Will Microsoft Buy Capcom? IGN Podcast

Capcom is willing to be bought out. Who is the most logical suitor? IGN's Marty Sliva, Ryan McCaffrey, and Destin Legarie discuss the possibility of Microsoft buying Capcom.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Very likely. They pretty much have to. It wouldn't hurt them much if Nintendo bought Capcom, but if Sony buys them it would be seen as a devastating blow. (Unfortunately Sony can't afford to buy a ham sandwich.)

[rodiabloalmeida]

If Microsoft buys Capcom, Capcom games will have a hard time reaching PC gamers as Microsoft will mostly (as usually) focus on Xbox One, and that sucks.

[ElementX]

MS has published a number of PC games available on Steam.

[Somebody]

I fear that might be exactly what will happen if MS do buy Capcom.

[gaffyh]

MS won't buy Capcom, and neither will Sony or Nintendo. If it goes to anyone, it will be a company that wants to be multiplatform focused, and mobile-focused.

[ZodTheRipper]

Sony doesn't need Capcom and Microsoft wouldn't invest so much in buying them. My guess is that Konami or Bandai Namco or some other japanese company will be interested in a joint venture.

[mikeslemonade]

I hope either Sony or MS buys them because Capcom has been putting out mediocre-average games that take a long time to develop since they became multiplat.

[DragonKnight]

I don't think Microsoft CAN buy Capcom. I heard that only a Japanese company can buy another Japanese company.

Don't quote me on that, I just heard about that and have no proof of it.

[guitarded77]

@ DragonKnight

I heard that too... don't know how true it is though.

Anyway, I don't want ANY of the big 3 buying ANY 3rd party dev/pubs. It would be bad for gamers that can't afford every console, it would keep game prices higher, for longer, and it would hurt many of the franchises by cutting the audience drastically.

Of course, they could keep CAPCOM independent and still make games for all platforms. Either way, I don't want it to happen, and I HIGHLY doubt it would ever happen.

[DoubleM70]

Uhhmm no they want. Most games in the future will be ported over to PC. Espepcially with DX12 being on all platforms (Xbox PC mobile devices).

Furthermore I don't see Sony or Nintendo currently porting none of their Triple A games to PC.

[ABizzel1]

It would be good for anyone who does, but I don't see it happening from a company outside of Japan, nor one of the big 3.

[crxss]

and why does Microsoft "have to" buy Capcom exactly?

[Sitdown]

Did you not read the comment you replied to? Microsoft would need to buy them simply to prevent Sony from having even more great exclusive. Microsoft would be able to increase is portfolio, while picking up IPs with established and dedicated fan base.... which at this point is something they could really benefit from.

[ShadowKingpin]

Am I the only one who feels that it would be a huge loss to purchase Capcom with how terrible they have been over the last generation?

[Silly gameAr]

@johndoe.

All I can say is wow. That petition is so pathetic . These people are losing their minds.

[majiebeast]

That petition is one of the saddest things i have seen.

[CHB_Aries83]

@Johndoe
Truly this has to be equally as pathetic
http://www.change.org/petit...
Who signs petitions to take exclusives away from another console?
No matter what people's opinion about the final product are, this has to be the craziest thing I have ever seen.

[Kayant]

"and why does Microsoft "have to" buy Capcom exactly?" - Don't you hear MS the Xbox division has unlimited funds and can buy anything /s.... It's always funny when I see all these speculation and rumors, Last E3 we had a rumor about a big third-party exclusive which ended up being nothing or I guess maybe it was shape-up looool.

[johndoe11211]

@CHB_Aries83

No, actually it's not equally pathetic. Do you know why? Because unlike the one I posted the one you linked to (even though I don't agree with it) is asking to make games available for more people to play on more platforms whereas that idiotic petition I linked to is trying to take away franchises that have been multiplatform for years and make them exclusive to one device. How vindictive, spiteful and moronic do you have to be to want something like that?

[johndoe11211]

Sorry, double post.

[Ryan741]

They could buy a Spam sandwich though.

