590°

Studios Sony Should Buy To Knock Out Xbox One from Next-Gen Exclusive Titles Race

Well it's obvious that console which will bring more and better entertainment will rule ahead of rest, and when we talk of consoles, gaming titles are only thing which makes real difference. Nothing is more worst than watching your friend playing exclusive titles on his console which you can't afford to buy at the moment. Only way to bring more gaming titles or specifically exclusive gaming titles to their console is to buy more able and best studios who been developing excellent games for their consoles.

ThatCanadianGuy5144367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

Atlus
Level-5
From Software

Any of those would be nice.Sony is sorely lacking a good solid RPG dev.Not saying they would need them to "knock out xbox" by any means.I just mean like, funding and allowance of freedom and creativity that Sony gives their first party would really shine with those devs.

CaptainSheep4367d ago

Came in here to say this exactly. Level-5 has more of a chance to be bought but I honestly want ATLUS as a PS exclusive dev before ANYTHING else.

sunnygrg4367d ago

So...

Persona 5
Ni No Kuni 2/Next gen Level 5 MMO
Demon's Souls

I can't say I don't agree with you.

I would also like to see Tri-Ace in there though.

Abash4367d ago

Sony should buy Sanzaru Games, let them make more Sly games and task them with bringing back MediEvil next

HammadTheBeast4367d ago

ATLUS is pretty much a PS exclusive publisher already. Only a handful of their games make it to other platforms.

Sevir4367d ago

Nah! Level-5 and Atlus are too big to be purchased, both Publish their own games and love their independence... And have a number of sub studios in the major regions.. Level-5 has a studio in Japan, US and are getting ready to open another in Europe... Atlus is the same thing...

The one who'd be more likely to be purchased is From Software.

georgeenoob4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

It's definitely going to be tough for them considering MS invested 1 billion dollars in exclusives. This is what happens when fanboys make fun of MS for not having as much exclusives for 360. Trust me, MS listens to the b*tching, then they go all out.

MS is known for their $$$. Sony, not so much.

HammadTheBeast4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

Georgenoob

MS also invested $500 000 000 just for Kinect advertising, it only sold about 5-7 million more than the PS Move lol.

Also, Timed Exclusives do get expensive.

pwnsause_returns4367d ago

I agree.. ATLUS is a great publisher/developer. they make great games. I love me some persona

creatchee4367d ago

@HammadTheBeast

"MS also invested $500 000 000 just for Kinect advertising, it only sold about 5-7 million more than the PS Move lol."

Kinect has cost between $100 and $150 over its lifecycle, which means that's anywhere between $500 million and $1.05 billion in additional sales.

I can has fun with numbers too!

YNWA964367d ago

C'mon guys, relax... for every Georgenoob, there is 10 the same coming back... Hammad, good work with the numbers... you must have got that from the powa of the cloud. Sony are not going to buy studios, either are MS, its all about DLC deals, extra perks... both have 1st party, which cost a lot to maintain... This again is just another stupid article, fanboyism... total crap... this place is like someones wet dream right now... and childish...

4367d ago
+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 4367d ago
Fireseed4367d ago

IDK as is Sony is already the go to console for Eastern styled games. Investing more into the reason most Xbox gamers stick with Xbox isn't going to "knock them out" anytime soon.

Godmars2904367d ago

Only if they do more PSV titles. Aren't pushed/forced into making PS4 games and the required high budgets.

Likewise Atlus and Level-5 support the 3DS too much. Much of their value as companies comes from other titles.

Minato-Namikaze4367d ago

I think level 5 and atlus supports supports sony quite a bit.

MWong4367d ago

I would love for Atlus, Level-5 and FromSoftware to go PS4 exclusive. But as mentioned for sure Atlus and Level-5 are very big studios, so I doubt it would happen. Besides those studios love Sony.

Donnieboi4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

Atlus for sure. If MS bought them, they would force kinect and milk them. If Nintendo bought them, they might not appreciate the dark themes and religiously offensive things in their series (despite the fact they are making SMT vs Fire Emblem, I doubt we'll see SMT's "demonic" themes, sexual innuendo's or religious blasphemies in a Fire Emblem/Nintendo game). But if Sony bought them, they'd just let Atlus do whatever.

