately talent doesn’t add much value to a studio. Most studios are valued for IP or tech. Talent is Unfortunately not proprietary so there isn’t much money it can add to a studios value. The tech though they are using in flight sim if its in house now thats something else
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Asobo or bust.
They could reach ND levels of polish without all the crunch!
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After seeing this https://youtu.be/ZDh_KqBTMwk just offer them the bank Phil. This is seriously nuts!
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Yeah I’ve been saying Asobo is an absolute must after having beaten A Plague Tale; such an amazing game built on their own engine, and I’d prefer not to have another Bioware situation. Of all the devs that I think of needing to become part of the XGS team, very few compete with the pure logic of an Asobo acquisition: their tech is fantastic, they have proven that they’re able to run multiple teams/projects, and their multi-genre talent is undeniable.
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I would love to have Remedy brought into the fold but it seems as though they’re hell-bent on remaining independent (at least I hope, as opposed to be being bought by Sony). IOI is another “perfect” acquisition from my view but supposedly the offer was on the table at one point and the ownership of the Hitman IP was a sticking point (I’m not sure how accurate that is, so don’t take it as anything other than rumor). Techland however would be a largely baggage-free acquisition that makes a lot of sense from my perspective, given their size and pedigree.
If Battletoads turns out to be good, Dlala could be a family freindly studio
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Asobo just ticks so many boxes: A medium sized studio who have already displayed their talent and Microsoft can help them achieve their full potential - not that they are doing too badly lol, the studio is located in mainland Europe where Microsoft currently doesn’t have a large presence, and Microsoft has been working with the studio for a number of years, so both studios are now familiar with each other.
The only stumbling blocks are that I believe their next game is being published by someone else and, ironically, Microsoft’s contract for continued support for Flight Simulator guarantees survival for the studio in some capacity lol. There is therefore less need for the studio to sell themselves.
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Well, after seeing the reviews for it and watching a few videos myself, I have to admit that I was wrong and that Flight Simulator 2020 is an “AAA” title because holy shit, it looks superb and when it releases on Xbox Series X, I may actually give it a shot because it reminds me of Pilotwings from back in the SNES days.
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I’ve wanted MS to aquire Groundling inc for ages. Yukio Futatsugi created Panzer Dragoon and Phantom Dust, as well as Crimson Dragon. They’ve been working together for ages. If anyone should have gotten a budget to make a new Phantom Dust game it should have been them!
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Would be interesting if Microsoft only acquired Asobo as the only french studio. I think I read/heard somewhere they like to have multiple studios from one region/country.
I think after FS it’s only a matter of time before Asobo are acquired. They also have the ability to bring a big budget third person adventure game if Microsoft wants one.
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My top 5 development studios that im hoping Microsoft acquires -
- WB Interactive
- Techland
- Remedy
- The Astronauts
- Asobo Studio
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- Finji
- Studio MHDR
- Studio Moon
- Asobo
- Odd Tales