The Great Video Game Business and Financial (In)Stability Thread

Allowing ActiBlizz games on Sony's platform is a good idea for multiple reasons. One, it's easier to make arguments in any potential antitrust cases when you are consciously not acting like a monopoly. Two, they can effectively set the licensing fees for those games for Sony, and continue to make money on those products, and there would undoubtedly be a lot of PS5 owners who would just stop playing CoD rather than buy an Xbox. It's free money And, of course, three is just general goodwill, and continuing to try to look like Gamer-Friendly Business, and that goodwill is a lot of positive press and more people who might want to try GamePass.

Genuinely wouldn't be shocked if Microsoft's condition for allowing Call of Duty on PS5 is "GamePass is available on Playstation, we give you a buck or two a month for each subscription, or you piss off forever".

polq37 wrote:

Interesting tweet from Spencer: "Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship."

Not exactly what I expected. A little bit of "Keeping Apple alive on life support in the '90s" vibe to it - which is kinda weird coming from 2nd or 3rd place platform. I'm really curious about the deals being negotiated between Microsoft and Sony right now. What did Microsoft get for agreeing to keep CoD multiplatform?

Also, I wonder about Microsoft's long term vision - it's starting to look like they have some kind of strategy beyond the visible elements of their business. But, the shape of it is not at all clear.

I'm not following.

Games are a component of Nadella's long-term strategy of being in the services business. It's just one slice of the pie. They're not Nintendo, they're not Take Two, they're not Tencent, they're not Sony, they're not Netflix, they're not AT&T, and they're not even Disney.

They're Alphabet, Apple, Amazon.

Seems like they just want to stay in the game, keep making money off their core services (cloud, subscription services) and see where things go. I don't think they care which "place" they are in. They can weather any gaming storm (can Nintendo? Can Sony?) and when competitors struggle they buy them, and their margins just went up. Classic Marx.

I suppose if their real business competitors got serious about gaming they'll get concerned but right now that doesn't seem likely.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Allowing ActiBlizz games on Sony's platform is a good idea for multiple reasons. One, it's easier to make arguments in any potential antitrust cases when you are consciously not acting like a monopoly. Two, they can effectively set the licensing fees for those games for Sony, and continue to make money on those products, and there would undoubtedly be a lot of PS5 owners who would just stop playing CoD rather than buy an Xbox. It's free money And, of course, three is just general goodwill, and continuing to try to look like Gamer-Friendly Business, and that goodwill is a lot of positive press and more people who might want to try GamePass.

Yes, their strong PC initiative for their so-called Xbox exclusives which includes just allowing stuff on Steam eventually, as well as allowing other huge titles they own on other platforms like Minecraft, points to a Microsoft strategy where a software sale is a software sale. The Bethesda games are more in a middle realm where the loss of cross-platform sales is more acceptable for other reasons.

I could see them going the realm of keeping COD multi-platform but giving the Xbox a bunch of advantages like timed exclusive maps or updates or perhaps even sticking it on GamePass, meaning it provides them with a huge advantage in console sales for new adopters still on the fence while also cashing in on the Sony diehards who refuse to move.

polq37 wrote:

Interesting tweet from Spencer: "Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship."

Only seems to be saying that existing CoD games will stay on PS. Saying they would not honor existing agreements, now that would have been something.

kuddles wrote:

Yes, their strong PC initiative for their so-called Xbox exclusives which includes just allowing stuff on Steam eventually, as well as allowing other huge titles they own on other platforms like Minecraft, points to a Microsoft strategy where a software sale is a software sale. The Bethesda games are more in a middle realm where the loss of cross-platform sales is more acceptable for other reasons.

I could see them going the realm of keeping COD multi-platform but giving the Xbox a bunch of advantages like timed exclusive maps or updates or perhaps even sticking it on GamePass, meaning it provides them with a huge advantage in console sales for new adopters still on the fence while also cashing in on the Sony diehards who refuse to move.

Frankly, all I think they need to do is maintain that Game Pass is the only subscription for COD. Allowing frontline priced COD on PS5 will not materially hurt their business and, if anything, will be an advertisement for the value of the Game Pass subscription.

ccesarano wrote:
polq37 wrote:

What did Microsoft get for agreeing to keep CoD multiplatform?

A share of the cash for every unit sold. Additionally, Sony prevents cross-play with other platforms unless you pay them for the privilege, and if Microsoft is willing to foot that bill then it means they can allow for cross-play between systems and PC.

I just jumped back into the Xbox ecosystem with a refurbished Xbox one X because that's the newest console I could get ahold of last year. The more I've used it the more I've thought Sony has a LOT of catching up to do. My PS4 is now the 'Spiderman Machine' in the bedroom because it doesn't cross-play easily with my PC well.