But personally, I would like if NAMCO bought Atlus. Because Atlus can still put their games on multiple consoles (nintendo, Sony, ms, pc, browser, phone) without anyone having to miss out on their awesome games. But if Namco can't afford it, only then would I prefer Sony. And NO it's not cause i'm a Sony fan, it's because I want Atlus to not be compromised as a mostly underground, Indie-type, offensive, thought-provoking, politically-incorrect, religion offending, gruesome, spiritual, sexually provocative story tellers that they have always been.

Long live Atlus!

Donnieboi4367d ago

Also, for anyone interested, there's currently a petition to get SONY to considering acquiring ATLUS from their parent company who is going bankrupt (Index).

https://www.change.org/peti...

Chaostar4367d ago

According to your petition link...

"Sony has confirmed today -- July 1st, 2013 -- that they have purchased exclusive rights to Atlus Games, and they will delegate them to SCE Japan Studio to begin working on new Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games for PlayStation 4."

CLOUD19834367d ago

Very good choices I had those studios in my head also I really hope SONY buy some or all of them, & in general what SONY needs is first-party studios specialized in JRPGs PS3 era was atrocious compare to PS1/PS2 I hope next generation is better... oh how I miss PS1/PS2 days..

Gimmemorebubblez4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

The biggest mistake Sony made was not to purchase BMG Interactive (Rockstar, Irrational) back in 2003. They were involved in talks but decided not to. Sony spent 2.5 billion USD last year on acquisitions (Gakai, Olmpus, EMI ditributon etc) but they have spent practically nothing this year. I don't think myself Sony will buy anyone major. In March this year Take-Two Interactive was valued ONLY at 840 million USD, almost a sixth of their all time high. I was suprized Sony, Microsoft, Activision or EA didn't buy them out considering they own the likes of GTA and Bioshock. I think Sony will acquire Quantic Dream, Ready at Dawn and perhaps Atlus (considering Index Corp's finances) over the next few years. Sony should continue to strengthen existing studios and continue strong relationships with external devs. While I think Sony WWS is good enough I can't help but feel they are missing a dedicated RPG studio. Hopefully Guerrilla Amsterdam's new team that is "supposedly" working on a open-world RPG can match up to the likes of CD Projekt Red and FromSoft.

Edit: Here is a list of what Sony WWS and partners are rumored to be working on. http://forums.n4g.com/What-...

KiRBY30004367d ago

very interesting link, thanks for posting it.

black0o4367d ago

Atlus Or Level-5 will be overkill

3-4-54367d ago

We need 2D sprite Turn-based JRPG's.

There were 72 RPG's on the PSone.

We need to get back to that + tactical RPG's + 3D platformers.

fardan854367d ago

Sony don't need to buy lots of studios. Only 3 studios, one for fighting games, one for RPG, and Quantic Dreams.

What they really need to do is to increase the number of employees in the studios they have, then split them and make teams. Let the new staff learn from the seniors, seniors should share their experiences, team work between all studios.
Imagine having 3 teams in Naughty Dog, one for UC, one for TLOU, one for new IP. Same thing for other studios.

Getting a yearly quality game from each studio. Each studio have 2 titles or more to work on.
This is GREATNESS.

nunley334367d ago

I like that idea,that should happen. when the ND team split maybe thats why U3 wasn't as good as U2.It was good but not as good as U2 and the multi wasn't as good either.

fardan854367d ago

@nunley33

I do agree with you that UC2 is better than 3, but UC3 is a high quality game. It's fairly close to UC2.
I can't comment on the mp portion since I'm not a fan of mp.
When ND team split into 2, we got UC3 & TLOU. 2 great games. I want the same with other studios.

nunley334367d ago

from software is the more likely of the 3 but atlus's parent co. is going broke so they could sell atlus to get them a moneycheck.

4367d ago
starchild4367d ago

Yes, that's all we need. Jeeze.

Buying up game studios to keep games away from people that game on other platforms.

That crap sucks. All Sony does is buy up studios to lock up exclusive rights to their games.

It's a horrible trend for gaming.

