Sony Bought Media Molecule; Microsoft Should Buy Epic Games

In recent news Media Molecule, the once independent studio and developer of LittleBigPlanet, was acquired by Sony for an undisclosed amount. Many hailed the move as a great one by Sony, because now the only Platforms we'll ever play said title and the others the studio will undoubtedly forge will be Sony's.

[tdrules]

Dear the guy who wrote this,
Did you play Unreal Tourney games?
If so, you wouldn't even consider that thought.

[Cajun Chicken]

UT and Unreal are the best franchises out of Epic, I have all UT games, I was even happy to 'upgrade' from UT2K3 to UT2K4...save for Unreal 2 and UTIII anyway.
Man, I wish they just went back to doing those and actually make the games the engines ACTUALLY NAMED AFTER but like, didn't Digital Extremes actually do most the work in the UT series?

And no. Epic WON'T sell out to MS...have you seen the middleware monopoly they have?!?

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Epic also makes Gears of War. Anyway it's a sure bet MS will buy Epic even Epic has hinted at it before.

[callahan09]

Epic is a humongous company with hundreds of millions of dollars in value from their engine lincensing, whereas Media Molecule is a pretty small developer. Sony buying MM made sense, but MS buying Epic? I dunno. I mean they would benefit from that, sure, but Epic would cost way too much money. Then again, MS isn't exactly shy with their checkbook.

[morganfell]

The entire idea is a joke. As Mark Rein said was "Epic is a billion dollar company."

We were in the Epic private booth several times at GDC and it was always busy. Microsoft is a big company but quite frankly they can't afford Epic. Remember, it is MS that caters to Epic, not the other way around.

U3 still looks great...but they can't touch the new stuff that Crytek is doing. It wouldn't help MS either since even the Crytek team openly acknowledged on the show floor that the PS3 easily possesses the noticeable edge with CryEngine 3.

[RememberThe357]

Epic's Unreal Engine is worth hundreds of millions of dollars that would be immediately cut off if MS bought them. MS buying Ruffian or Realtime Worlds would make way more sense.

[xTruthx]

Jason, Epic didn't get their recognition by gears. The UT franchise and UE is what made epic what it is 2day, 2bad they fudged the UT series with UT3

[Neo604]

thier resource is on advertises, DLC, time exclusive, and Natal.

[blu_yu_away]

MS wouldn't pony up the cash to buy Bioware. No way in hell would they spend the cash necessary to buy epic.

[presto717]

They prefer exclusive DLC

[Cajun Chicken]

I know Epic make Gears of War. I'm just ignoring it because the franchise is a huge overrated backwards step for Epic.

[sikbeta]

For the guys wishing [?] for this to happen, let me tell You That IS NOT Gonna Happen

UE is the most used by Devs, Epic not only sell the license (I Heard somewhere that the UE3 license Cost 250k), they also get paid with a Percentage of the sales, this in case if Some Dev Create a Game that become a hit and Epic has its Own Games too, so they're Not Desperate...

Comparing The Situation of MM, an "Small" and "Young" Dev with Epic a Big, independent and the Absolute Owner of the [Unreal Engine] which is used for the Majority of Devs, is Just Stupid and Delusional

@morganfell

Add to that the Fact that Crytek is invading Epic territory, they even go to Universities "sharing" the Code to "enthusiasts" aka the Next Gen of Independent Devs

[Megaton]

Exactly. UT, their best franchise, doesn't even work well on consoles. Even with PS3 mod support it failed. That's almost like saying they should buy Valve because they've ported some of their games to the 360.

You can really tell who just started gaming on the 360 when you see people talking about Gears as Epic's claim to fame.

[badz149]

for what? so that they can add up another douchebag in their line up of exec? good luck with trying though!

[morganfell]

Sibeta,

Every U3 license has a different cost. They (Epic) look at the size of your company, the number of units you are going to ship, the size of the project, etc etc. They have several options. You could even get the license, full dev support, up front at no cost and then when the product ships pay a lesser fee along with a percentage of profits. Epic is very flexible so there isn't a hard line number for license costs.

[baum]

Media Molecule does not make middleware for other third parties and is not as big as Epic. Sony buying Media Molecule was good for the industry. So the question left to ask is, is the writer a fanboy, a gamer or an armchair economist? I would say he is most likely the first, because if he was the second he would like Microsoft to buy smaller indies, and if he was the third he would be an idiot considering Epic makes sh1tloads of money from other sources; Microsoft would have to pay that price, and yet Microsoft would never be able to extract that much value from buying Epic at that price, considering Epic would become exclusive and Microsoft is not interested in making multiplatform engines. Seriously, retarded article.

What is it with all the low quality retarded submissions lately?

