Xbox Acquisition |OT4| It's Acquisition Season for Xbox with $69 Billion deal, NICE!

[Ulster36thDiv]

@pg2g

They would be acquiring studios for down the line. The portfolio doesn’t have the breadth necessary to attract and hold the people they need to sign up if they want to see growth accelerate.

The gameline up over the next 4-5 years is more than enough to continuously add millions of subs each year.

Elder Scrolls 6 Starfield Avowed Outer Worlds 2 Hellblade 2 Indiana Jones Forza Motorsport Forza Horizon 6 Gears 6 Wolfenstein

Those games alone will be household names on top of the other games in development, that’ll bring people into Gamepass.

There’s no doubt that more studios will be bought or created in the future though.

[Ulster36thDiv]

@AllianceOfficer

Yupp and they missed Satya’s performance goal

The target was 48% but I’d say Covid artificially inflated the previous years subscription additions.

Bare in mind as well that Satya has his bonus tied to gamepass performance… that 48% may well have been him unrealistically looking his pay check.

[javycane (Javier Ruiz)]

All I wanted was Spiders

[Knottian (Daniel)]

@Shakez

Ughh… I’m sure this is a joke, but there are plenty more comments/gif responses along these lines that aren’t. This shit takes time people, and I don’t know how many M&A hires, SEC filings, and statements from the people who hold power over the purse-strings it will take before this idea that “Microsoft are simply doing nothing” will dissipate. MS has acquired several entities over the last year and have been in multiple discussions. No amount of impatience will speed things up and no amount of goalpost-shifting predictions from certain individuals will change the fact that they’re in active discussions and will gladly announce as soon as agreements have been met (it won’t be several years).

[Knottian (Daniel)]

@javycane

All I wanted was Spiders

[javycane (Javier Ruiz)]

@Knottian


Could had been the next Bioware for xbox Im devastated.

Loved Greedfall quite a bit lol.

[Knottian (Daniel)]

@AllianceOfficer

They’re definitely hoping for more than 10 million subs per year. They’d probably be happy with that this year, but they’re looking for 40%+ growth rates. That what Satya’s goals are set at for gamepass. That means within the next 5 years they’ll be looking to add 20 miilion per year.

People need to understand too, these are executive-bonus benchmarks… they’re intentionally supposed to be out of reach normally. I’ve seen a lot of hand-wringing and FUD pointed at this fact from people who don’t understand how corporate incentives are designed.

[ProgStopper]

@Knottian

Ughh… I’m sure this is a joke, but there are plenty more comments/gif responses along these lines that aren’t. This shit takes time people, and I don’t know how many M&A hires, SEC filings, and statements from the people who hold power over the purse-strings it will take before this idea that “Microsoft are simply doing nothing” will dissipate. MS has acquired several entities over the last year and have been in multiple discussions. No amount of impatience will speed things up and no amount of goalpost-shifting predictions from certain individuals will change the fact that they’re in active discussions and will gladly announce as soon as agreements have been met (it won’t be several years).

Wait, are you saying it could be YEARS before announcements of new acquistions?!

Or are you saying we WONT have to wait years?

[Shakez]

@Knottian

Ughh… I’m sure this is a joke, but there are plenty more comments/gif responses along these lines that aren’t. This shit takes time people, and I don’t know how many M&A hires, SEC filings, and statements from the people who hold power over the purse-strings it will take before this idea that “Microsoft are simply doing nothing” will dissipate. MS has acquired several entities over the last year and have been in multiple discussions. No amount of impatience will speed things up and no amount of goalpost-shifting predictions from certain individuals will change the fact that they’re in active discussions and will gladly announce as soon as agreements have been met (it won’t be several years).

Yep, twas a joke.

I’m more worried about third-party partnerships and organic growth of already acquired studios.

[AllianceOfficer]

@Knottian

People need to understand too, these are executive-bonus benchmarks… they’re intentionally supposed to be out of reach normally. I’ve seen a lot of hand-wringing and FUD pointed at this fact from people who don’t understand how corporate incentives are designed.

I am not being negative or trying to create FUD about this.

I am looking at this as a barometer of the extent of Microsofts ambitious to rapidly grow gamepass. This will also demonstrate the extent to which they will act to enable this growth through the addition of even more content and service availability.

[peter42O]

@Weaam

No let The Initiative be factory of new games IPs, i want to see new games from them and let CD Have PD with TR

They would still do that but The Initiative is literally a no name studio with no history and nothing backing it up. Crystal Dynamics is very well known, been around for 30 years or so and the main studio would be what you’re describing but under the Crystal Dynamics name. The second/third studios would be for TR and whatnot.