Ausbo4366d ago

Sony doesn't have the cash to throw around to buy random companies. They have enough.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 4366d ago
ShugaCane4367d ago

This "Next-Gen Exclusive Titles Race" will have a funny turn once Naughty God reveal their next game for the PS4 :)

(cool list btw, Sony should definitely buy Quantic Dream)

HammadTheBeast4367d ago

Lol. Let them have their moment. It'll be funny once Sony Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule, and Studio Japan show their games off. Not to mention the other 14 studios.

PigPen4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

It is funny now, Sony needs money. They aren't thinking about buying any studios, but you all are.

itBourne4367d ago

I know lots of developers for Sony havent revealed their game, or are just coming off ps3 games still. Sony still has a lot in store for the ps4.

NeoTribe4367d ago

yeah, people seem to forget sony created another system selling ip last month "the last of us". at the end of a gaming cycle. You can only imagine the future of ps4.

Mr-SellJack4367d ago

damn people...stop calling them that,it's getting pretty annoying and childish,it might be offensive to them,they were once b4 jam software,naughty software but that's too much aswell as i love ND and they're the best this gen but c'mon

ShugaCane4367d ago

You know what. It wasn't even on purpose. I swear. I just realized I mispelled their name xD

tigertron4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

Insomniac. Seriously, Sony should hurry up and do it.

JoGam4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

Insomniac must first learn to become a threat in the industry. I'm a huge Sony fan but they haven't really released a heavy hitter game. Resistance and Rachet games was good but it could have been waaaaaay better. Too many missed opportunities. I aways imagine then being like Naughty Dog but they always fell way short.

Enemy4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

Insomniac needs to stop milking Ratchet & Clank if they ever want attention again.And Fuse sucked big time.

Sony needs to buy Quantic Dream, Atlus, Ready At Dawn, Level-5, and From Software.

HammadTheBeast4367d ago

Nope. Fuse was such a disappointment, it's just not worth it.

Ddouble4367d ago

They've tried but Insomniac doesn't want to be bought.

After Ratchet's success you know Sony would have bought them by now if they could but they said they wanted to be multi-platform.

Same with Quantic Dreams

bjmartynhak4367d ago

I can't imagine Quantic Dream being bought. Even if Sony promises some kind of liberty, it just sounds weird.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4367d ago
GribbleGrunger4367d ago (Edited 4367d ago )

I don't think Sony needs to buy more studios. They need to carry on expanding current studios as they are now and perhaps, eventually, have each studio with three teams. There's nothing stopping them poaching the devs from other studios of course.

Ddouble4367d ago

True for their western studios but the Japanese side of things needs a boost.

You have Polyphony and Sony Japan Studios only. They need a studio like from software or someone who can make good RPG's.

SoapShoes4367d ago

True and I agree but Japan Studio has many teams working under them. It's not just one team.

Majin-vegeta4367d ago

Hahahahhahah the pix alon is worth a million words.

OT:why not get Lvl 5?

Show all comments (130)
230°

‘I think Xbox hardware is dead’, says Microsoft gaming veteran

One of the founding members of the Xbox team has questioned Microsoft’s multiplatform gaming strategy, and said they believe the Xbox hardware business is effectively “dead"

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
1d 2h ago Replies(3)
Goodguy011d ago

Think that rumor that they'll still make a new console but at a profit at $1000 will be true though. The series consoles will remain their cheap alternative throughout next gen I would say. Keep in mind that game pass and pretty much going 3rd party is their main focus. They want to bring xbox everywhere.

1d ago
GamerRN4h ago

If they don't maintain some kind of console presence, I think they will lose gamepass subscribers and just become a 3rd party publisher who eventually sells everything off

Cacabunga3h ago

Xbox games are releasing on all platforms. Who needs this hardware? PS or PC is all you need

Flewid6381h ago

I've never owned an Xbox in my life and I have GamePass.

thorstein51m ago

The only Xbox I owned was the 360. I have gamepass for my PC.

crazyCoconuts2h ago

Even if they could get it down to $800 for a box that can run with comparable performance to a PS6 (at, say $200 cheaper) the population of people willing to buy such a thing would be so limited.
It would be the worst of both worlds.

22h ago
Futureshark13h ago

A slow, painful and public death too.