[marlinfan10]

I highly doubt sony or ms is gonna buy them

[truefan1]

Capcom, Welcome to Microsoft. I'm liking the sound of Capcom vs Killer Instinct, imagine Akuma with an ULLLLLLLLTTTTTRRRRRAAAAAAA COMBO. Hideki Kamiya is already on board with XB1 for Scalebound, so they could bring back Devil May Cry. Dead Rising has been selling a ton on xbox consoles. The purchase would contribute to selling more xbox units in Japan. Of course adding Megaman and Lost Planet won't hurt.

[Infamous298]

You need help.

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

LOL. And I can dream of Nintendo vs. Capcom too.

Too many other companies beside the console makers would be better suited and prepared...namely another 3rd party publisher. MS has a hard enough time explaining XBox to its shareholders.

[Silver360]

maybe not a bad deal with 56.23 million shares and stock at $16.25 to buy 51`% would cost around 466 Million depend on stock rising due to impending buyout. Question is are those ip's on one platform worth half a billion dollars?
source : http://investing.money.msn....

[Blaze929]

Out of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony - Microsoft is more likely to purchase Capcom. It makes more sense for them to do so and it's not like they dont have the bigger spending wallets.

[DragonKnight]

You would say Microsoft for anything other than "out of the 3 to go bankrupt."

[greenlantern2814]

It will most likely be a different game developer, sony won't or can't Nintendo could but probably won't. MS might but I believe they would have to partner with a Japanese company due to Japan's business laws. Could also be Amazon, Google a different unheard of conglomerate.

[3-4-5]

* Whoever Buys Capcom:

* If you change everything people love about Capcom, even more so than has been done already, you could swiftly devalue your purchase and ruin the name Capcom completely.

EX:

Company A buys Capcom for $300 Million

If they then, started making "iffy" streetfighter games or making Street Fighter 5 on ios, then you would have fans refusing to buy the games, and then Capcom wouldn't be worth the $300 Million you paid.

* Whoever buys Capcom needs to immediately start work on a Megaman Legends game.

[Kaze88]

Bought by nintendo would hurt the most! why? well the simple fact that most of capcom loyals are on xbox/ps, they already bought SF4 four times allready (and their other fighting games etc). making them buy a separate console to play SF5 would be a hard hard sale.

[ExiledBlitz]

Megaman, Monster Hunter and Resident Evil all have a long history with Nintendo fans. Those franchises would be right at home on a Nintendo console.

[Magicite]

If MS buys Capcom it will be death after death.

[FanboyKilla]

@ multi lmfao. Ms, capcom check, proceed to checkout. Lol

[Monster_tard5]

If Microsoft did buy them, the only games we would ever see from them would be Street Fighter and Dead Rising and the other IP's would just keep Rare's IP's company in Microsoft's basement.

[MuhammadJA]

I hope MS buys them. Hell, I'd like anyone to acquire them EXCEPT Nintendo.

[ShaunCameron]

And what do you have against Nintendo?

[Deadpoolio]

Highly unlikely and retarded for people to keep claiming they will....Capcom is a Japanese company and because of that and their pride a US company would not be allowed to take them over....

[josephayal]

Good luck, I doubt the Japanese government would even allow it

[iamnsuperman]

That analogy was awful. Capcom isn't opening its front door which mean it stuff can be stolen. More like putting itself up for adoption. Looking for a new daddy

No company is going to buy Capcom. Ignoring how good their books are(which is extremely important) the cost would be way too extreme for the outcome (which would be merging capcom into the company or killing it entirely). IPs are bought when companies go bankrupt because it is extremely cheap with none of the baggage. It would be a massive waste of money for any company to do this (especially when you can bankroll the exclusives Capcom own by funding the development).

[crxss]

Lol except capcom isn't going bankrupt. I can see some firm buying 51%. But the fact is, not many capcom games are system sellers… at least not for me. I see capcom games as a "oh nice it's on this system I already own" rather than "I must get xbox one for dead rising 3". They're better off remaining 3rd party which would make the whole idea of Microsoft buying them pointless. Maybe activision or ea

[iamnsuperman]

"Lol except capcom isn't going bankrupt."

Which makes any company buying Capcom even more ludicrous. I was only give an example when a company would (which would be in the event of bankruptcy). I feel my point still stands (especially considering what you said). Capcom isn't a money spinner. Why would any company fork up the price for something that isn't growing substantially

[UnHoly_One]

A game being a system seller is just a matter of personal taste, though. To somebody else, Dead Rising might be their favorite game series ever.