[sikbeta]

@morganfell

Thanks for clarify that for me, but you know how much cost for a Middle-not-so-Big Dev and already Established, some pals and me were talking about that cuz I was really interested, the other dudes only want to mess around with the Engine (lol) and some independent dude at some Independent-Dev-Forum was talking about $250k, maybe the guy has a big gaming company and I never noticed, he also told me that the CryENGINE was/is the Most Expensive Engine, the guy was talking about [000000] @_@

[40cal]

If Microsoft bought Epic that would take away from there marketing budget. The Xbox division ran away from developing in house/ 1st party, (We all watched the studios close one buy one) what makes anyone think they are going to pull a 180 in the middle of this gen.

And congrats to Sony and Media Molecule, I am looking forward to what this relationship can bring me entertainment wise.

[lelo2play]

In all honesty Sony is doing a good job in acquiring these software companies, increasing their 1st party studios, not being dependent on 3rd party. Microsoft should do the same thing. What's been happening the last few years is the exact opposite. Microsoft is disbanding/selling their studios (Ensemble, Bungie, etc), which leds me to believe that maybe Microsoft is not thinking of releasing a new Xbox in the future, and getting out of the console business at the end of the X360 cycle. That would be bad. More competition, the better it is for the consumer. Less competition, the worser it is for the consumer.

[morganfell]

CryEngine3 is expensive. We are using it right now. But it has mindblowing tools and the advancements the public hasn't seen are just ridiculously next, next gen.

But Unreal 3 can be remarkable. I would suggest you prototype a level of a game as a U3 mod. Also put together your design docs (think New York telephone directory) and story boards for your full game. Get a Steam developers account - it doesn't cost anything. You can actually test your game on Steam for free and it costs nothing until you release. Steam handles all of the transaction issues for you. You pay them a very reasonable percentage. At this point you have your prototype level (If it is SP/MP game you need one level of each), you have your Steam dev account and you have your design docs. Get two guys to E3 or GDC Austin and ask to Speak to Mark (they don't like bringing people to Cary and don't talk to anyone else but Mark Rein) You will be surprised what kind of deal he will cut.

And Epic always has beer in their private booth...

http://i39.photobucket.com/...

[cloud 279]

Epic is as big as Valve. Also please note Epic owns 2 more developers People Can Fly and Chair Entertainment. If MS were to buy Epic, MS would have to buy the above mentioned devs. Even though these devs are small they are assets to Epic and has driven up the price of Epic. Also Epic has the Unreal Engine, Unreal Tournament and Gears of War which are big assets as well, and will cost MS to spend more. Whereas Sony purchases devs which are smaller and could add to the assets of Sony, such as Naughty Dog and Guerrilla Games. Sony purchased these devs when they were not very big. If Uncharted and Killzone series were developed by these devs as independent then Sony would be spending billions to purchase them. IPs are assets and add value to your company. Yes, MS has the funds to purchase Epic but with these funds they can develop many Halo games. Currently it would be best idea for MS to work closely with Epic and fund their gears and new IP.

[blu_yu_away]

I highly doubt MS is thinking of getting out of the console business. Despite its stumbles, the 360 has been a successful console especially compared to the original xbox. I think there is just a different approach to software that MS and Sony has. Throughout this gen MS hasn't had to rely on 1st party support and I think they count on that to continue into the future. Lets be honest, MS has a lot more money than Sony to throw around for 3rd party exclusivity, or timed exclusivity.

[captain-obvious]

you guys think EPIC is a small and cheap studio ??
EPIC owns other studios titan studio for example and they made fat princes for the PS3
let alone the unreal engine and those games

MS wont buy EPIC because
a- it'll cost them ALOT
b- MS don't buy studios they just buy IP's

[exnihilonihilfit]

For all of the various reasons that everyone has pointed out here. This article is clearly just a fanboy pipe dream based on one games exclusivity that fails to take into account the real value and scope of Epic. If MS bought Epic it would actually significantly decrease the value of the company as they would no longer be able to develop cross platform engines, because even if MS allowed them to, Sony might bar them from publishing (which would be a smart move because it would render the purchase of epic a HUGE loss for MS). MS would have to buy Epic at its value as a multi-platform developer, and immediately after the purchase, the value of the company would plummet because it is no longer a multi-plat developer. It's just clearly a dumb idea that wasn't fully thought through. On the other hand, MM has only developed one game that was PS exclusive, and they're an extremely small, though obviously very talented and innovative, studio. It's not even comparing apples to oranges, it's comparing giant georgia peaches to little green grapes.

[Death2494]

Microsoft, in fact it's the other way around. Unreal Engine caters to the 360 by quite alot when compared to the ps3. Sorry but Epic is even powering the new Medal Of Honor (multiplat). People are always using their engine.

Can't wait for Crytek's Cryengine2 to go out. Epic is going to have to show us something new or it's going to be lights out for their middleware dominance.

Check out new Natal footage...

