Platinum Games recently acquired significant investment from Chinese juggernaut Tencent, securing the Japanese studio’s future as it explores self-publishing. However, the outcome was almost very different, as Microsoft was allegedly looking to buy the Bayonetta developer last year. This tidbit comes courtesy of reliable insider Brad Sams, who claims that the deal either fell apart or went in a different direction.
While it seems that an offer was on the table, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad added that the company was looking for funding, and therefore was talking to many major players. It’s of course perfectly plausible that both Nintendo and Sony were in these discussions, especially given the former’s tight relationship with the firm. Fortunately, its current situation means that it will be free to continue creating PlayStation games, beginning with Babylon’s Fall.
[source twitter.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 38
Why on earth would they want to sign with the very company that cancelled one of their games which nearly killed the company?
@AdamNovice Because they needed money.
Unless MS was the only offer on the table I cannot see this having gone that way and I think we can all agree we're glad Platinum remains independent.
Probably a good thing Platinum signed with Tencent so they may continue multi-platform developing.
Would've made me sad if a potential Nier Automata sequel had been an Xbox exclusive.
@Deadlyblack that's.... That's not how that would have worked. NIER is owned by Square Enix and any potential sequel would have likely been developed somewhere else if Platinum had been bought by Microsoft.
@get2sammyb Well luckily they looked elsewhere. MS should be the last company they should have been looking at. Just because they "needed money" doesn't mean they should lack common sense as well.
No 2b would've been a bum deal.
@ZeroAbbadon Then the chance of a sequel being as good as Automata would've been lower since it would be a different dev.
@Deadlyblack The gameplay is probably the weakest part of that game lol not saying it's bad but compared to Platinum's usual output it was quite middle of the road. That game's themes, story, world and music are what made it truly great.
Do you break down crying when you see trailers for stuff they’ve done that’s Nintendo only?
@ZeroAbbadon I agree it was Yoko Taro's vision that made that game, the melee combat was a means to an end really.
Im going to try and avoid my soap box of "Microsoft doesn't care if they kill the video game industry" but im good platinum didn't give in to this.
I like my Platinum games on my Nintendo consoles and my Sony consoles and would have been a very sad puppy had MS bought them.
Still waiting for Scalebound on Switch to be honest. Not exactly, but some resurrected Phoenix version of the game.
@rjejr honestly the fact that Sony or Nintendo haven't resurrected it is baffling
I mean, Scalebound happened. Why on earth did Phil Spencer think it would be a good idea to try and convince the folks at Platinum to become an Xbox studio. How deluded can someone possibly be?!
Their best selling games is nier automata on playstation, I don't think platinum can survive making games only on xbox platform, even mgs and ff series sold like 70% on playstation platform.
The gameplay was kinda a means to an end I do agree, but it was a very very notable step up from the first game and especially the Drakengard titles. At the very least, I do believe that Platinum removed a significant barrier to entry for a lot of people. NieR is the very rare modern example of a cult classic leading to a successor that gave improvements where needed, but didn’t do so at the cost of vision, and the game was given a promotional push by SE as well rather than just being thrown out there in the aftermath of a Final Fantasy blitz like the first.
@shingi_70 That Nintendo only stuff would have gone the way of Donkey Kong 64 if this had happened.
Scalebound got cancelled😃😁😂.ok micro you are so soft.word up son
@playstation1995
Ms like Scale*bound*able games to develop from xb1 to SeX.😏
@Danloaded Unless it was just that bad?
Or maybe it would take too much to get it to run on Switch, and Sony didn't want the stigma of MS' rejects?
A lot of people did make fun of the trailers but I always liked it.
Sony needs to buy platinum games
@JJ2. Haha phil spencer try to talk to 2b.haha.no way jose.word up son
What a shame Sony didnt made the move back then. This is exactly the kind of studio Sony needs.
@makina I think Sony Would be Wise to go after Ether Falcom Nisa or Mistwalker
They would havd been making Gamepass fodder than closed in 5 years lol.
@rjejr possibly but theyd have more time to make improvements. Maybe put the A team on it (metal gear rising, bayonetta, vanquish) and not the B team (tmnt mutants in manhatten, star fox)
As if Kamiya would do Ninty dirty like that lol
@Danloaded B team - Legend of Korra
Well the A team BEST be working on Bayonnetta 3 the past two years. My Amazon pre-order from Dec 2018 says it will be here by Dec 2020.
The B team is probably working on a mobile game since Tencent bought them and that's what Tencent does. So sad.
Plus somebody should be working on Nier 2. So I'd guess Scalebound is buried for awhile.
doubt it. platinum was looking for a publisher but that doesn't mean they were looking to sell the company outright. everyone knows platinum was working with microsoft on scalebound until microsoft pulled the plug. there isn't much news here at all.
I’m not going to lie, I feel this one has no truth to it. If that’s the case, than why is platinum not making Xbox games right now. They don’t even have a working relationship and Microsoft has nothing in the pipeline with them since Scalebound
What is it with this site and making a headline out of anything? Platinum talked to a bunch of people last year. You also don't know whether there was ever any serious talk of them going to Microsoft. Personally I doubt it given what happened with Scalebound and their close association to Sony and Nintendo. Saying Microsoft nearly acquired them is a little off the mark.
@shingi_70 If its a nive game i will be dissapointed Nintyboy.
If anyone deserves them its Nintendo frankly considering its them what Bayonetta 2 and even funded a Bayonetta 3 despite Bayonetta 2 not doing great. Then you have The Wonderful 101 and Astral Chain. Honestly Sony have done nothing really for them.
Yeah, I wonder if the disaster that is Scalebound had anything to do with that. The deal might look good at first, but as they don't get a million contingencies to prove it won't happen again, it probably started to look kind bad. Scalebound is why I'm still unsure what the studios MS bought will actually end up putting out. They have a bad history. One I truly hope won't continue.
They've also tried to buy Nintendo and Square Enix in the past, even tried to convince Sony to make PS2 games compatible with PC back in the day and failed (that's when the Xbox was born). They've never get along very well with japanese companies, being Mistwalker one of the few studios that have agree to work for them till the end (and never again).
@get2sammyb Blood money.
Platinum Games is the only game developer I wished Sony would purchase. They have always been original and superB in game play Mechanics.
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