On the eve of a Microsoft press conference, it’s hard not to be wary of the dreaded ‘a’ word if you’re a PlayStation fan: acquisitions. Oh, the dreaded acquisitions. Xbox’s well-publicised buyout of Bethesda changed everything; all bets are off when it comes to the Redmond juggernaut now, and it has the luxury of deep pockets to bankroll its whims. Sony, a much more stable organisation in 2021, is no pauper, of course – but it can’t compete with the green bills of the Team in Green.
But PlayStation, perhaps recognising it’s about to be embroiled in a content war, appears to be protecting its position with shrewd moves. When it hurriedly announced a partnership with Assassin’s Creed alumnus Jade Raymond following her hasty departure from Google Stadia, we figured it was a one-off: an opportunity seized by the PlayStation Studios hierarchy to attach one of the industry’s more recognisable names to its brand.
But slowly but surely we’re beginning to see Sony recycle that trademark blue gradient with the PlayStation symbol and developer logo attached. Firewalk Studios, a team consisting of Destiny veterans, is working in tandem with the Japanese giant – and last night, during Geoff Keighley’s warm weather shindig Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live, we saw Deviation Games make a similar announcement. At what point does the pattern become a trend?
Many have scratched their heads over these announcements, and it’s understandable: the latter reveal bordered on parody, as the team admitted on-stage to Keighley that it effectively has nothing to show. And yet, we’ve seen Sony do this before: Hideo Kojima’s very public fallout with Konami culminated in a partnership with PlayStation, which saw Mark Cerny take the Metal Gear man on a worldwide tour in search of a game engine. A few years later, his new team released Death Stranding.
Whatever your opinion on the PS4 exclusive, it saw Kojima’s creativity unleashed: a high-budget hiking simulation with asymmetric elements promoting the collaboration of all players – conceptually it’s always been completely out-there, and it was bold of Sony to sign the blank cheque that allowed it to happen. And that, from the outside looking in, appears to be the blueprint for all of these partnerships: the Japanese giant is not acquiring the industry, but empowering veterans to start afresh.
Very few creators are household names like Hideo Kojima, but the Deviation Games developers you saw during Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live are not nobodies – they’re former heads of Treyarch, the directors behind franchise titan Call of Duty: Black Ops, and know their way around games. Firewalk, as already mentioned, has the creative director of Destiny at its helm. And Jade Raymond needs no real introduction: she’s renowned for assembling talented and creative teams.
In a way, this is a safe strategy from Sony: its subsidiary PlayStation Studios teams will continue to deliver bangers, powered by the impressive management pipeline that’s seen it release critical hits like The Last of Us: Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in a pandemic punctured year. But rather than expand on its roster with expensive acquisitions, it’s lending its expertise and financial clout to some of the industry’s most famed creators.
In the eyes of some fans – who treat the video game industry like sports teams, where signing a new player and all of the publicity that comes with it is more important than nurturing home-grown talent – then this will be a grave mistake. PlayStation Studios, already confident in its ability to deliver masterpieces, will see it as the path to further victory. These are some of the industry’s best, starting over, unshackled from corporate interference, with unfiltered access to Sony’s first-party expertise.
The results may not be tangible in terms of new titles right now – they will come – but at least it gives us an idea of how PlayStation is adapting and responding to the threat it faces from a competitor with seemingly unlimited financial resources.
How do you feel about Sony’s recent moves? Do you think PlayStation Studios is setting itself up for success in the future? Are you pretty disinterested by these announcements? Let us know in the comments section below.
Comments 74
It all sounds good to me!
I look forward to seeing what comes from these teams in the future.
If they can add more quality to Sony's already fantastic output it'll be a win win 😁
They can have all the companies they want.
When was the last time an Xbox exclusive won Game Of The Year?
Tks for highlighting this as a positive. While the outcome is pretty much the same for consumers (these will end up console exclusive more than likely) it's still a pill easier to swallow than what MS is doing. I'm sorry but buying publishers reeks of past MS plays at "me too" type of money spending. They tried to copy Apple's success with Zoom, Google's with Bing, Twitch with Mixer, etc...They are simply too rich to fail, and Gamepass is not some pro-consumer move for the greater good of all gamers. MS just wants 200M subs and to have a monopoly in another industry. Out of the big 3, they are the ones I'm most concerned about because I still don't see a passionate gaming spirit from the company and its PR is super warrior-ish.