[siyrobbo]

look at what happened with criterions renderware engine after EA bought them out, it used to be the biggest middleware engine at one point, then after EA bought them out, no-one used it anymore

[gaffyh]

Epic costs a lot more than Media Molecule, Epic are a massive studio that do multiplat games and engines. Media Molecule were a tiny studio (~20 people) with really only 1 successful game.

[vhero]

Sony buy a company probably worth like a few million... and they expect MS to buy a company worth probably well in the hundred million mark?? The author is an idiot.. Epic are a HUGE company whos engine is used in hunreds of games not just the unreal and gears series. They make millions from each of those games.. MS should buy mistwalker would have been a better story if they were serious about cracking Japan and keep at it as obviously Mistwalker have give up with the 360 and moved onto the DS now. It does not make business sense to buy EPIC simple as. The money it would cost them is so high they would never make it back on the 360 or maybe there next console either.. MS are not THAT stupid. They never became one of the richest companys in the world by throwing money away.

[iFLOWLIKEWATER]

I guess every copy sold of a Gears game brings you closer to a heart attack, huh? Don't let that hate build up son...

[Thugbot187]

Another stupid pointless, Gee I wish I can get the time it took to read the article back. You can tell total fanboy who would like Sony to be the one and only console. Hate Microsoft all you want but it brings competition and with competition it causes Sony and Nintendo to do things better. Anyhow it would be stupid for Sony to buy them; they make one game for PS3 that wasn’t even a hit. However makes a great game for another platform so we should buy them. I guess with this line of thought we should just buy all the other studio's that release a good game for other platforms.

[N4g_null]

Ms wouyld mircomanagethem to hell. They are the worst guys to work for so far. It seems the only guys they leave along are the hALO GUYS.

Sony is a lot better to work with which is why you see insomniac staying with them.

[otherZinc]

Media Molecule is absolutely nothing compared to Epic. This is a stupid article!

[Sonyslave3]

Don't worry MS is going to buy Epic soon real soon.

[3sq]

Nah MS will end up closing them anyway. :P

[Devil MAY KILL]

LOL

i wonder what happen to M$ first and second party studios:

BioWare:developing for PS3 now.

Bizarre Creations:developing for PS3 now.

ACES Game Studio:closed by M$.

Ensemble Studios:closed by M$.

Carbonated Games:closed by M$.

Digital Anvil:closed by M$.

Hired Gun:closed by M$.

FASA Studio:closed by M$.

Indie Built:Sold off to Take-Two Interactive in October 2004, now disbanded.

KEEP DREAMING M$ slave 360

[Devil MAY KILL]

buying Epic Games is totally useless move by M$,sony can simply buy

Crytek and get((CryEngine 2))under there belt.

[Narutone66]

you a delusional fan boy is an understatement.

[Bill Gates]

.

[TD_RJ]

I think Microsoft are busy buying DLC's...

@Bill Gates
i always laugh when you say baboons xD

[RedDragan]

Sony will buy Epic, you watch! Sony will buy Bungie as well.

And when the PS5 arrives, Sony will buy EA, Activision and Valve.

Because Sony is the masters of First Party devs and Publishing! Microsoft are getting their butts whipped this generation, just look at the pure profit from Sony's 1st Party Devs!

[SOAD]

Epic is happy licensing its engine out to others. They make plenty of money from their games. I don't see why the board members from Epic would be interesting in selling their company to MS when they could make quite a fortune in just a few years from just licensing their products.

No reason at all. Or maybe I am misinformed and Epic is in some financial trouble. Maybe they fear that their reign as middle-ware proprietors is coming to an end with the rise of CryEngine3 or something else.

Microsoft would do wisely to buy somebody. Epic may be a good choice, but I think that they would be an expensive purchase. Instead, Microsoft could purchase a ton of smaller developers and studios and be able to churn out more exclusives.

[MrMacabre]

Yes MS should buy devs but a lot of smaller upcoming ones as opposed to EPIC like you say.

I think it would be a shame if MS bought EPIC because then the PS3 owners wouldnt get a chance to play some of the probably great games they'll churn out in the future, isn't it better that everyone gets a chance to play? The same can be said about Sony though and I know its only wishful thinking that companies would operate like that.

Would love to see what EPIC could do should they utilize the PS3s tech... imagine.

[TOO PAWNED]

No matter what these big companies say about wanting to stay independent and other BS, in a long run that's bogus. The only way to make sh!t load of money is to eventually sell your company. David Jaffe was at least honest about it. He said it himself that biggest reason for starting his own company is to eventually sell it and make a lot of money, one of reason i like him, at least he doesn't BS around.Same goes for Insomniac, Epic, etc. At some point when they get really big they want to sell themselves. Now we start to hear Epic talk about how money is tight and other BS, which translates in "Please buy us for billion or two".
MS fanboys don't have to worry, Sony won't buy Epic, they are too expensive, price tag is something only MS is willing to pay.
Last year there was a rumor that MS offered 1 billion USD for EPic and Mark Rain gave comment to media "We are not that cheap!".
Anyways Sony said themselves, they are more willing to invest these smaller talented studios, help them grow, and they eventually acquire them and give them even more support. That's what they did with Media Molecule and so many other studios. Seems to be right strategy.