To me, for instance, last gen Dragons Dogma was probably my favorite game of the entire console generation. You can bet I'd buy whatever console Dragons Dogma 2 was exclusive to without hesitation.

And what about Resident Evil? Granted, those games aren't what they used to be, and they aren't my thing, but they always sell like hotcakes.

And don't forget Street Fighter.

[Christopher]

***A game being a system seller is just a matter of personal taste, though.***

Not really. You can relate sales of software to console sales spikes during those same periods. Capcom IPs are not system sellers. They sell to existing base market persons and do not show a sign of being a high market impact value as far as the decision for someone to buy or not buy a console.

To be honest, there are extremely few IPs that are system sellers and those IPs are 99% of the time first-party titles. Otherwise, what sells a system the most now are overall combination of cost, technology, and services.

[JBSleek]

Just because Capcom is in some money spinner does it mean a company wouldn't buy it that sounds ridiculous.

Companies just don't buy companies because the company itself makes money at the moment.

[randomass171]

Buying Capcom also means buying whatever their financial troubles may be. It would be nice to see their franchises get redistributed to various other publishers though.

[DonDon]

Capcom just needs a good parent company. Just like ATLUS, FROM Software, and Suda 51 did. All of them wanted to stay as multiplatform developers as that would bring in the most revenue while preserving their freedom. Going first party will crush their freedom like it did with RARE. I would suggest Capcom goes with GungHo, who has countless billions, is parent company of Suda 51, and From Software, and gives devs 100% free to make what they want on ANY platform they want. Will make Capcom more money & give complete freedom.

I don't know where people get off saying Konami or Namco Bandai. They may have a lot of money, but Capcom has A LOT of franchises and I don't know how much their willing to invest in all of them. But a parent company invests ahead of time, not concerned with the project--just concerned with the financial outcome. And it's that kind of hands-off approach that a company like Capcom needs. Just let them create, not be absorbed by other game companies. Let a parent company (usually majority stock holder) just give them the money they need to do what they want, so long as they return a profit back to the parent co.

All these people saying MS, Sony, Nintendo, etc don't see how Capcom would likely make less profit and would alienate fanbases. Monster Hunter on Nintendo platforms, Mega Man in new Smash Bros, Deep Down--persistent online f2p PS4 exclusive, Classic Capcom games on Wii's Virtual Console, Capcom games on PSN and soon to be PS NOW, etc are examples of how classic Capcom going first party could lead to possible lawsuits, as these other first party co's all have investments in their future projects.

[avengers1978]

Well I could see them doing this, trying to secure Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and others as exclusive, but I could also see Nintendo, EA, or Activision making bids for it.
Then again maybe no one will want them... Time will tell.

[OpieWinston]

Nintendo? Yes Capcom has a long history with Nintendo and they will make a shot at acquiring the rights. Do they need to? No, Capcom has plenty of exclusives and just needs character agreements to stay in place.

EA? They've got their hands full with starting up a massive amount of Star Wars IPs.

Activision? They've got WoW/D3/SC2/CoD/Destiny/Skyland ers... When they invest in an ip they go all in, and acquiring Capcom wouldn't make much sense for them. Especially after Activision dipping into their bank and buying out Vivendi on their own recently.

[greenlantern2814]

EA, Activision and Ubisoft are huge game publishers that own multiple developers already. Why not buy another one with established franchises. If they think they can make money they will do it.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

If they wanted that Japanese support that is.

[djplonker]

If they did what would happen to deep down?

[xX1NORM1Xx]

I think they would have to do that as there must be some sort of contract but MS had the money to buy out most contracts I would think there is a very very slim chance MS would buy then though as it would be a very expensive acquisition and as we saw last year MS shareholders are not exactly thrilled when the Xbox division spends a lot of money but it's a double edged sword as I'm sure capcom games would bring in a lot of money for Xbox it would be a smart move as they would gain a lot of respected Japanese franchises but who knows

[sinspirit]

Sony owns the Deep Down IP, I think, funded the project, and are working together with Capcom on the project.

Honestly, if anyone has the best chance to buy Capcom right now it is Sony because of their currently collaborating teams on Deep Down, and because they both coincide in Japan and it's drastically quicker to make plans with them or Nintendo than American companies such as Microsoft and EA.

