Xbox Acquisition |OT| - So We’re Back to Making Lists, Huh?

[Putfire]

If Tencent is planning a hostile takeover, would it be possible for take two to sell only rockstar to avoid selling other parts of the company?

[anon98342452]

ITT: lots of people talking about Japanese culture and attitudes as if Japan hasn’t changed at all since the 1990s.

I’m not an expert, I am familiar with the culture given my heritage, living situations, and upbringing. The box that many of you seem to put Japanese business and people in is quite interesting and a touch off-base indeed. Business is business. Japan isn’t “anti-Murica” like some seem to think. Not to say obtaining a company wouldn’t be challenging, but not a lot different than any other acquisition especially overseas.

[beastmode10]

@Opatschi

Moneyhatting Call of Duty is impossible. There is a reason why all Playstation can do arouse around Timed content in the sub modes of the game. Activision makes a tone of money and crossplay/progression has been proven to be the future. Call of Duty is still one of the most played games on xbox. Playstation would need to pay for sales lost and mtx lost. Activision is worth 88 BILLION. Nobody will be capable to dictate anything about them they are untouchable eventhough they where the worst with mtx. The only reason a battle pass has been added is because loot boxes are hated and a battle pass makes more money.

Operating expenses and market cap are very different things. A market cap of 50bn+ does not mean that they always have healthy operating expenses. Otherwise, they would not have entered into the content bias and XP advantage on PS.

[Opatschi]

@beastmode10

Operating expenses and market cap are very different things. A market cap of 50bn+ does not mean that they always have healthy operating expenses. Otherwise, they would not have entered into the content bias and XP advantage on PS.

Like I said side content is a different story. The game will still sell like hotcake on xbox regardless but a straight up exclusive means big net lost.

[beastmode10]

@Opatschi

Like I said side content is a different story. The game will still sell like hotcake on xbox regardless but a straight up exclusive means big net lost.

My point is that the game selling like hotcakes is a post development effect. The publishers may or may not care about that immediately. Some publishers choose not to care about it. Meanwhile, there is a soft spot in their entire dev lifecycle. You need funds to develop the game. That is where operating expenses come in. Treyarch, for example, is a large studio in Santa Monica/LA under Activision that develops these CoD games. They need to pay for Treyarch’s effort.

It is not just a question of sales-lost for being exclusive.

So, Sony might come in and tell Activision or SE – "we’ll help you with the working capital to develop the game. Make this kind of content exclusive to us, or make this game an exclusive for 2 years. " These publishers are perfectly ok with this. SE is a huge proof that this kind of upfront moneyhatting works.

Let’s assume for a moment Techland’s Dying Light 2 is a super duper hit. That does not take away the fact that they have to deal with the here and now. They are struggling severely right now. Same goes for EA and all the other publishers too.

Moneyhatting is a trend that Sony has effectively identified as a weakness in the industry, and used for offensive purposes in the last 7 years – it is not going away.

This is something that we have to be wary of. That is why acquisitions and the discussion here is so important. A few defensive acquisitions might be necessary. Maybe not Activision, but something else that is substantial.

[Knottian (Daniel)]

@anon98342452

ITT: lots of people talking about Japanese culture and attitudes as if Japan hasn’t changed at all since the 1990s.

I’m not an expert, I am familiar with the culture given my heritage, living situations, and upbringing. The box that many of you seem to put Japanese business and people in is quite interesting and a touch off-base indeed. Business is business. Japan isn’t “anti-Murica” like some seem to think. Not to say obtaining a company wouldn’t be challenging, but not a lot different than any other acquisition especially overseas.

Thank you for saying this, and it’s what I’ve been trying to get through to some people. I am not Japanese but I lived there for a couple of years and have been engrained, in a manner of speaking, with three Japanese families since I was a teenager. They’re arguably responsible for my eventual switch from BCMB to Anthropology for my degree at Uni.

[beastmode10]

@AllianceOfficer

And exclusive dinosaurs, what more is there to say

[Opatschi]

@beastmode10

…ive to us, or make this game an exclusive for 2 years. " These publishers are perfectly ok with this. SE is a huge proof that this kind of upfront moneyhatting works. Let’s assume for a moment Techland’s Dying Light 2 is a super duper hit. That does not take away the fact that they have to deal with the here and now. They are struggling severely right now. Same goes for EA and all the other publishers too. Moneyhatting is a trend that Sony has effectively identified as a weakness in the industry, and used for offensive purposes in the last 7 years – it is not going away. This is something that we have to be wary of. That is why acquisitions and the discussion here is so important. A few defensive acquisitions might be necessary. Maybe not Activision, but something else that is substantial.

I’m not saying moneyhatting has no value, but a franchise like Call of Duty does not need it and the upfront would hurt more than it would help.

MW will probably be one of the best selling games from last gen. I’d tell you the amount of money Playstation would need to pay for the sequel must be enormous. Sales does not factor mtx and engagement.