This Acquisition/Exclusives war looks to be turning very messy Imagine a world where 1 company threw copious amount of bunce at at Acquisition/Exclusives to the extent where they collected all the biggies not to make the most compelling video games but just to stop the supply to the other companies.....it's us that suffer "The Gamer" 🤦♂️
At the end of the day, I care about the games - not the 'box' that they run on. If they happen to be 'exclusive' to Sony (or MS), that just means I don't get to 'choose' which box I opt to play that game on.
Is clear that Sony have a fantastic reputation on the whole for the 'quality' of games they publish and are willing to give Studio's the time to realise their vision - something these teams are not used to coming from Activision and Ubisoft where games have 'annual' releases...
As I said, I only care about the games and if joining Sony is 'right' for these teams to enable them to make the games they want at at least the quality we demand, then that's all that matters to me. I have a PS5 so its not like I will 'miss out' on the opportunity to play them if I want to. The 'only' downside from my perspective is that it forces me to play on a specific platform instead of having the choice - but that's such a minor downside as far as I am concerned...
Yeah, I think this is pretty a good way for Sony to compete, and it's a much healthier stance than being pressured to start buying up smaller studios.
That being said, I still wouldn't mind if they scooped up BluePoint. That feels like something that's meant to be. And it would at least be nice if they got to them before MS did.
@Yaycandy Where though? there's hundreds of publications that hand out goty. Also just because something doesn't happen in the past doesn't mean it can't happen in the future. My bet is on Ninja Theory putting out a goty contender, of course Sony will have plenty of contenders but don't underestimate Microsoft.
I think moves like this as well as numerous acquisitions are required. Microsoft is going to keep buying and buying and Sony needs to respond. I think they should be looking at smaller teams and help them grow into bonafide AAA studios. So that in 5-10 years. we’re talking about teams like Unknown Worlds, Ember Lab, or even Young Horses the way people talk about Guerilla or Suckerpunch.
Death Stranding is also on PC, so not exclusive to PS4? 🧐
Anyway, I think MS are doing what they believe is the right thing. If Sony bought Bethesda - it'd be the same thing only reversed. I do think Bethesda are better off this way as they can hopefully now release games with fewer bugs and have more resources from Xbox Game Studios as a whole.
@Omnistalgic Its the American if you cant beat buy it up. Google, Uber, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft they all work the same way.
With unending funds Sony does not stand a chance in the money departement. And after the US Army funding.
@Yaycandy
Won? They've never even had a nomination. And they're about to have their 20th anniversary. Very embarrassing.
@MaseSco Its a US company they only win by buying up the competition.
Sony still need to add bluepoint and housemarque as first party studio.i dont know why this haven't happened months ago.word up son
@Omnistalgic game pass started off great but I've let my sub run out the last couple of months because its just full of identical indie games ,I won't be renewing until microsoft release a good game in maybe 3 years
I think It should be a mix of the two, Sony should try to aquire one or more studios. I would love for them to have a fighting game team and a studio in Japan making Jrpgs. They should also stop throwing away money on time exclusives, invest that on in house projects.
People acting like Sony hasn't acquired a studio before haha. Or that it is somehow a uniquely American business strategy.
Guessing their strategy is to bleed the competition dry till it no longer becomes sustainable.
I'm happy to see them doing this. I only wish they would hold off announcing these partnerships until there's something tangible to show. The Kojima partnership is an exception since Kojima is such a big name in the industry and such history but like Jade Raymond's studio? She doesn't have that much to really show. She was a producer on Assassins Creed, but not the creative juice behind it.
It's just hard to get excited about something we literally know nothing about is all.
I think it's great they're doing these partnerships, but Sony needs to take a good look at Square, Capcom, and Konami and purchase one of them. Microsoft is a company that doesn't like to lose in an industry and we already see they're just going to use their vast resources from outside gaming to try and take over the industry. This is absolutely horrible for gaming and sets a bad precedent for the future. How far behind do they fall before they decide its time to make another major acquisition?
Everyone loses when a 3rd party publisher is bought out and made exclusive, but we already know Microsoft is going to keep doing it until they eventually lead the industry so Sony might as well get started. Playstation alone made $3.2 billion in profit last year, use it.
