Another day, another Microsoft acquisition rumour. This time it’s the turn of Dying Light developer Techland, with speculation rife this weekend that it’s been absorbed by Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s green machine. To be fair, it’s not the first time we’ve heard this rumour in the past year – presumably because it’s one of the few remaining major independent developers yet to be gobbled up.
As such, pinning a source on the story this time is, well, not easy. As far as we can tell, the latest round of reports stem from a podcast named Defining Duke, in which one of the hosts hinted that Microsoft is in the market for another developer or publisher to shore up its software offering for 2021. While the presenter didn’t elaborate, the host of a different Xbox podcast – we hope you’re keeping up – posted on Twitter that they’re “fairly sure” it's Techland. We know – eyeroll emoji, and all that.
Shaky sources aside, the story gathered enough steam to coax a comment out of the Polish studio’s community manager. He said: “Techland is an independent studio and it was not acquired by another publisher.”
Of course, it’s done little to stem the speculation. Many have pointed out that, even if a buyout is happening behind-the-scenes, the developer wouldn’t be able to comment on it until the ink is dry. We suppose stranger things have happened – Bethesda, for one – but the way this story has come about gives us pause; until more concrete evidence emerges, this is all pure hearsay for now.
[source youtu.be, via twitter.com, twitter.com, wccftech.com]
Comments 26
With Dying Light being my current GOAT I really do hope not.
As much as I want Sony to buy certain studios that they have had a long term relationship with (bluepoint) those on the green side want MS to buy anybody because they think it harms Sony without thinking of the huge risk it brings to the industry. Both THQ Nordic and MS have basically started a bidding war for so many studios that not only is it making less likely/nigh on impossible for independent studios to make high production games without being acquired by a major corporation but it greatly risks massive financial losses in the long term cos said companies will want quick returns on their investment. And that will likely mean higher budgets while passing the costs onto consumers through various means and if the games don't do as well as they hope, would ultimately lead to job losses.
With Dying Light 2 being the only real Third-Party title I'm legitimately excited for, I really hope Microsoft doesn't acquire them.
It's kind of annoying how Microsoft is going after Third-Party Studio's with established IP's, at least when Sony acquires a studio, they're not buying them for their IP's but the talent behind the studio, and every studio Sony has ever acquired primarily developed games for PlayStation anyway, so Sony acquiring them doesn't have a negative effect on the industry, hence why Sony acquiring Bluepoint wouldn't be a bad thing because Bluepoint has primarily worked on PlayStation games and don't own any IP's of their own, so Sony is essentially just buying them for the talent that other studio's didn't have the foresight to see they have.
That's not to say MS acquiring studio's is bad, they've made a couple great purchases that makes sense and doesn't hurt anyone, but you have a few purchases that are just straight baffling due to a lack of quality, and a few 'Um... why?' purchases, and then you have a few studio's MS absolutely SHOULD acquire but don't, like the studio's behind Cuphead & Ori, why HAVEN'T they snagged them up???
Polish studio’s community manager...
So someone who wouldn't know about the acquisition until after the studio owners signed the papers, handed over the keys, bought brand new cars with the money, and finally decided that they should maybe tell their employees.
Neither MS or Sony should be gobbling up studios like Techland.
Well I've never known a Polish studio to lie or mislead...
Seriously though, I don't know what a community manager does but if he/she says they haven't been acquired, there's little reason not to take them at their word.
@nessisonett They shouldn't be buying up studios anyways and make their own studios, especially Microsoft who's going on a spending spree.
@AdamNovice Not sure that's how it works. Unless they're publicly traded companies they always have the right to say no. Microsoft, Sony, Activision, Take 2, EA, and any other major publisher has the right to ask. These companies also have the right to say no. Lots of high quality games are still made by companies that value their independence.
@Nepp67 To be fair, that’s on Sony fans for spamming abuse about MS having no exclusives or good studios. So now they have some. I don’t agree with the way they went about it though.
If anyone acquiring them, I think it's gonna be THQ Nordic or cash injection from tencent.
@wiiware THQ Nordic are a good shout, they’ve been buying up devs this size for a while now.
@nessisonett
Pointing out facts about Microsoft’s failings isn’t on “Sony fans”. It’s simply truth. And it’s a testament to the people silly enough to invest in Microsoft’s system for the past 15 years.
This purchase wouldnt make much sense (and Dying Light 2 would still be released on Playstation platforms if true due to existing contracts).