Also..

Almost all private Japanese companies have a provision in their articles of incorporation requiring approval of the board of directors for transfer of shares. This means that the board of the target company must approve the acquisition, in addition to the board of the seller. In Japanese companies, management often makes up a majority of the board. When the shareholders have decided to sell, the management of the target company usually follows the will of the shareholders, but the theoretical risk exists that management could refuse to approve the share sale and block the transaction.

So, a giant company like Capcom likely has this provision and they basically have the right to options when it comes to who is buying them. It's not like Microsoft can simply walk in and put money down and own the company.

If it were first party then it's either Sony or Nintendo, because of their great relationship with both parties, and because they are all Japanese companies with a huge Japanese fanbase that they don't want to leave behind, because of drastic loss of sales that would occur from join Microsoft because of their drastic unpopularity in Japan. If it's third party then they have a few to chose from.

[Kavorklestein]

@sinspirit
Actually, when it comes to money, IT IS that simple, Microsoft can simply walk in and put money down and own the company, if the price is right.
So could Sony, or Nintendo.

Just because there is a legal side to it, doesn't mean that money isn't ultimately the deciding factor. If Microsoft came in saying "we wanna buy you for a billion dollars" and lesser offers were being made by others, then yes, Microsoft could just walk in with a billion dollars and buy the company.

There's a lot more involved and of course I'm simplifying the process, but let's be honest, when has anything EVER really not been about Money?

[sinspirit]

@Kavorklestein

You completely miss the point.

What if Sony walks in with 500 billion dollars? Does this completely one sided what if situation matter? And right now Capcom has choices. They aren't going to sell to the highest bidder just because of the highest bid. They are a business, not a product. If they could sell to a better Japanese company for not much less then they will and they can chose to so long as they aren't completely bankrupt. Selling to a company that upholds their image and one they have good relation to will help their future profits.

Keep in mind the years and years that XBox has lost billions. Do you really think all the money they've spent is going to justify a huge purchase of Capcom, who is on the way to bankruptcy? It's likely that their board members won't agree to it, as good of an acquisition it is. And, they have less communication with Capcom. They also aren't profiting in their console division like Nintendo and Sony currently are, who have the full capabilities of turning Capcom around and share the same Japanese fanbase so Capcom wouldn't lose hundreds of thousands of followers.

[ape007]

if there's anyone that needs/gonna buy capcom the most, it's MS, because

1-it's MS($)

2-they need a good advantage against the crazy selling ps4

3-will help them a lot in Japan

[Back-to-Back]

3-will help them a lot in Japan

Remind me of the last good capcom game. Buying Capcom does not help them in "japan" if the people have the better option of buying a ps4.

[Kayant]

"it's MS($)" - It's also Xbox division they have finite funding/spending they can't buy everything.

"will help them a lot in Japan" - Sure but Japan is has already transitioned to mobile and handhelds it would be enough.

[WMANUW]

If I am not mistaken, If I am not mistaken in Japan there is a law prohibiting the sale of national companies to foreigners.Then Capcom is a huge company would not make sense to purchase. and in my opinion not even sell. So Its flame.

[Sitdown]

Do you have a link supporting this? From my understanding it has been debunked several times.

[WMANUW]

More than a true Japanese prohibition laws make it much more difficult and expensive to purchase by a foreign company. And then there is also a question of patriotism, I know that money buys everything, but the Japanese are very closed. I believe that only if the company is in bankruptcy and sensations purchase proposals would sell to foreigners. Sony had also received requests to purchase for vaio but then preferred to sell to a Japanese company, it may be a case. In fact I've never heard of sales of large companies outside Japan. But Its not impossible.

[jmac53]

There is now law prohibiting acquisitions or share sells to foreign companies. It will come down to public perception because Japanese companies are typically traditional and prideful. They would probably be shamed by the public for selling out to an American company. The only reason this is being entertained is because IGN Xbox fanboys are dreaming.

[HollywoodLA]

I hope Microsoft doesn't buy them. It's once again incredibly disgusting when a corporation BUYS their way to victory. Or in this case, if Microsoft attempts to BUY their way into the Japanese market.

We get it... you suck at what you do -- so you're only option is to throw money around. It's just disgusting.