[Inside_out]

I don't think Microsoft will buy anymore developers...period...Who remembers Rare...Spent a fortune on that company and nothing to show for it. To make maters worse, the 2 top guys left...Rumors are Microsoft paid 200 million for them...Rare is suppose to be a big part of Natal...Hmmm...will have to wait and see. Also, they let Bungie go for nothing...Microsoft all about third party games and the casual gamer market...Thanx 2 Nintendo...Expect alot of wii games on 360 this holiday and into the future...

[darkmurder]

you have to be dumb to think that MS gave away Bungie for free, they bought Bungie, they can't exactly say "Thanks for buying us MS but I wanna go now, kthx bye". Bungie is still 360 exclusive and although it may not look that way they (they now have creative freedom to do as they wish) they are still obliged to produce for MS.

[exnihilonihilfit]

What you and everyone else here seem not to realize is that if MS or Sony bought Epic, then epic would lose half of it's value as they're greatest value is in developing the most widely used multi-platform engine. If the engine is no longer fully multi-plat then they can't license it for anywhere near its current value, and since CryEngine 3 is widely regarded as superior, everyone will just switch, running epic out of the business. Basically, if Cryengine becomes the new standard cross-platform development engine, then maybe epics value will decrease anyway, and MS can jump in and nab them, but barring that, Epic would not sell to MS, and it really wouldn't make sense for MS to buy. Now if Ubisoft, EA or Activision did it, maybe that would make more sense, but even that would decrease the engines value, because it makes the most money from selling to all three of the companies, if one owned it, then the other two would stop buying, once again destroying the companies market value.

It's obvious that a lot of people on N4G have no understanding of economics.

[nogolis]

News around GDC says Sony ain't through buying developers, either. Before years end Sony is set to acquire another one.

Sucker Punch? Level-5? Keep in mind "Ready at Dawn" has been abscent too. Oh, and Heavenly Sword 2 is 100% green lit for next year release aswell. Oh how I wonder what will be made of all this?

[TOO PAWNED]

Ready at Dawn went multiplatform, they are working on 360/PS3 game, sadly
http://www.joystiq.com/2009...

[Cajun Chicken]

Ready At Dawn have a multiplatform middleware engine on for sale. I'm not quite sure if they want to get swallowed up by Sony.

[callahan09]

I posted this in the other article where there was discussion about Sony buying another studio. Here's the post:

Sony is buying another studio?

Hmmm...

Well, the only candidates I can really guess from would be Insomniac, Sucker Punch, and Relenteless. All are independent studios that work very closely with Sony.

Insomniac may be the best bet, really, what with all the multiplatform rumors spinning around all the time, Sony may find it necessary to sweep them up if Insomniac wants to go along with it. Considering how utterly close of a relationship Insomniac has with the Sony-owned Naughty Dog, I would think that it would be a no-brainer to have Insomniac as an official developer under the Sony umbrella rather than just an independent with VIP treatment.

Sucker Punch and Relentless could be the choice for largely the same reasons, though they are not under constant scrutiny to turn over and do multiplatform development so Sony may not deem it necessary to take measures to keep them under their wing.

I think that From Software seems like it could be a choice, but they are a pretty large studio that has multiple teams working on projects for many different platforms, so even though Sony has worked closely with From Software on some projects like Demon's Souls, the entire company may not be a good fit for Sony, but the thought of them leads me to another company... Perhaps they would be looking to buy just Silicon Studios, which is working with From Software on 3D Dot Game Heroes?

Silicon is an independent company and Sony already owns a share of the company (here's the list of shareholders):

CREEK&RIVER Co., LTD.
CSK HOLDINGS CORPORATION
EXA CORPORATION
GAGA COMMUNICATIONS. INC.
IMAGICA Technologies Corp.
ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corp.
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., LTD.
NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.
Ray Corporation
SGI Japan, Ltd.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
SQUARE ENIX Co., LTD.
Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation
YAMAHA CORPORATION

At one point Takehiro Terada was talking about 3D Dot Game Heroes being ported to the 360, but in recent days he keeps saying it'll never happen, and he never gives a well fleshed out reason, so perhaps it is because his company is being optioned by Sony to purchase the remaining shares?

Finally, I would say that Level-5 is unlikely. There are probably even some smaller developers of PSN games that are more likely to be picked up by Sony than Level-5, such as ThatGameCompany (Flow, Flower), Q-Games (PixelJunk series and XMB design, seems like a good candidate), Hello Games (the upcoming Joe Danger), or someone else.

