A good start would be to get Genshin Impact on Xbox . I feel that game is too big to miss out on
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Building a strong foundation in both Japan and South Korea would be what I think needs be first. Bringing games like Genshin impact would be cool for some but I doubt it would do much. I think Xbox needs their own MMO in that space. Rareware’s EVERWILD has the kind of Genshin and Ghibli art and then there’s the Blizzard survival MMO lite game. Getting all this games to come the platform is nice and important but I think securing a publisher like Sega that gives them a foundation and foothold in Japan is more needed.
Agreed a global brand is what’s needed and probably their targets. There were many potential buys but the only ones as of late that they have made proposals on have been the Japanese ones.
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Yep, a western publisher going forward will be a play at PC (Paradox) or mobile (insert mobile company here). Hell, their next mobile play could also be in the Asian market. But purely in the “hd console gaming” space I expect the next “big” publsiher to be from the Asian Market.
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Do you think Microsoft will be able to acquire 2 publishers in Japan? SEGA + Square Enix would be a great way to develop Xbox in Japan, PC and Mobile. Then you have the back catalog which would be incredible for Gamepass. I think this could be a great way to end publisher acquisitions. The Western division can always grow with studio acquisitions, but for Japan, publishers are the best way to get real results. SEGA and Square Enix could be the last two Infinity Stones.
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Yes.
I think if they were going after Square they would have already done it.
If they acquire them now without the former Square Enix West part it will be irritating to say the least, after they sold that I personally lost all interest in SE (yes I know they still hold significant value in Asian markets).
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Not really?
We know they were extremely close to buying them in the 00s and we know they were looking into them a couple of years ago along with Sega but then they got Bethesda and a couple of years later ABK became an opportunity
Are MS still interested? Maybe, maybe not but I don’t think them not having bought them means they aren’t interested, maybe that Zenimax was easier or that it or ABK were bigger priorities but that’s about it
I fully expect a Japanese pub to be bought at some point, the most likely being SEGA or Square, everything else is either not worth it or doesn’t align with what MS needs like the Konami’s, Koei’s or Bamco
But I’d very much doubt they’d get both SEGA and Square
Square Enix had no need to sell and relations with Xbox were not good. Today Square Enix is in trouble, the CEO has changed, and the company has taken a new direction. I’m not saying that they will necessarily sell to Microsoft, but it seems more realistic to me than a year ago. I agree about Square West, it’s a shame, but Microsoft can always try to acquire Eidos and Crystal from Embracer.
From Microsoft’s perspective, I think both are possible. I expect some games to continue to be released on Nintendo and Playstation, which could be a good argument in the acquisition process. However, we have never seen an acquisition of this type in Japan, so it is difficult to predict. Microsoft has already grown considerably in the West. Acquiring SEGA and Square Enix would probably be the best way to expand in Asia and diversify its catalog of first party games. This would also be a great opportunity to develop the Gamepass because SEGA and Square Enix have a pretty huge back catalog. I can imagine this is in Microsoft’s plans, now nothing is done and plans may change.
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Lol imagine gamepass having literally all of that. I can’t even imagine that. Adding Sega AND Square Enix would be absolutely 
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SEGA and Square Enix would be a dream come true for me.
Just imagine Persona and Final Fantasy as Xbox IP’s.
If MIcrosoft can acquire two more publishers, it should be SEGA and Square Enix and after these two, focus on Studios. (Development partners)
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They are different, we already saw Avowed, none of them make games like CDPR. I’m not saying they are better or worse, just different.
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Gamepass would become essential, with a crazy back catalog and first party game releases every month. The added value would be monstrous and would allow Microsoft to achieve its objectives.
I totally agree. This is the way.
You are right. There are few studios like CDPR. I even think they exceed BGS. No comparison possible with Obsidian. Having CDPR games exclusive to the ecosystem would bring millions of players.
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Especially with sega, having games from SG-1000 to dreamcast would be incredible for gamepass, I wish they will find a way to pprt games from the saturn, it would be a miracle
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I just don’t see the allure of CDPR other than their Gog store. Other publishers at least come with a ton of studios and IP and at this time I think Xbox has a lot of western studios. I would think CDPR would have to come with something like tech that makes them worth the chase at this point. Sega addresses the Japanese market, Crytek comes with an engine, Warner takes care of the superheroes and big movie licenses other than icing I don’t see what CDPR addresses, I don’t know if they were ever even mentioned in the acquisition targets.
So Epic is divesting two of the music related companies they acquired, I would have always said they had some bigger plan music wise and that their acquisition of Harmonix was a part of that. I guess Harmonix is on pretty shaky ground if that plan isn’t paying off.
So, maybe there is a future where Epic sells Harmonix to Microsoft? Now THAT could be a hell of a path to reviving Guitar Hero. I’d previously thought the best route for that would have been picking up a couple of Ubisoft’s music teams if Ubisoft were ever pushed to downsize - but more because I didn’t think Epic had any reason to sell otherwise.
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With the ABK deal nearing completion it’s almost that time again
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If they are going for a publisher I don’t see them going for anymore in the West, they have more than enough here now that if that if the library they have for GP doesn’t appeal to people, it never will
As for the East, they are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum but I feel their options are limited in the East based on their strategies and what they offer
I see Square and SEGA as the only real viable options
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Paradox is the one that is most interesting to me of those two (don’t get me wrong - Sega ia great, I just think Microsoft already gains a lot of the benefit through having a strong relationship with Sega) because I think Microsoft could adapt Paradox into a huge draw for gamepass on pc. Paradox games are notorious for mountains of DLC and cosmetics content - you could already make a subscription just selling access to all of their games and the DLC content while still profiting off cosmetic content on top of that. Imagine that but as part of game pass.
Of course, the tricky part of this is that I don’t think Paradox necessarily owns all of the studios they work with so that would need consideration. Though I do also agree with others that diversity of content is more important at this stage so there may be better options.
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If I am Phil, my priorities are:
Securing the Partner Studio Front by grabbing important support studios including the Embracer ones in CDE Entertainment and potentially Saber Interactive with their 2000 employees.
Securing the Asian Front in Sega. This gives a regional hub and publisher in an area they see as future growth along with another PC presence which is also seen as an area of growth.
After that it is just allowing their publishers the freedom to pick up individual studios that fit what they are doing when opportunity arises.
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