Capitalism is about genuine competition. Not a war of attrition and shady buyouts. At least that's how capitalism is SUPPOSED to work.

Not good. For anyone.

[ape007]

agreed and if you're into wrestling, this is just like when wwe bought wcw and ecw, it benefited them but the wrestling industry went down hell

simply put, no competition = bad for gamers, lovely for companies

competition = good for gamers, hard for companies

hope sony, MS and nintendo keep competing till the end of times :D

[Sitdown]

So did every gaming studio start in house for every company? On every level at some point in time buying into victory happens.

[HollywoodLA]

Sitdown - Yes, that would be an obvious observation. Thank you for stating the obvious lol. You didn't even attempt to address my comment.

JBSleek - Corporate buyouts, as opposed to healthy competition, are not good for capitalism or gamers, in this specific case. All you did was state the obvious, and refuse to acknowledge that it is actually a BAD thing.

gamertk421 -- Umm, you realize that his has NOTHING to do with Sony? Why is that every time someone mentions Microsoft buyouts, some MS fanboy (or whatever you are) immediately mentions Sony? ..are you not able to intellectual and honestly debate the issue at hand, and would rather attempt to character assassinate another company? ...it's ignorant and ineffective debate strategy.

Ryan74 - WRONG. When Sony does it, it's wrong as well.

jmac53 - The point is that Microsoft isn't very good at what they do, and obviously not very credible in the gaming space. They've dug themselves into a multi-billion dollar hole with their ENTIRE xbox operation. NO OTHER COMPANY COULD EVER DO THAT. It's sickening to witness a limitless piggy-bank funding an operation run by incompetent rubes, who's only goal in life is to sink Sony, and saturate the market with their Microsoft labeled crap, which no one actually wants. Smartphones, tablets, game consoles... zune.

Same goes for all companies. Monopolies and oligopolies are bad. So is near unlimited spending by corporations and vested interests. We've ALL played monopoly. The point is to buy EVERYTHING, and erase your opponents meme from the earth.

[JBSleek]

Even though your statement sounds on nice about capitalism but that's never how it truly ever worked.

All big companies buy their way to victory even though I'm not sure what that means actually.

what would companies like Apple Google Microsoft Sony Samsung look without acquisitions.

[HugoDrax]

"what would companies like Apple Google Microsoft Sony Samsung look without acquisitions."

THIS! My thoughts exactly.

[gamertk421]

Ummm, you realize that Sony purchased Guerilla, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule and Sucker Punch over the years right? That didn't seem to ruin gaming. People tend to frown upon moneyhatting, which is a totally different thing, for example Titanfall.

I would actually prefer someone else, like Take Two buying them, though.

[Ryan741]

Come on, don't be so naive. Sony are loveable and people friendly so they are allowed, in the eyes of Sonytologists that is.

[jmac53]

Sony was cultivating talent and helping run the studios not buying IP. There is a difference between buying and investing.

[snarls200]

all the companies that you mentioned just made games for ps systems when sony bought them

[Summons75]

I hope not. They may have money but look at Rare. All their IPS were tossed away and the original talent all left. Same would happen with Capcom. Nintendo is closet to them so it makes sense they buy it.

[ape007]

rare were dead on arrival when they went to MS, star fox adventures on Gamecube(with nintendo) was identical to Kameo and the horrible Perfect Dark Zero started on gamecube with its generic bleh art

if it was the good ol rare with MS, this past generation would be an entire different scene...

Simply put, Nintendo selling rare = brilliant move

[BitbyDeath]

I don't buy that.
Halo is still being made without Bungie, Gears of War is still being made without Epic.

The handling of Rare's IP's should be no different.

[Sitdown]

Yeah, a lot if the major talent was starting to vacate rare before the acquisition. A lot of their IPs tossed away? Umm, if they are still in the portfolio they have not been tossed away. We had Perfect Dark last generation, Banjo (sort of), Conker, Killer Instinct this gen. What IPs would you be referencing?

[Summons75]

We don't have a Conker this gen. Microsoft basically told us to F off and make our own games on project spark. Banjo is long dead and nuts and bolts was just a shadow of the name. Killer instinct was meh, perfect dark was pretty bad. And we haven't had a good game from rare in a long time. Kameo and Viva Pinata haven't even been mentioned in years.