Level-5, though, may be too big. They are not just a developer in Japan, but also a publisher, with most of their games now being self-published and not even a majority being released for Sony platforms. They have over 150 employees, the company assets include a football stadium in Fukuoka City... They just might be a little too diversified and valuable right now for Sony to purchase them. It's possible, but I think the least likely of all the companies I've mentioned. Insomniac is similarly valuable in terms of assets, but they have a more ingrained relationship with Sony and they are more important to the Sony brand, having already released 5 PS3 games, versus 1 by Level-5, and Insomniac has not diversified out into self-publishing and multiplatform development, so even though they would be quite expensive, I think they make a much better match for Sony's purchasing conquests than Level-5.

[RememberThe357]

but I think Level-5 would be a stretch. They have a great relationship with both Nintendo and Square Enix. But I do think that need to get their hands on a good RPG developer.

[pansenbaer]

Zipper Interactive is already owned by Sony.

[nogolis]

let me reiterate here... I've no clue who they're buying. I just know they're buying another studio. It could be Zipper, Sucker Punch, Ready at Dawn... I don't know. I do know for 100% certain they gave "a" studio the go ahead for Heavenly Sword 2 awhile back, though. And it will release next year. Probably sep to oct.

I'm sure it's not Insomniac and pretty sure it's not Level-5. I know it's someone close to Sony. That's all we heard. I was thinking Q-games but that's not going to make a huge splash... They said it'd make Sony look that much better when looking at their worth as a company.

[NotSoSilentBob]

Insomniac Games has already stated every time the rumor starts up that they aren't going multi-platform. So I highly doubt Sony will buy them unless they announce a game that is multiplat.

[callahan09]

Is the Heavenly Sword 2 developer in-house at Sony or someone they hired from outside like they did with Ninja Theory for the original? Could it be Ninja Theory once again? Could it even be the next title from Santa Monica?

[RememberThe357]

Thanks for correcting me on that.

@callahan09: Sony Santa Monica working on the next Heavenly Sword would be awesome.

[AznSniper]

Zipper is already owned by Sony. Quantic Dream could be an interesting acquisition especially over the recent surprise in the amount of sales for Heavy Rain.

Sony Santa Monica working on Heavenly Sword 2?

[sikbeta]

@nogolis

ZIPPER Interactive is Already a First Party Dev

@callahan09

As Far as I know Ninja Theory created the IP, Sony Bought the HS IP Before Release, now they're working with a Big Publisher, don't remember who but nothing to do with Heavenly Sword

IMO Sony needs a Japanese Dev like From-Software, cuz SCEJ is the "Less BIG" from the three, Excluding PD the Bigger, Team ICO in reality is part of Studio Japan, Owning 10% of SE is not Enough, so yes, it needs more Devs, a team that can concentrate on make JRPGs

[palaeomerus]

Who's doing Heavenly Sword 2?

I ask because Ninja Theory is going multi-platform with 'Enslaved' (the dark future post apocalypse robot fighting thing with the hacker and the warrior named Monkey).

[siyrobbo]

since the success of heavy rain, i'd say Quantic Dream would be a sure bet for sony to buy out

[PandemicPrawn0]

On topic.

As much as I would love to see Microsoft man up and start competing with Sony when it comes to developer acquisitions, I don’t think they are in any hurry yet.

I mean it’s easy to think that Microsoft aren’t doing anything for their first party, but they have just opened a second studio at Rare, along with creating two new studios Spawn point and Firebird.

Microsoft isn’t exactly sitting on their hands here.

[TOO PAWNED]

"along with creating two new studios Spawn point and Firebird" -Valid points

[LordDhampire]

Epic makes to much in royalties off all the companys what use their engine, they would never sell

[OrganicMachine]

the difference is that Media Molecule is a small company, Epic games is a big company.

It's like Buying an equivalent of Naughty dog, Epic Games has been around for a long time and I'm sure their price is far greater than what Sony paid to buy Media Molecule..

in conclusion, the author is delusional. stfu.

[Cueil]

The closest thing to an equivalent to Epic is Valve...

[lzim]

That's it. MS would be in a better position by taking control of Valve to keep them off Apple's machines and away from Sony's platforms.

Valve isn't orthodox enough though to fit in well with the MGS crowd. It wouldn't work out. Not unless Gabe himself was hired as chief of Xbox, Xbox Live and Windows Games at MGS. Someone who actually understands games and distribution and that gamers are people not just static metrics.

[Noob]

Except Epic Games is a much bigger company than Media Molecule. They've been around much longer too. I don't see a reason for it to happen tbh. Like Halo, I doubt we'll see Gears on any other console besides 360(and PC).