1) expand their studios to deliver games faster/better e.g. insomniac with spiderman and ratchet
2) partner with quality 3rd party devs to deliver better games like bloodborne and returnal
3) fund small/mid titles if they want to expand their library like until dawn or indie games
4) partner with publishers that has games sold well on ps platforms like final fantasy and resident evil
5) make their own online, multiplayer, live service, yeah alot of people hate this type of games but more peole enjoy this kind of games
Lots of rumours that MS are going to buy IO Interactive, the developers of Hitman and the new James Bond game. That would be a blow as .I'm really interested in what they're doing with 007.
If that gets taken away from PS, as well as the Indy Jones game, then that would definitely make me go Green.
Of course both titles are probably years away but MS are being very aggressive and despite what Uncle Phil said, they most certainly do view Sony as the competition.
Acquisitions is meaningless without great games, just looks at rare. When microsoft bought rare most people thought they will get great titles like rare games in the nintendo 64 era, yet it's nearly 20 years we still haven't seen great platformer from rare.
I like sony (and nintendo) way, works with the developers first for a time, then acquire them when the time is right.
@GADG3Tx87 I think microsoft xbox 360 era games got a couple of goty nomination, halo and gears are pretty dope back then. I really like gears back then.
@GADG3Tx87 Both Halo and Gears of War have won and been nominated for game of year from several publication. So I don't know where you're getting that information...
I don't ever again want to see what happened with Bethesda happen with any of the other midsize to big third party publishers but that said, purchases of independent studios that are close partners doesn't bother me when it makes sense. Insomniac to Sony, Playground to MS, Next Level Games to Nintendo all are the perfect kind of purchases and I think Sony should nab Bluepoint and Housemarque before one of the other tech giants make a play on either.
Smart strategy as you can't compete with MS' infinite budget, and might be more attractive for developers looking to remain independant but can leverage risk and get all the perks that come with the PS pipeline.
Not that MS' strategy is wrong but they don't have such a good track record with the devs they acquired. For example, Lionhead had many other interesting concepts but it was turned into a one-trick pony studio exclusively working on Fable and then it was just disbanded. Another one is Rare, whose output under MS has been underwhelming, at least compared to their N64 glory days.
I hope this is not still the case as I'm looking forward to whatever Harvey Smith and Arkane Austin are working on.
Today I've actually commented about how bad what Xbox is doing is. Sony's approach I feel is much better for the industry, where it is a temp deal, there is no lock-in for the studio and less fear a consumer will get stuck in a single ecosystem indefinitely.
The reality is PlayStation can't compete financially with the direction Xbox is going, and they know that so are being very smart.
Instead of buying up studios, they fund smaller studios to make exclusives in exchange for rights to the game IP.
It's a win for Sony because they aren't responsible for funding that company afterwards like they would be if they purchased them, and it's a win for the smaller developer as they get a budget to make a game they wouldn't be able to otherwise.
"They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds."
(Mexican Proverb but could be Sony's mantra)
@playstation1995 I think after MGS bluepoint will come to PS. As for housemaruqe I still don’t know how they’re still independent.
@commentlife I think ppl are upset because MS acquired a publisher not just one studio.
@Gamer83 I wouldn't mind Sony not buying them if the shadow of Microsoft's wallet wasn't looming over the game industry. Sony and Insomniacs perfectly worked together from their beginnings and that was cool, I'm glad they went first party because that would have been a terrible blow for me if Microsoft bought them.
I absolutely enjoyed RETURNAL and the last BluePoint's remakes so I'd be down aswell but I wish it wasn't because they might get grabbed up by the competition. It's kind of alarming.
@commentlife No one's saying Sony doesn't buy developers, the issue is that MS is buying up giant 3rd party PUBLISHERS with 10+ developers in them and still buying up basically any 3rd party developer they can get their hands on. Every developer Sony has purchased they worked closely with for multiple years before purchasing or they were 2nd party studios to begin with. Insomniac made Playstation exclusive games for 16 years, Sucker Punch made an N64 game and then nothing but Playstation games until being purchased, etc. If you can't see how different that is from not only buying up a giant 3rd party publisher, but also just buying up random studios then you're beyond dense.
Honestly, the only Microsoft acquisition that I found upsetting was Ninja Theory, and that was based on nostalgia for Heavenly Sword. I believe there are logical “organic” options available if Sony wanted to acquire a studio or two, but I’m fine with these collaborations.