Show all comments (58)
300°

Looming Xbox layoffs threaten Microsoft's reputation

Even as the company sets out to overhaul the very definition of Xbox, cuts at its studios risk creating a negative image reminiscent of EA's worst era

Read Full Story >>
gamesindustry.biz
Jingsing3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I appreciate the article but this guy must be living in a delayed universe, The reputation was ruined 10+ years ago and hasn't recovered since. As such people have voted with their wallets and stopped buying Xbox products in large amounts.

YourMommySpoils1d 23h ago

Their reputation was lost way before that. From the moment Microsoft said they entering the console business, we all knew it would be a downgrade.

Bathyj1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

That's not true at all the OG Xbox had drive and they had hunger and they wanted to accomplish something. It was a great console.

they didn't quite reach their goals and they gave up prematurely because they couldn't win. It was halfway through the Xbox 360 when kinect released and that was when they lost their way and we're a rudderless ship ever since

Agent751d 6h ago

In all fairness, Xbox had some great games with online play, Xbox 360 even better. Xbox consoles started to die with the Xbox One. Ditch consoles for the PC and PS.

YourMommySpoils22h ago

@Bathyj hard to compute ay. Xbox was never better than a PC and that's all they ever were. A demo box. Doesn't get more true than that.

3d ago Replies(1)
isarai3d ago

What reputation is this threatening exactly? 😂

Lightning773d ago

Rumors of Turn 10 being either shut down or hit with massive lay offs is on the horizon.

The issue is MS will do something right only to do something very, very wrong. And they do this what seems calculative at this point. Doesn't matter what they do the Investors and leadership want more and more money an endless bottomless pit of purr insatiable greed. A company that acts like it's broke or hurting is what really, really infuriates me. They've surpassed apple again well over 3 trillion who acts like they're a million dollar company is fk stupid. Pivots and changes for no reason and can't do things for more than a year with out a pivot or changing their metrics.

Christopher2d ago

That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest.

1Victor2d ago

@christopher: “ That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest”
The key word big can be ether good or bad 🤷🏿only time can tell

DarXyde2d ago

First Forza being generated entirely via AI?

If any company would do it, it'd be them.

Nacho_Z1d 14h ago

Isn't the point that it's irrelevant how profitable MS is, the suits have decided it's time that the Xbox division started making them money. Hence the layoffs, the pivots.

hennessey861d 9h ago

That wouldn't surprise me, as motorsport has been heading down hill since the great number 4. Where as playground have consistently put out better games. I think the two studios will be merged under playground games banner.

2d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (63)
660°

Microsoft planning “major” Xbox layoffs next week

The cuts are expected to be announced next week.

Microsoft is also planning thousands of job cuts that will impact other parts of it businesses

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
6d ago Replies(1)
6d ago Replies(1)
Obscure_Observer6d ago

MFs has been beating their chests over great quarterly results and big profits to shareholders while firing people by the thousands just like Sony.

I wonder if at the top of those rumored layoffs they´ll also cancel upcoming or unannounced games while shutting down more studios as well.

6d ago
pwnmaster30006d ago

Always got to throw shade at Sony smh.
Yes we get it,
MS good Sony bad
MS bad Sony is also bad lmao

6d ago
Obscure_Observer6d ago

F* them both!

Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares.

blacktiger6d ago

He was talking about both. Why you getting offended when he's using both names

pwnmaster30006d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Blacktiger

Im not offended , that’s just his formula lol
He can’t help help himself, he needs to bring Sony down when the topic involves MS.
Whether is good news for MS or bad, it some how leads to Sony doing bad lmao.
It’s actually hilarious.

InUrFoxHole5d ago

He's not wrong but im tracking what youre saying. In this case is should just be MS bad. Thats a lot of people fired

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
Tacoboto6d ago

"just like Sony"

Gosh you're insufferable, not everything needs to be both-sides'd. Sony's had layoffs, but nothing like what Microsoft has been doing and is continuing to do.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

I mean, no offense, but this is why you’re not some corporate business person running a major corporation. Big profits don’t mean jobs are safe. Do you understand why things like this happen:

Cutting jobs to maintain or increase profitability, especially in underperforming divisions like parts of Xbox like other gaming divisions.