Rare is dead thanks to Microsoft.

[nope111]

Please god no. Please be a third party that buys them out.

[OpieWinston]

You want EA or Square Enix to buy them out? Either way shit is going down hard.

Capcom will be going through some major reconstructing no matter who buys them out.

[Chrono]

Third party should buy them, we don't want all those IPs to stick to one company's platforms.

[JBSleek]

I would personally rather have Ubisoft or Activision by Capcom. Now I don't know how much 51% shares is but I know Microsoft can easily buy them out.

Now what I think is going to happen is they are going to be bought out by an investment group if anything and I think that people wondering if a gaming company will buy them is silly at the moment. The company's with enough cash to do so is Microsoft and Activision

[Whitey2k]

Sony could easily buy them out 2 you make it sound that microsoft has more money then the president has thats in hes bank

[JBSleek]

Sony doesn't have the cash reserves that Microsoft has I think you're mistaken on how acquisitions work.

I'm not saying Sony is it worth a lot which of course it is available cash not about net worth.

Also I don't understand what you mean by the president because he only makes 400 thousand dollars a year which he donate to charity anyway so yes Microsoft has more money than the president if that's what you were referring to.

[Gezmoyassine]

If MS end up acquiring Capacom,MS will end sitting on a treasure trove of IPs.It will surely give them a boost.There is a slim chance i might end getting an X1 if this ends up happening...

[incendy35]

Street Fighter IP would be nice but depends on the price. Definitely not the gaming icon they once were back in the early gaming days.

[Drithe]

I guess this means .... no Dragon's Dogma 2. :(

[Rageanitus]

If Capcom needs to be purchased by Nintendo, MS, SONY. It will only provide positive outcome to the highest bidder.

Although I do not really like Capcom games nowadays ppl still want / play franchises like

Resident Evil, Street Fighter

[My_Name_BTW_Is_Dante]

Why would Microsoft buy Capcom? Doesn't Microsoft have enough companies working on Kinect games already?

[KakashiHotake]

I think Nintendo would be a good suitor. May be able to help fill the void that Rare left.

[vivid83]

the thing is almost everyone who made Capcom what it is has left so sometimes just having the IP's isn't enough without the minds that conceived them take resident evil and devil may cry for example

[MasterCornholio]

Just being honest here.

I hope someone other than Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony buy Capcom. When they do I hope they restructure the company and force them to produce amazing games again. Plus it would be really nice if they stop them from employing abusive tactics when it comes to DLC or on disk content. That way Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft fans will be able to enjoy the amazing games that they will produce.

[Goro]

Imagine the backlash from PlayStation's Resident Evil fanbase if they did.

[iceman06]

And Nintendo for that matter!

[kewlkat007]

It's a sad day when one of my beloved Dev houses might actually be bought. Don't care by who but I grew up with Capcom..has it gotten that bad?

Plus I'm not all that interested in Microsoft buying capcom..I would rather a developer house that is all about creating games buy them. Re-releasing some of their older stuff would be nice too.

I think platinum games would make good use out of capcom's library. Even Sega. I would like a cross platform powerstone

Times sure have changed.

[SoulSercher620]

I'd rather have a third party buy them than MS. MS would reduce them to an even more pathetic company by forcing to make Kinect games.

[Kennytaur]

I'd consider Nintendo more likely, given their recent talk about considering acquisitions. But I think if anyone pays up, it'll be some random, large Japanese company looking to expand their horizon.

[Says you]

Gamertk421 and Ryan741,you do know that both of you are
being naive right?,Sony didn't buy them because they were
going under,they bought them to make their dreams into reality when it comes to games even,the developers within the company like Guerrilla Games and Naughty Dog and Media Molecule said it themselves.

so you guys are comparing a corporation like Sony buying out game companies that Sony saw that had talent within those game companies,to Microsoft that has been known to monopolize the software industry and buy out indie software companies so no one can compete with them in the software market and all I've been seeing in here is that competition is good because that's what I thought so how is it a good competition if Microsoft keeps buying out companies in a hostile take over,like wow lay off the ignorant pill please.

[Gamer666]

All Capcom did was remove a buy-out protection clause in their business. Doing so is typical when a company feels it is in a good enough financial position or does not care whether it gets bought out through a shareholder takeover.