And Insomniac was a steal! I believe their output of AAA games since 2014 is about 1/3 of all Zenimax titles, but they only cost $229 million vs. $7.5 billion.
Sony are still gonna to buy more studio’s. Sony just like to have a good working relationship with a game studio before they buy them unlike Microsoft who just buy a studio with no tie to them.
I think has nothing to do with Ms acquisitions. It started with Kojima and went so well for all parties then now it's only snow balling naturally.
We ll see more of those in addition to possible acquisition.
Only Ms is reacting.
But yea, it's not the same thing. Only the blind will see it as the same thing.
@lacerz But lets fair with the price does make sense on the IP front Insomniac does not have a lot of those they all are Sony IP's. Bethesda has a lot more IP's and more different things.
@frankmcma
Brilliant. I love that one. 👍
It's exactly what's happening. The seeds were not reacting but already active.
@mucc
Giving developers bags of money to keep games away from XBox is also terrible. If MS didn't buy Bethesda there was no Starfield on XBox like Deathloop. What is the difference for the gamers on the other console? They still can't play the game on their console.
@4kgk2 no ties to them? yea sure.
At the end of the day video games are made by human beings. And while many human beings will be tempted by a huge check from Microsoft, Sony also has an appealing proposition: "we will give you all the resources you need to make whatever game you want. We can give you your dream job." That's pretty appealing!
Their dream job is to make games they want to make - with minimal financial stress and with access to development tools and expertise. Microsoft can offer money, but can they offer you the type of collaborative environment PlayStation has? Can they offer you access to the very best developers in the video game industry, from all departments?
As @JJ2 notes, they have been doing this for years - at least as far back as 2015 with Kojima. It is Microsoft who is reacting - they've apparently decided they can't offer what Sony can to developers, so they are hoping cash is appealing enough.
Sony announces these partnerships early to attract developers to join those studios. "Hate your job? The creators of Destiny have a new studio with financial backing - come join us!" The first video Kojima released after forming his studio was to show the nice and relaxed office space - it was about recruitment.
@Korgon
I agree. Jade was a producer on Assassin's Creed and has some other notable accomplishments, but I personally don't really know if she has the skillset or experience to create a new IP. Hopefully she does!
@Katsuhono
Yeah, MS, Facebook and other big companies looming is part of why I'd like Sony to nab those two but the other part is because of how closely they've worked together. Solidify the relationship, the studios get a little extra funding and it should mean even better products.
@Kohaku Where did I say it was a good thing? Also you're talking about TIMED exclusivity which is far better than just completely buying out a publisher. After one year you'll be able to play Deathloop on Xbox. Compare that to now MS has bought Bethesda outright so Starfield (a game that was already being developed for Ps4/Ps5) is now completely exclusive to Xbox. That game will never come to a Playstation console now compared to waiting a year for Xbox. If you can't see how one is objectively better than the other you're delusional.
@MaseSco it would only be reversed for the serious fanboys. If Sony bought Bethesda I would think it was a waste considering the quality of their games the last few years. They needed someone to turn then around which is why it made sense for MS to do this. The only issue is MS don't have the greatest track record for turning developers around either.
Maybe ES6 and Starfield will help turn them around who knows but I think a lot of people overestimate how important western RPG's are to the Playstation community. I like a good western RPG but would prefer a JRPG any day of the week. Of course I'm not saying that people don't play them but I don't see the Bethesda line up as system sellers for most.
It's all good news. Developers getting funding to realise their vision and I get to play them at some point in the future. My reaction is 👍
Wrong strategy in my opinion but if they think that´s the way to go...go for it!
@Alpha_Pulse I think the argument that MS needed to buy Bethesda is beyond stupid. First of all they're not doing poorly or need to turn anything around, they literally just had the best year ever for the Xbox division. Second of all just buying out the competition isn't how you do better. Look at the Ps3 gen and Nintendo's GC and Wii U generations. Did they have to spend billions buying random developers and publishers to turn things around? No, they just focused on making better games and hardware. MS is just trying to brute force the gaming industry and it will suffer for it.
Extremely smart moves from Sony, they are walking their own savvy path. Pulling out your cheque book doesnt guarantee talent. It needs to be nurtured and thats where Sony thrive.