Corporate restructuring and relocating resources for strategic stability in ever changing markets and consumer behaviors.

Investor expectations and optimizing operations to maintain investor confidence. Whatever boosts stock prices and improves future margins.

And there’s many other factors at play. It’s never as simple as business doing well, everyone’s safe. That’s just you not understanding at all how corporations work and have been working since the beginning. This isn’t something that’s specific to Xbox, you can bet your ass Sony and Nintendo do this and if it’s not clear by now, game development is not a stable job nor has it ever been for many. A lot of developers are contractors and guess what happens when a project is done?

Ganif6d ago

Nintendo said they have no plans for layoffs, and you can't seriously claim that the scale of Sony's layoffs most of which involved Bungie which is self managed as even close to the same scale as what Microsoft has done since they purchased Zenimax. And that significantly less layoffs would have happened if those publishers had stayed independent. Keep in mind that much of these layoffs have been due to redundancies specifically related to these buyouts.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Ganif

Nintendo:

https://gamerant.com/ninten...

Sony:

https://gamerant.com/playst...

https://techxplore.com/news...

I don’t think it’s realistic to treat Sony’s layoffs as somehow outside the norm for the industry right now. Even if Bungie is self-managed, Sony’s cuts went far beyond that like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, London Studio being shut down completely, and multiple teams across the globe took hits. These weren’t just minor adjustments.

Nintendo, I had to look up and you’re right. They seem to be an outlier, but rest assured at some point it happens. And even then there’s been layoffs, albeit a smaller amount and contractors.

Would fewer layoffs have happened if studios from acquisitions stayed independent? Maybe. But even independents have been hit hard and look at what’s happened with Embracer’s fallout, or smaller devs like Digic, Roll7, or Volition. This isn’t just a “Microsoft problem” or strictly tied to acquisitions; it’s a broader correction happening across the whole industry, and unfortunately, layoffs are a big part of that process right now.

Ganif6d ago

From your article:

"According to reports, Nintendo of America restructured its testing operations, leading to layoffs of about 120 contractors, part of a strategy for global integration.

Nintendo of America, publisher of iconic franchises like Mario and Zelda, is shifting some contractors to full-time roles for better development integration."

Contractors are not employees, and even if you want to count them as that, it's 120 people vs around 7500 since Microsoft purchased Zenimax.

In an era of game industry layoffs, Nintendo is hiring more people
https://automaton-media.com...

Nintendo Announces 10 Percent Pay Raise For Devs Despite Lower Profits
https://kotaku.com/nintendo...

Nintendo CEO’s refusal to layoff staff goes viral following industry-wide cuts
"Satoru Iwata took pay cuts to ensure staff didn’t have to be let go"
https://www.nme.com/news/ga...

And as for Sony you're comparing less than 1000 total jobs to an estimated7500

Has the industry faced layoffs, yes, but that still doesn't account for the mass layoffs due to redundancies that was easily predictable, or that fact that at least 1/3 of Microsoft's layoffs and studio closures happened before the industry downturn.

thorstein6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Take the L, Crimson.

People hate Nintendo, but Ganif proved why they deserve support.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
-Foxtrot6d ago

It's like banging your head off a wall, he just can't help himself.

Microsoft can do no wrong, Sony sucks at everything and Nintendo is bigged up because it's less hassle than trying to defend Microsoft all the time

What's going to happen when Microsoft finally turn completely third party, then what?

anast6d ago

I enjoy Obscure. Obscure does good work.

crazyCoconuts6d ago

Did you know that the first n4g was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program.

Tacoboto6d ago

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if anast and osbcure were both alts for the Admin.

We know how Obscure especially drums up additional comments and clicks with his spam-worthy remarks that somehow never get moderated

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
Profchaos6d ago

Thats business present a strong front to your shareholders while your company burns around you.

Keep shareholders happy at all costs andnif not happy keep them numb to the reality of you organisation

Angyobangyo5d ago

" Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares. "

Just for the record, you clearly you do if you have to vent this hard.

TheExecutioner5d ago

Basically you think like kids when it come to choose between candy or chocolate.

Sonic18815d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Are you and Anast the same person?

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
6d ago
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