Next thing you know, all the gaming media and N4G dips who know little to nothing about business think they are doing that to get bought out by one of the big three.

If MS takes over Capcom it would be of the friendly variety... Meaning MS would offer them billions and they would just have their shareholders vote and agree to do it... They could've made that happen at anytime in the last 10 years. Microsoft does not do hostile "buy a few shares at a time takeovers". If they want you they knock on the front door and make it worth your while.

[e-p-ayeaH]

If MS buys capcom alot japanese ppl will be pissed.
Its preferable that another japanese company buys it.

[Goro]

Konami would be a good match.

[e-p-ayeaH]

I prefer Nintendo those guys have more talent.

Kojima Productions is the only great talent that Konami as nowdays...

[Goro]

Yeah but Nintendo would make all their future games exclusive to 3DS/Wii U which would be a problem.

[bleedsoe9mm]

it would hurt ms more if sony bought capcom than it would hurt sony if ms bought them

[Goku781]

I would prefer Sony or Nintendo but, if MS does and does great things with their IPs, that's one of the only ways I will buy an Xbox one. But going from what they've done with Rare I don't have a lot of confidence in them.

[xxx_Solid_Snake_xxx]

yes Microsoft do it

[MerRoids]

If Microsoft buys Capcom, wouldn't that be a good thing? Great financial support factor at least? I don't see the issue here..

[GodGinrai]

I agree with you...but there is one issue...Apparently ,non-japanese companies cannot buy a japanese company. I hear its a law. So I am hoping Sega-Sammy or namco-bandai, step in.

[cr33ping_death]

Im sorry but I stopped playing capcom games at the beginning of last gen. Their games have been mediocre.

[KinjoTakemura]

@Will Microsoft Buy Capcom?

Nope

[Bizzare21]

Microsoft should buy Capcom and sell the Megaman IP to Nintendo.

[0P-Tigrex]

The same people who want Microsoft to buy Capcom IP's are the same people who have little faith in their system. They would feel if Microsoft made this purchase their Xbox is now better than the PS4 because it would have more "exclusives" and they would have something to brag about. In the end that would only support my opinions about Microsoft and Xbox how they will buy everything and create little to no genuine support for their system.

In the end someone will buy their IP's sooner or later; I would rest easy knowing if Activision or Electronic Arts made the acquisition.

[RoseSapphire]

The company known for terrible D-Pads owning Capcom? One would certainly hope not.

[jim_panse]

MS cant buy capcom because their are a western company and in japan a western company can not buy a japanese one. its some kind of law there from what i heard

[The_devils_chum]

We all know how i hate to rain on microsofts parade but were all missing one simple fact, microsoft cannot purchase capaom. Japan has a law that clearly states western countries arent allowed to purchase a japanese company,franchise,corporation. The good news is the companies that can are nintendo, and sony. So the whole article is irrelevant. This law is there probably cause we nuked japan to end the war.

[Gezmoyassine]

I was hesitating to say this but i think it's one of the reasons why that Japanese don't like the Xbox brand.I'm aware that Japanese are loyal to their brands but i always thought that there must be another reason other than loyalty.Of course this just an assumption on my part...

[thexmanone]

You have a Link to this Law? I`m starting to think this is made up by of PS4 Fans.

[DevilishSix]

Not a good idea, look at what happened to Rare and Bungie. Rare is a shell that hasn't made anything significant in years. Bungie was buried in Halo death cycle, they had to become independent to try a new ip.

[Gezmoyassine]

Whoever ends up buying them will own these.

Ace Attorney‎
Breath of Fire‎
Darkstalkers‎
Devil May Cry‎
Dino Crisis
Final Fight‎
Ghosts'n Goblins‎
Lost Planet
Mega Man‎
Monster Hunter‎
Okami‎
Onimusha‎
Power Stone
Resident Evil‎
Rival Schools‎
Sengoku Basara‎
Street Fighter‎
Strider Hiryu‎
Viewtiful Joe‎

Not sure if i missed anything.I got this list from wiki

[lemoncake]

If anyone is going to buy capcom it would be microsoft, they have the money and already good links with them. If apple want in then it could be a good acquisition forthem.