[NotSoSilentBob]

I have said it before, MS couldn't even offer enough cash to buy yahoo what makes anyone think they can get Epic Games when they(Epic) have the Unreal engine FRANCHISE, the Unreal game Franchise, and Gears of War FRANCHISE. Those 3 right there are 3 BIG things known to the Gaming community, and the IPs are worth more then yahoo.

[n4gn4gn4gn4g]

MS does have enough to buy Yahoo and Epic if they want. They didn't finalize the deal with Yahoo because they were trying to lowball Yahoo and their CEO at the time was too stupid to take even that.

MS has 30 Billion cash on hand. It just wouldn't be smart investment.

[NotSoSilentBob]

No Microsoft was desperately trying to get control of Google for the search engine. When that fell threw they tried Yahoo, but only offered 50mil for a company that was a powerhouse but is now a joke compared to google. yea Microsoft has the money, but they will never pay the price it is worth, they would rather blow it on a year of timed Exclusive game.

[darkmurder]

MS did offer enough cash to buy Yahoo, they offered way too much except the dumbass CEO of Yahoo didn't sell, luckily for MS. 43 Billion, Yang thought that Yahoo was worth more which he has now shown they are not as their market share is reciding while MS' is going up.

[orange-skittle]

They low-balled them and now yahoo's stock is in the toilet. Google is now the #1 search engine. I am sure BING might've surpassed yahoo by now. He should've sold it when he had the chance. That's like saying EA couldn't afford the NFL/AFL/NCAA/ESPN licenses.

[n4gn4gn4gn4g]

sure...and then Nintendo should buy EA.

[Cueil]

the Madden Franchise is worth almost as much as Epic

[emmerin]

does this guy even try to consider that epic is like a half billion dollar company? epic doesnt just sell games in the millions, they also rent out the unreal engine which earn them millions per rental.

[Cueil]

but they are not so big Microsoft couldn't purchase them... though it would be more likely they would buy the Gears IP or(much less likely) Epic would split and sell Microsoft their development studio and keep their engine studio separate.

[PotNoodle]

It would be a conflict of interests, Epic make the Unreal engine for multiple platforms, including some of Microsoft's biggest competitors, if they were under Microsoft's control, they may limit who they can license that engine out to.

Epic were a development team, they have gone on to become a few development teams and a the development tools creator, in the Unreal engine. They are massive, its not as simple as "Microsoft should buy Epic".. Epic more than likely would like to stay independent. Its like when people say "Sony should buy insomniac" ... but that isn't as simple either, Insomniac don't want to be bought, and want to say independent.

[lonix]

Then unreal engine 4 will never be used for multiplats
therefore unreal engine will die

[PandemicPrawn0]

I think Microsoft would be quite happy to receive the income that the unreal engine would provide.

They would not cut off such a lucrative revenue stream just to spite the other platform holders.

[zag]

Remember your talking about MS here.

They buy companies soulfully just to close them a year or so later, so they have no competition in the market against them.

Look at what MS is now doing with bing they have paid Nokia so that you can only use bing to do web searches on new model Nokia mobiles from this year on.

[Raoh]

how do you even compare those two companies?

and so a company buys a studio another studio has to do the same?

blogs are getting dumber and dumber every day....

thank god the title was stupid enough for me to know not to click the site and give it hits

[Raoh]

also i'm starting to think people are creating blogs so you'll actually pay attention to them on n4g

[ForROME]

SONY should buy MS, then They Should Buy EA, then Google will laugh and buy them all , and make a deal with god to purchase his soul..........

the list goes on and on

[palaeomerus]

Epic is mainly known for licensing their middleware engines to devs and publishers right now. I assume that's where the larger part of their revenue comes from. So if MS does not plan to get into the middleware business it seems like a dumb or at least destructive idea to purchase a middlware producer and turn it into a dev studio working on exclusive games.

MS could afford it but that doesn't make it good business.

[The real killer]

Sony don't need buy Crytec or Epic for their engine, they already have and good people working at the game engine, ND/PD/GG/Santa Monica and Zipper.

On the contrary, those engine's are far better than Crytec multi engine and par with the PC engine from Crytec in near future, so Sony don't need them.

Soon the old PC architecture will swallow by the new Cell architecture engine's, this is what going to happen in near future.
And this is only the first Cell architecture, wait until update architecture from the Cell.

[RedDragan]

Dude... I like PS3 but man, CryEngine's are the best graphical engines out there.

Which is why Sony should buy Crytek and create it's gaming PC division, they could use the two companies for marketting and ofcourse porting those games to PS3 would go much smoother than if a 3rd Party sudio would be able to achieve.

[ramiro1012]

thats right man, but i would like to se some gears on ps3 its going to look awsome if they buy it .
theyl get:
respect
and money

[Tony-A]

MS doesn't buy studios.