LOL. Two headlines I have seen in the past hour

Why the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal won't hurt Sony Playstation

Microsoft Just Delivered a Knockout Punch to the PlayStation 5

Sony is beaten! Long live Sony.

Microsoft has won! Microsoft shouldn't be worried about!

Please, please click on all our stories....please....

Console wars. Console wars never change.

IMAGE(https://media0.giphy.com/media/RDisOrdKEBY2Y/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47mvauzastt182sqi7op11l27ll5t98h92vh7ghg65&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)

Ah, I see you've chosen a gif from the best console of the 16-bit era, change my mind (only don't because it can't be done).

hbi2k wrote:

Ah, I see you've chosen a gif from the best console of the 16-bit era, change my mind (only don't because it can't be done).

But...DK wasn't on Genesis?

Correct.

trueheart78 wrote:

Console wars. Console wars never change.

IMAGE(https://media0.giphy.com/media/RDisOrdKEBY2Y/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47mvauzastt182sqi7op11l27ll5t98h92vh7ghg65&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)

I don't know. Are kids still getting beat up over Sonic vs Mario? That actually happened in my school.

So Respawn is making 3 new Star Wars games. They are working on "the next chapter" in the Star Wars Jedi story, an "all-new first-person shooter", and partnering with new studio Bit Reactor on a "new Star Wars strategy game."

There's XCOM developers there. Hopefully my dream of an XCOM-style Jedi Council game where you send Jedi-Padawan teams on missions is closer to reality. I will also accept a Bounty Hunter-style strategy game as consolation.

The "Jedi Story" is most likely the Fallen Order sequel.

Whoa. XCom Jedi Counsel is a compelling pitch.

Budo wrote:

The "Jedi Story" is most likely the Fallen Order sequel.

Yes, it is. I know it won't focus on the Nightsister, but it totally should.

I posted it in the Star Wars thread yesterday.

And while we're at it where is my Company of Heroes - Clone Wars Troopers?

Jason Schreier: Sony buying Bungie.

MYTH 4 TO BE PLAYSTATION EXCLUSIVE.

I'm here for the Oni reboot. Do it you cowards!

Veloxi wrote:

MYTH 4 TO BE PLAYSTATION EXCLUSIVE.

*Praise the sun emoji*

Rat Boy wrote:

Jason Schreier: Sony buying Bungie.

Confusing times for sure.. my Twitter timeline has more than the acceptable amount (zero) of posts gleefully boasting how Sony has pulled off the ultimate finishing move by stealing the Halo franchise right out from under Microsoft's nose.

Marathon 2 for PS5!

TheGameguru wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:

Jason Schreier: Sony buying Bungie.

Confusing times for sure.. my Twitter timeline has more than the acceptable amount (zero) of posts gleefully boasting how Sony has pulled off the ultimate finishing move by stealing the Halo franchise right out from under Microsoft's nose.

Ooof. I had to look it up to be sure, but yeah, Microsoft owns Halo, not Bungie.

I look forward to Torus, in which you play the role of Supreme Chieftain aided by a quirky, slightly disturbingly attractive AI named, uh, VAIO?

It will fail dramatically once they belatedly realize it's way less cool to find mysterious donuts in space.

Sigh. I guess it makes some sense, even if it seems desperate, to specifically target someone who makes shooters. Still pretty sad overall.
I dont follow Destiny. Never played it. But isn't Destiny 2 in the decline phase of product life cycle?

First off, I want to be very clear to the community that Bungie will remain an independent and multi-platform studio and publisher.

Confusing. If you are fully owned by Sony, then by definition you are not independent.

Shadout wrote:

Sigh. I guess it makes some sense, even if it seems desperate, to specifically target someone who makes shooters. Still pretty sad overall.
I dont follow Destiny. Never played it. But isn't Destiny 2 in the decline phase of product life cycle?

Yeah, I would be curious to know what Bungie has in the pipe; I remember hearing something about a new IP coming, but it was a few years' off IIRC. It's not like it's a studio with all sorts of properties, so while the idea of Sony grabbing Bungie sounds cool, is there any return on that investment for a few years? Are they just going to try to keep milking Destiny 2 for the next couple years?

Can’t say I saw that coming. Interested to see and hear analysis as I don’t quite get how this makes sense for Sony.

Edit: Sounds like it’s about expanding the Destiny IP into other media and making use of Bungie tech.

The companies are stretching my game wallet to the breaking point , and I guess that means for now I am with the one I have, the Xbox.