Square on the other hand has not this benefit. FF is a big franchise in a dedicated fanbase and most of those have a ps so in fact they probably benefit from upfront money and support. Call of Duty would not because it is on another scale.

[beastmode10]

@Opatschi

I’m not saying moneyhatting has no value, but a franchise like Call of Duty does not need it and the upfront would hurt more than it would help.

MW will probably be one of the best selling games from last gen. I’d tell you the amount of money Playstation would need to pay for the sequel must be enormous. Sales does not factor mtx and engagement.

Square on the other hand has not this benefit. FF is a big franchise in a dedicated fanbase and most of those have a ps so in fact they probably benefit from upfront money and support. Call of Duty would not because it is on another scale.

I agree with you on the logic for CoD and MW, overall. The problem is that I am not so sure the industry is that reasonable.

Cheers.

[Opatschi]

@beastmode10

I agree with you on the logic for CoD and MW, overall. The problem is that I am not so sure the industry is that reasonable.

Cheers.

What im telling is making FF exclusive is a fraction of cost what would be needed to make CoD timed.

[Borealis]

not sure if dealer post are allowed here but thought it was worth posting https://twitter.com/Dealer_Gaming/status/1354428050025426949

[beastmode10]

@TheGanker101

For what though? They’re just going to continue focusing on Ark and its already on Game Pass. I don’t doubt that Ark 2 is eventually going to go to PS5/Switch down the line also

Studios like Wildcard and whoever makes Rust don’t need to be bought out, they’re probably already making money hand over fist and MS has nothing to gain from them

This is the same thing with Bungie, unless they make a new IP for Microsoft they’re not worth acquiring either because they’ll primarily focus on Destiny which is on Game pass.

Don’'t underestimate the value of MAUs and DAUs. Xbox is tracking engagement, not just sales. So if you have a game that monopolizes the number of hours that you play on Xbox versus PS, they will definitely consider it. This along with the other single player bangers that will be included in GP.

I feel Xbox is trying to target you playing on the Xbox console or an Xbox game for atleast 40 of the 52 weeks. This would mean acquisitions like Wildcard, the creators of Rust, Capcom (with Monster Hunter World) and even Roblox cannot be discounted.

[Opatschi]

@Borealis

not sure if dealer post are allowed here but thought it was worth posting

Banjoo bac

[batman14]

@Borealis

not sure if dealer post are allowed here but thought it was worth posting

Would make sense they could work on old Rare Ips like Banjo Kazooie Conker Kameo and others

[ParkerPetrov]

@peter42O

Japan isn’t into console gaming at all and has never cared about Microsoft and Xbox. Acquiring a Japanese publisher or developer simply isn’t going to change that and if anything, Japanese consumers would probably look at the publisher or developer as a sellout and never buy their games anyway.

That’s good because Microsoft isn’t a console/hardware gaming company. They are a services company. Consoles only exist as a way for people to purchase the services in regions where it makes sense. However, if they can sell you a service without a console even better. If you want to purchase gamepass to use primarily on your phone, laptop or tablet great.

[Ruthwik_Rao]

Daniel Ahmad (ZhugeEX)

Bruh lmfaoooo

[Arthur_Garton]

@Ruthwik_Rao

Bruh lmfaoooo

Oh no!!! Tencent are on a spree.

[beastmode10]

@NierlyCrazy

I love WB, don’t get me wrong, but you guys are building them up to be something much bigger than they are imo.

I’d argue they’re below Take Two, EA, Activision/Blizzard, CAPCOM, and Ubisoft.

I’d put them in the same tier as Square Enix and SEGA.

I will never underestimate the power of a Batman IP. (And to a lesser extent Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring IPs) One of the most loved hero figures among all comics.

The Harry Potter community is very strong fanbase, and so is the LoTR fanbase… You get entire communities over in one fell swoop.

WB games has two super studios in NetherRealm and Rocksteady. The IP is important. I would love to see new games and IP from them, but I would also love to see the full extent of the DC universe being explored.

The opportunity for first party and, I’ll argue, even second party publishing is tremendous here.

Take Two, EA and Activision are super publishers. They are a step ahead in terms of scope. Their valuation speaks volumes about where they stand versus the rest of the publishing world. They have their own unique space at the top in the publishing world.

[Knottian (Daniel)]

@Ruthwik_Rao

Bruh lmfaoooo

NOOOO! I saw that and am just sad, DONTNOD is one of my favorite indies and and the last thing I want is for their content to be restricted; yes, I’m aware that this is a minority stake.

Satya and Phil aren’t stupid, they’ve been making moves for years now to get ahead of the Tencent spree and given their success, they’re only going to be making more moves on that front.

[Searsy82]

@Knottian

Satya and Phil aren’t stupid, they’ve been making moves for years now to get ahead of the Tencent spree and given their success, they’re only going to be making more moves on that front.