And Epic has developed on just about every platform. Just because they made an exclusive game doesn't mean they're willing to go that route. Remember when they got into it with Micro before the Gears 2 release?

[foxxy]

You are the biggest herb.

[lzim]

Funny heearing an Epic exec saying that money could be tight in relation to an Xbox exclusive. Otherwise they can't possibly be cash strapped from all the PC games Epic releases.

Their engine technology powers everything on many platforms.. unless they manage to mess up licensing they'll be fine, on their own without Microsoft messing with their core business.

What's the appeal for Microsoft anyway? few of their in house games if any use Unreal Engine.. are they supposed to buy Epic and incorporate Unreal into Windows? That's how silly MS buying Epic sounds.

[jack who]

another dumb site

[SuperStrokey1123]

Why buy a company that already is pretty much exclusive to your console?

[jalen247]

I didn't know Microsoft was interested in making multiplatform middleware.../s

This article makes no sense what so ever.

Yes, Epic owns the Gears ip and developed Gears 2 only on Xbox 360 but they are more known and receive more money from being a multiplatform middleware company. Besides, Epic is a multiplatform company. They developed Gears 1 on PC and Xbox 360 and Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3, PC, and Xbox 360

Where is Microsoft going to recoup the lost revenue from eliminating the Sony, Nintendo, and Apple skus from Unreal Engine pipeline

It would mean that epic wouldn't be making middleware anymore just games for Microsoft which would be stupid and bad business.

Put it this way, it would even make more business sense for Microsoft to keep Epic the way it is if they bought them. How would Microsoft look being the most popular middleware provider for competing consoles...LOL...makes no sense at all...and wouldn't this be some kind of monopoly?

It doesn't make sense for any console manufacturer to purchase a multiplatform developer. What makes more sense is purchasing an independent 2nd party developer. For example if Sony purchased Insomniac or Sucker Punch

[NeloAnjelo]

Or most likely wouldn't happen, given the size and worth of Epic. However nothing is impossible.

Epic's business model is alot different from Microsoft's. They support alot of free tools. Remember UT on the PS3? There were things that Mirosoft wanted Epic to charge for? It would be a good move for them to make though... making a play for Epic. But I believe that their engine will remain multiplatform (PC included here) given its ease of use. Even I was using the Unreal Engine in highschool, making stages, playing with the lighting...

Media Molecule is a small developer. Sony has obviously seen potential with LBP. I think the motorstorm Dev's was a wrong move though, unless I see these guys do something different. Quantic Dream had ALOT of support from Sony, as well as GG, Zipper... Its these moves that set up Next Gen battles and exclusives.

[The Iron Sheik]

Sony buys studios. M$ buys timed exclusive 3rd party DLC.

[zag]

LoL, and sadly pretty much the truth.

[The Iron Sheik]

It's only sad if you are a bot.

[mcnablejr]

i have alot more good games on my 360.

im happy =D

my mates NEVER touch their duststation 3's lololol

[Devil MAY KILL]

NO NO NO NO YOUR NOT A BOT,YOUR I MOTHER FACKER.

i have a lot more good games on my PS3.

im happy =D

my mates NEVER touch their BETABOX 1.5's lololol.

NOTE:SINCE WHEN UK DOGS PLAY GAMES???????

[i3eyond the Circle]

If Microsoft by some chance could purchase iD and Epic they would be great additions to the needed developers of MSFTs first party.

[palaeomerus]

iD is owned by Bethesda/Zenimax now.

[AKS]

Is this a leaked April Fools article? It's out two weeks early.

Why in the name of all that is holy would Microsoft want to spend a billion dollars on a company that has much of its value in middleware? Microsoft is going to purchase a company that provides the Unreal Engine to countless develpers, including it's own competition? If they canned the Unreal Engine or stopped providing support for competitors, the company they just paid a fortune for would lose a huge percent of its value instantly. And what does this have to do with Media Molecule? Awful article.

[BlindspliT]

go ahead, bu epicfail games. we dont want gears of war anyways..

[Paballo]

