this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2023
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[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 58 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, you don’t spend 70 billion on a market sector you’re going to deemphasize.

[–] radix@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

*70 billion this year alone.

2021: Zenimax for 7.5B
2018-19: Ninja Theory, Playground Games, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Obsidian Entertainment, inXile Entertainment, Double Fine Productions (all unknown amounts)
Earlier: Rare for 375M, Mojang for 2.5B

[–] Decoy321@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh shit, Double Fine too? Psychonauts 3 here we go!!!

[–] biofaust@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Double Fine Productions

Brütal Legend II NOW!

[–] Melonpoly@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

By basically just buying existing publishers?

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago

That's how it works now. You can't get results in a quarter or two by spinning up your own production company.

[–] Knusper@feddit.de 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Microsoft has rarely innovated themselves...

Edit: I just remembered that even Windows was externally acquired, so I believe, it would be more correct to say that Microsoft has basically never innovated something themselves.

[–] NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think Windows was built in house but on top of DOS which Bill Gates bought off someone

[–] Knusper@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, it started its life as "Quick And Dirty Operating System" (don't know, why they renamed it) and even that was basically a ripoff of CP/M: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86-DOS

I guess, you can say that they did put in own effort into developing the windowing system. I wouldn't want to call that "innovating", since they were late to the party, but I guess, that would be moving the goal posts here...

[–] ComradeWeebelo@lemm.ee 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Now let's all pretend that MS and Phil aren't buying up publishers to have another monopoly full of Xbox/PC exclusives. Tbf though, I think Sony started this whole exclusives thing and really pushed hard for it. They do, however, seem to be relenting now by publishing their games to steam.

[–] phillaholic@lemm.ee 30 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Sony buys up studios for their talent not their IP. Bungie/Destiny is the only exception. They have a strong history of empowering their developers to release better games than they did before.

Microsoft is the opposite. They buy up studios / IPs and run them into the ground.

[–] RolyRamen@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can’t agree more. I don’t think there’s a studio under MS that’s done better under their leadership/portfolio than they’d done prior to their acquisition. The studios created to shepherd Xbox franchises that original studios move on from generally have never matched the highs previously seen either.

I also don’t appreciate them hoovering up franchises, via acquisitions whilst failing to develop much new that’s if any note. All it does is condemn a growing back catalogue to mediocrity or have them disappear into the vault.

Sony aren’t perfect but their studios tend to produce top tier games that look and feel like they’re a tier above most, making the most of their “exclusivity”. Most (all?) their major releases are their own franchises developed in house too, and it feels like there’s a steadier turn out of new, quality IP to boot.

[–] micka190@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You don't get it, though. Microsoft will put everything on Gamepass. Sony fanboys can suck on that!

Ignore the fact that them buying-up all these studios is objectively bad for our hobby and the industry, and that Gamepass has been touted as being objectively bad by everyone in the industry because studios receive a minuscule amount of revenue from it and that it disadvantages indie devs.

The only thing that matters here is that my metaphorical sports team beats your metaphorical sports team.

[–] phillaholic@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I’m biased, but I have a trial to PC Gamepass and don’t find it better than PlayStation Extra.

[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tomato/Tomato. They get the IP and keep them exclusive. Sony shouldn't get a pass just because their games are better.

The "exclusives-game" these companies play is bad for the consumer and Sony plays it just as hard as anyone else.

[–] phillaholic@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Sony makes them. Microsoft buys them. Two very different things. Quality is a separate issue, but related In that Microsoft apparently has a hundred billion dollars to spend but can’t make a great game by themselves in the last two decades. They have no taste for it. I hope they prove me wrong. I don’t want to see them become a monopoly of mediocre games that we have to subscribe for. I also don’t want to see Sony without competition.

[–] dudewitbow@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I mean Sonys last purchase was Firewalk Studios, who was working on a game that hasnt been publically shown(however, sony was given a preview of it privately) and they havent released a game yet, so they technically bought out an IP unless you claim they already hit the reset on whatever project they kept under the sheets.

[–] phillaholic@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Borderline I’d say, but if it’s not public Sony is buying based on devs / potential, not existing sales or hype, and at that point they are bankrolling a new IP and assuming all those associated risks.

[–] echo64@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eh no, you can't really level the idea of buying out an ip that only exists behind closed doors.

[–] dudewitbow@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago

It does if they decide to remove the windows conpatibility that was announced beforehand. So far they havent, but if they did, it would be treated the same.

[–] elouboub@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I bet you they'll start pulling their games from stores in 2-3 years or release new ones exclusively to their own. The games will be made as difficult to run in wine/proton as possible. Probably they'll introduce some new graphics layer that's windows only and since they own huge game publishers, they don't have to worry about any other platform ever.

[–] biofaust@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Let's offer a sacrifice to GabeN, preventively.

[–] Xanvial@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

By publishing to PS5?