Microsoft need studios with a more rapid output for game pass, and Techland haven't released a game since 2015 (excluding dlc).
And as fun as the series is (cartel excluded), i dont see gamers storming the gates asking for access to the Call of Juarez series on game pass.
I dunno, this sounds like an aquisition Microsoft would make because they can, rather than because it makes sense for their business. Moon Studios (Ori) would be much more logical.
If ACG (the youtuber in the podcast) says something is happening though, i genuinely believe something is up. He is very well connected in the industry (and is an excellent reviewer)
Whether Microsoft buy Techland or not, this agression of all these companies buying up all these studios isn't going to end well.
Funnily enough I’m playing Dying Light atm and think it’s great, I really hope they stay independent as I will be looking to play most of their output in future (if it’s still released on Playstation that is).
MS could buy any number of studios and I still wouldn’t buy an XB.
They need to invest in more first-party games (sorely lacking) instead of going after third-party studios, just to spite the ‘competition’.
Really not a fan of big bucks companies like Microsoft and Tencent throwing their weight around and just buying up studios instead of organically developing them.
First of all, an article based on 'hearsay'? Really? That should be mentioned on the feedback article. We don't need rumour-mongering. Is this a news site or what? Your headline, 'speculation intensifies'...that because sites keep publishing articles based on unsubstantiated rumours.
Its like a self-fulfilling prophesy. Websites are practically creating the news themselves at this point. So much so the Techland guy has to come out and make a statement! Again 🙄 You don't need the clicks that badly PS, you've got a great site here with, from my limited experience, what looks like an excellent community. Give them quality over quantity. Set yourself apart from the rest by not homogenising your output with all the third rate dross out there, like Kotaku or DualShockers.
Don't take offense at what I'm saying, I say it constructively as someone outside looking in.
Ok time to vent....Microsoft are absolute w***kers. Their whole mantra is to appropriate rather than create and innovate. Right from the start when they arrogantly tried to buy Nintendo to now with all the bids for well-established studios. I hope MS and the future of GP fails hard. MS create nothing. A handful of repeating first person exclusives over the last couple of console generations is pathetic. And now even their console design is just more of the same but a bit better. Cynical bunch of t**sers.
@nessisonett reminds me of when Chelsea were going to go into a bad time financially and then Roman bought them, snapped up lots of decent players then won many things, same goes for City though they are exactly the same buy the team/players then win things seems to be the only way to win a business atm from their point of view.
Micro you so soft are so desperate to beat sony.they trying to buy a a lot of studio.and sony is still kicking theyre butt.its funy.instead of creating theyre own.they are trying to buy some.techland said no couple of times so its crazy.how the x box trying to buy more studios but sony is still kicking theyre a😫🙈.word up son
Either they're independent and haven't released a game in years or they're bought and haven't released a game in years. What's the difference?
@lacerz "people silly enough to invest in Microsoft’s system for the past 15 years" 😂😂😂😂😂
I love fanboys ❤️
The way the video game industry is evolving it makes sense for the bigger company's to buy up the smaller ones . On paper sure it sounds bad becuase generly that means if one company's ends up buying up everyone the create a monopoly leading ultimately to a one console world.
However Microsoft doesn't seem as interested in buying all of these studios for the sake of having "exclusives" on there machine becuase I feel there business model has changed gears . They have been talking about unifing and breaking down the walls that restrict alot of console gamers from playing with one an other for some time now .
I feel like there spending sprees are to ultimately make game pass the top tear streaming gaming services that will be available on pretty much everything at some point . But In order for it to be worth it your going to need as many big games as you can afford/are up for sale. So sure being owned by a huge company usely is a bad thing how ever this time around if someone is willing to foot the bill and all they want in return is for you to make good games then it might not be as bad as people think .
@nessisonett We need independent studio's otherwise we will get a industry like Epic wants it starve the competition. It has nothing too do with quality anymore.
Wish sony would just beat em to the punch and buy em up and just let them loose within sony to do whatever they want. Head of horror department!
It's not up to the likes of Microsoft or tencent as somethings are not for sale.
It's up to the owners of those studios and whether or not they'd like to have some uneducated money grubbing scum bag breathing down their neck who has only been to the studio once and lives 2000km away.
Just ask cdpr!
We need independent studios, otherwise it'll just be a publisher war and no one wants that
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