Here's what mgs could do..1They could purchase epic games for 2bill and leave the company to independantly florish like activision did with infinity ward.2That means that they would no not change epic games buisness perspetive meaning that epic games would still make the unreal engine 4 competitor products and dat way MS would collect royalties frm all licenses of unreal engines which is a lot of money and dey would already be on there way to start recouping cost.3The only thing that would change is dat epic game franchises like gears and unreal tornament would stay pc/360bound as well as future epic titles.4 MGS could establish a huge community frm the unreal engine as many college students and indie studio use it and it is those small up and comming devs dat MGS could buy.ahah!5MGS could offer small discounts to devs dat use da unreal engine want dev exclusivily 4 xbox and pc.nt big enuf to mess with epics buisness,like I said if they buy epic they must nt change there buisness module,bt they could give a small enuf discount and pay 4 marketing or free offer help on this like help on online functinality of the game or atleat decrease royalties percentage dat mgs makes per game sold.5I have said dis b4 bt leaving epic alone to function independantly would also stop decreases in work ethics due to da fact dat it would give the acquired company ie epic the feeling that the company dat bought it is holding its hands all the time.6lastly if anything bought epic having financial problems is true dan MGS acquiring epic can nt only help them financially bt give them room with MGS financial backbone for epic to make new and innovative games.7th eish I am on fire it would give MGS a shift in having strong first party devs.8th dis is the last point I promise.we would start seeing dat romoured game dat would fuse the gears and halo universe dat we heard about.dat would we interesting game dat I would like to play even though I don't own an xbox.if u dnt agree with me pls give reasons y as I will find ur own views and opinions interesting.hope all of u have a great day.peace

[sid4gamerfreak]

Microsoft will never buy epic even though they have so much cash. Sony cares for its consumers unlike microshit, which takes the xbots cash.

[spinbot_lv1]

ps3 has the best games on the market and don't need a gears of war game
but....Epic’s Mark Rein has said that the developer owns the Gears of War IP, and can do with it what it pleases.“We own Gears of War. We can do what we want with it,”

and a rumor reports that the new epic's publisher will be EA.
the recently sales of ps3 are a good reason to make more $$$

multiplat confirmed.

[Paballo]

Jst to add to what I said.purchasing epic will also be a great idea because epic has being working on the unreal engine 4 for 4 to 5 years and if MGS want to show if their new console than they already have great tech avaliable and let's not forget that that the games industry is the fastest growning industry so having epic in there stable would be monumental.plus less exclusives to pay for 4 them....

[Denethor_II]

GeOW = so so

[nchizimbi]

If Epic Games were to be bought by Microsoft, it's good-bye to Unreal Engine licensing. The Unreal Technology would be Microsoft owned and used to power their first-party (internal) games.

Currently, a buyout of Epic Games for Microsoft may not be a wise move. Epic Games is most profitable being independent due to their licensing business and the successful Gears of War on the side to showcase their Unreal Technology. The money Microsoft can use to buy Epic Games should rather be put to starting internal studios and hire exceptional talent in the industry to create new franchises/games for their Xbox platform. Microsoft needs more internal studios more-so now than ever with Natal launching this year.

[divideby0]

MM was a no brainer..
MS buying EPIC...stupid NEVER will happen...there is a little series called UT...

[orange-skittle]

Does the writer know that Epic is not a small developer like Media Molecule. What else has MM done of significance as LBP? Nothing. They can afford to be bought by Sony. EPIC's networth is through the roof. Besides the IP's they own, they have the #1 selling game engine on the market that they make a killing on...let alone the upgrades. Did you see the new tech demo of Gears or War 3 that was just posted last week? What the f*ck is the writer talking about?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Instead they will try and coddle them like they do Bungie and have a relationship that is not bound but is so good that the devolper is happy to stay exclusive for its major franchise.

[Dellis]

Won't happen

EPIC>>>>MS

[BLADE_X8]

MM is not making a ton of money, which is what Microsoft is all about. (Not that making money is bad, but itf the bottom line for MS) Also, Gears is making a killing, so it would not be in their best interest to maybe end up like Bungie and of course...Infinity Ward. I know Gears will never see the light of day on the PS3, but other Epic games could do very sell in teh multi-plat arena.

[Treyb3yond]

Claims of EPIC considering games for the PS3, this seems unlikely.

[Persistantthug]

Also, you must not have known about FAT PRINCESS....

it's actually made by TITAN STUDIOS who is a subsidiary of EPIC GAMES....one of EPIC's children, if you will.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Gears of War is easily the biggest new franchise that has been born this gen. Well it's already a 360 exclusive so purchasing EPIC would make lil sense.

I prefer the CAPCOM rumors since CAPCOM has tons of sweet franchises.

[FF7numbaone]

I dont think Ms is interested in buy any1.

[maniacmayhem]

I think MS has a different stand on 1st party devs. In the long run all of their 3rd party multi games have made big sales on the 360.

It doesn't makes sense for them to spend money on more 1st party devs.

[arny]

if microsoft even wants to compete with sony now they will have to buy more exclusives for the 360

[e-p-ayeaH]

Since their sales will remain pretty much the same why spend more money? we are considering GOW a system seller? not for me!

[GT FLYINGDOG]

Microsoft don't need buy studios. hummm Microsof can get "sony" and "sega" ++MICROSOFT HAS MUCHO DINERO BEBE++

[Awesomeo3000]

why doesn't anyone monitor this site literally 75% of the articles on this site are pure garbage and have no legitimacy epic is not going ot be bought by m$ they make games for everyone and make money by selling off theyre engine epic is not poor and do not need m$