@Madumbrella

How about eidos?

Nick didn’t mention them at all. But I would love them as well.

@javycane

Could had been the next Bioware for xbox Im devastated.

Loved Greedfall quite a bit lol.

GreedFall is/was a great game. Loved the Talent/Skill/Attribute setup where you must make decisions and choices even though I still wish I could have maxed them all out. lol

@DARK-PARADISE

Get Crystal Dynamics, IOI, and Eidos and have them operate closely together with The Initiative as a sub-group of studios within XGS

I would have IO Interactive and Eidos under Microsoft (or as everyone calls it, Xbox Game Studios) while merging CD with TI and simply drop The Initiative name. No reason to keep it. Plus, Gallagher is there at TI and knows majority at CD so just keep the more established and well known name. There would be at least three studios. Main one would be The Initiative/CD in California with the second and third studio being in Canada if I remember correctly but I could be wrong on the locations of the second and third studios.

[Roronoa_Zoro90]

@Ulster36thDiv

…elopment at the minute to release over the next 5 years most likely. Eight, games a year, give or take. Add on games like Stalker 2 that will be developed by 3rd party devs but added to Gamepass when they release. You then have EA games that come to EA play after 6-12 months that are no added cost… Mass Effect Legacy remake is rumoured soon. Are you seriously saying that Microsoft haven’t got enough studios under their belt at the minute to feed gamepass? The reason it looks bare from XGS over the next 6 months is because it takes 3-5 years to make AAA games now… the first of those games will land this summer with Redfall, Deathloop and end the year with Starfield… Forza Motorsport may well land as well. Crossfire X, Scorn, Ark 2, Warhammer Darktide will also be added. Gamepass will be fine…

I’m well aware of development time, but I also think the current staple of studios is not enough to release 8 games every year (4 AAA and 4 AA is the right mix), because delays, development troubles, etc… always happen. 30 is the right number to offset any possible risk.

@peter42O

I agree with what Nick said on Colt’s show the other day. He sees Microsoft acquiring Crystal Dynamics from Square Enix along with the Tomb Raider IP. Also, I like his idea of merging The Initiative with CD and simply dropping The Initiative name and just going with Crystal Dynamics which is exactly what I would do as well. They have three studios in three different locations so the main one which I believe is in California where The Initiative is based can be the main primary studio with the other two being secondary.

Really hoping this happens in 2022!! Would be such a great move for both Microsoft and SE since they don’t give a shit about their western studios whatsoever.

Why stopping at CD, they should buy the whole Eidos, they’d get also Deus Ex, Hitman and Just Cause, among many other IPs.

[Shakez]

@Roronoa_Zoro90

I’m well aware of development time, but I also think the current staple of studios is not enough to release 8 games every year (4 AAA and 4 AA is the right mix), because delays, development troubles, etc… always happen. 30 is the right number to offset any possible risk.

Asobo, IOI, CD, Eidos, Avalanche, Crytek, Supergiant.

Dream team.

[Weaam]

this could be a good buy

DEVELOPERS | NEOWIZ

they got teams in JP, KR and US

[Roronoa_Zoro90]

@Shakez

Asobo, IOI, CD, Eidos, Avalanche, Crytek, Supergiant.

Dream team.

I agree, except for Avalanche, we’ll see with Contraband, their games have always some issue and/or lacking in some aspect.

[Shakez]

@Roronoa_Zoro90

I agree, except for Avalanche, we’ll see with Contraband, their games have always some issue and/or lacking in some aspect.

I believe in their potential, they have a great engine for open world games.

[Weaam]

@Shakez

Asobo, IOI, CD, Eidos, Avalanche, Crytek, Supergiant.

Dream team.

outside of Asobo, the teams got a good chance being sold. now it’s matter of MS able to get them or not

[peter42O]

@Roronoa_Zoro90

Why stopping at CD, they should buy the whole Eidos, they’d get also Deus Ex, Hitman and Just Cause, among many other IPs.

Agree completely but Nick didn’t mention Eidos so I only went with what he mentioned on Colt’s podcast the other day.

[javycane (Javier Ruiz)]

@Bastian

I agree, just add People Can Fly in place of Avalanche and that would be my dream lineup.

[DARK-PARADISE]

I really believe Avalanche will surprise a lot of you here when Contraband turns out good and a success. Not me though because I know that that studio is capable.