We've spoken time and time again about how studio acquisitions are all the rage nowadays -- kickstarted by Microsoft after it announced the purchase of five different studios during its E3 2018 press conference. Sony followed that up by buying Insomniac Games, but while the hardware manufacturer is always looking out for more opportunities, it says that the developer has to be the right fit.
During an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said that the Japanese giant is wary of such deals thanks to numerous examples of acquisitions turning sour after the fact. "We are always looking, but we are careful about who we look at and talk to. Buying studios right now is a very expensive undertaking. It is most definitely a seller's market. There is room for us to do more in that area, but we have to make sure that the company is right."
There's a lengthy list of studios that we think would work well under PlayStation Worldwide Studios, but as Ryan states: "You need to exercise a great deal of attention." We reckon another acquisition or two will form a part of Sony's line-up of announcements prior to the launch of PlayStation 5, but it's clear that the company is putting much more care into curating its portfolio than others.
Who do you think Sony should acquire? Share your suggestions in the comments below.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 21
Housemarque.
Depending on how Death Stranding does, Sony should take on Hideo Kojima's studio (if he is looking to merge into Sony).
Honestly I only think 2nd party companies should be up for grabs. Too many small devs lose their autonomy and either produce a failure, leading to their closure/all the talent leaves (BioWare), or are left to rot for far too long(Rare).
makes sense, no point in buying a studio that isn't the right fit
Studio liverpool, Evolution 🙂
Plausible:
Remedy Entertainment
Housemarque Studios
Bluepoint Games
Wishful Hope:
Ready At Dawn
GenDesign
Supermassive Games
Beyond Possibilities:
FromSoftware
Respawn Entertainment
Quantic Dreams
Bungie Studios
I think that Sony have gotten quite good at this gen of getting studios for what makes them special, rather than the EA adage of taking a studio and forcing them to go against their skillsets and experience. MS, to a lesser extent, do the same to their studios historically.
Bluepoint games so they can remake all old sony ip to ps4 and ps5, and kojima productions if DS sells well.
@Shepherd_Tallon
Spider just got purchased recently tho ( ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ)
I doubt they're for sale, but wishful thinking I'd like to see Atlus and RGG Studio become truly exclusive. The Persona and Yakuza franchises are truly special and feel like they 'belong' on PlayStation.
It makes the platform feel that much more special with the exclusivity of those games, even though they've been flirting with Steam lately.
Platinum games and some indie company
Sony should reform Snowblind Studios for some classic western RPG action. I'm sure the old dev team can't be happy being distributed around Warner Bros games...
@3MonthBeef Surely the fact that they did get made means they are part of the portfolio? It's not like Concrete Genie was cancelled.
@3MonthBeef There's no evidence to suggest that Sony is moving away from green-lighting smaller, experimental exclusives.
@Shepherd_Tallon well can I suggest deck 13 or Piranha Bytes mabye Kalypso studio
Should've bought Obsidian... Now it's too late
Still say Asobo seems to fit the Sony portfolio perfectly. Shoe-string budget and made one of the best games this year in A Plague Tale: Innocence. With Sony's backing it could reach new heights.
@Shepherd_Tallon Western Style Rpgs? You Mean Like Larion Studios.That Or They Can Build Their Own From The Ground Up
@Shepherd_Tallon I Think Guerrilla Games Could Fill That Role If They Take What They've Learn From Horizon And Improve On It
@Shepherd_Tallon One Game i Want Them To Apply This Knowledge To Is Killzone They Could Have Their Own Military Sci Fi Rpg In The Same Vein As Mass Effect Or Even The Outer Worlds The Universe And Lore Is Already There
I’d like to see them focus on indie studios for some more variety for their exclusives list. Team 17 I think would be a great counter to losing double fine to Microsoft.
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