[breakpad]

NO NO,for F@K SHAkE Capcom MUST NOT accept ...if ALL these quality IPS become MS exclusives then it will be all over fro them..we will see remakes like -DMC,LOstplane 3 and others like MOU HOU or Dragons Dogma will be ruined (Resi is already ruined) Capcom go with Sony or at least Nintendo they are your home land Japanese people who know from quality , games and art

[gdguide]

Nope. It won't happen. Although Spencer is focused on games now to save the Xbox One, Microsoft shareholders are less inclined towards gaming now.

Would I like to see a Sony or Microsoft pick them up? You bet. Would it happen? Nope.

[Jury]

Will ms buy capcom and force them to make Kinnect games?

[Majin-vegeta]

So many poor misguided xbox fans here.Yes MS probably does have the money to buy out Capcom but remember it's up to the big heads to decide.

[DVAcme]

Microsoft CAN'T buy Capcom. They have a clause that only a Japanese company can make an offer. That said, I think Bandai Namco is the best bet. They're the Japanese company that are in the best position financially and leadership-wise. Sega recently bought Atlus, so they're in no position to buy them, Konami is on the same boat as Capcom, and Sony underwent restructuring, so they'll focus on themselves for a while.

If Bandai Namco does buy them out, I'm PRAYING that BN kicks half of Capcom's management the fuck out and put in their own executives, cause it's abysmally abusive leadership what's broken Capcom and made so many of their big designers leave. Imagine Harada-San stepping in to manage the fighting game division and taking good care of his bud Ono. We'd see a RENAISSANCE of Capcom's fighting franchises. We'd probably see announcements for a new Darkstalkers, Star Gladiator and Rival Schools within the year. And the Tales people take control of their RPG division and we'd see a new Breath Of Fire. And I'd bet they'd be more than willing to hire Inafune as an independent contractor so we'll finally have Megaman Legends 3.

Another big plus is the Bandai part of the equation. Bandai is a licensed merchandise powerhouse. With Capcom's IPs in their hands, they could do so much cool merchandise. Action figures and models, anime and manga, the possibilities are endless.

Honestly, I don't see any scenario where Capcom gets bought that'd be better than Bandai Namco buying them.

[DoubleM70]

Don't know about any clause or anyting, but that must be some unwritten taboo rule.

We do have this link on the interent about aquiring a Japanese company.

http://www.iflr.com/Article...

[Flames76]

I'm guessing yes its jusa matter of time now.Plus since microsoft let bioware slip through their fingers they wont be dumb enough to let capcom get away from them.Man it would be awesome to see street fighter,lost,dead rising and resident evil exclusive to the Xbox brand.It would change the gaming industry forever.I cant see sony buying them since they just lost 1.2 billion last quarter and on the edge of bankruptcy

[DoubleM70]

I think this probably would be a good buy for Amazon. Since they are looking into getting into the gaming bussiness.

[SITH]

I want to say yes and enjoy the future capacom games on my xbox one.

Then one word... Rare.

Poor conker.

[Skate-AK]

So if this did happen what would happen with Deep Down?

[TBONEJF]

OH HELL NO. If they do that it will be only EXCLUSIVES on their console. Plus what bout MEGA MAN? I'LL BOYCOTT PROTEST if they DARE to buy CAPCOM. They already purchase NOKIA pretty soon the brand name will disappear.

[Max-Zorin]

It would be better if another third party bought them.

[feraldrgn]

I'd prefer if they didn't.
Third party should buy them, otherwise I & many others won't be able to play Capcom games anymore.
Owning multiple systems is less likely in this economy, so it would limit the audience.

[TheGrimReaper0011]

I doubt that
Specially cause Capcom rather makes deals for exclusives to get money
Microsoft - Dead Rising 3
Sony - Deep Down
Nintendo - Nothing yet

And beside that, they wanna make multiplats for more money. It's a company, so it makes sense

OT : I just wish Nintendo would buy Megaman License

[gigoran]

Sure, if they want to fail completely. Who has been leading this whole generation? Outselling the other by how much? That's right... Sony, and a lot! So MS buys Capcom, leaving them with only MS users to buy their games. And as facts prove, MS have a dismal percentage of the market this generation. Again... FACT

So by all means, buy them, lose lots of money, and have the beloved Capcom fall into obscurity.