@mucc I mean that wasn't my argument at all. Bethesda needed MS to buy them is what I said so no idea how your response is directed at me. And yes I agree with you about MS and its brute force approach. It is basically buying friends.
Sony doesn't prefer partnership to acquisition it's just the reality of the money situation. They bought insomniac, if they wanted they could of kept it a partnership.
Sony should just buy Microsoft and then we won't have to worry about Bethesda games not coming to PS5 anymore.
@Flaming_Kaiser yeah, I just hope Sony/Nintendo are always around. I'm good if so
The thing is, MS could easily buy those third-party developers that Sony had previously partnered with like Housemarque, granted they wanted to be bought up by MS.
@lacerz To be fair. MS bought a gaming company and not just IPs.
@lacerz Yep same here. I still watch every show Anna Torv is in because of Heavenly Sword.
@Omnistalgic You know its no good if one company buys up everything and you are left with no choice.
As a Sony fanboy i can see their flaws but in the end they give me what i want (except a PS5 to buy) diverse games and i just like their hardware from TV up to phones and their headsets and yes i know im old MP3 players (still think their discmans sounded better) still annoyed they stopped making their groove earphones though. .☹️
@Agramonte I still think Nariko is cooler then Kratos man i loved that game. Thanks for the name of the actress never knew that definitely gonna check het out.
What i DONT like is how Mircrosoft seems more concerned with outdoing Sony than minding their own damn business and make fans happy! Sony has never lost sight of this which is why all the money in the world will not give Microsoft the answers it seems to seek!!
Microsoft bought Bethesda because they had to. Yet another console generation with barely any exclusives was not a winning strategy for them, so they had to play catch up. Sony has fewer studios than Microsoft now, but they definitely have the edge in quality. I do hope Sony finally acquires Bluepoint Games, Sumo Digital, Housemarque, and Quantic Dream, some day, though. Those studios work with Sony a lot via XDEV and complement their existing studios nicely. If Sony doesn't acquire them, someone else might.
@Col_McCafferty i dont see it tbh. Firstly I/O had a torrid time with Square Enix and i think will want to stay independent.
Secondly, i would find it very surprising to see a franchise as large as James Bond go exclusive to one system of consoles.
I have heard rumours that i/o are working on a console exclusive for Microsoft however and i wouldnt be surprised to see that come to pass
Fact of the matter is Microsoft are doing more harm than good to gaming right now and people are bizarely lapping it up.
This trend of making big money acquisitions of formerly multi-platform developers is absolutely terrible for the industry in the long run. I bet many who work at those companies that have been brought under the MS umbrella would rather be making multiplatform titles.
In my eyes MS are:
1) Throttling consumer choice by restricting access to classic franchises
2) Hastening the shift to always online consoles
3) moving us to a future where subscription based gaming is the norm, not a choice - and where player ownership of software is heavily reduced.
4) creating a generation of gamers who dont understand the value of games - and expect everything for free (as part of a sub)
I dont like how easily people seem to be jumping aboard this train either. Microsoft are bringing some great innovations to the medium, but the overall business strategy is not one i can support.
It bothers me how gleefully people on the internet behave when they talk about the thought of MS buying companies like SEGA. That would be an absolute travesty in my book
Microsoft isn't the worst offender of the acquisition war, it's just the most prominent because of console war stuff.
Embracer Group and Tencent are definitely worse in this regard.
Overall, I am really, really uncomfortable about the monopolistic direction videogames are headed.
I've both Series X and PS5 (last gen was PS4 only, before that a 360)... I see MS approach really terrible for "us gamers"... there's nothing stopping MS from buying every single "good" studio out there, even the ones closely tied with Sony like Bluepoint, etc. The thing is I can't tell a single game I have wanted to play on last gen that wasn't available on PS4... I love Sony's offering with amazing single player games, and I'm all in for it again. But I had to cover my back getting an SX because, well... this time it seems the "exclusives" thing will get out of control, and doesn't look good for Sony.
@Rob_230 Your number 4 is totally wrong. No one thinks that ( maybe a few people ) It's just Gamepass is great for the community where to the point PlayStation now should copy . Not everyone can afford a new 70$ so the direction Microsoft is taking is great for lower income people. Any Xbox exclusive that catches my eye will be a buy though ( like halo infinite) instead of doing GP but since the option is there. I think it's great to have a choice
Well if you have a PS4, now that you don't need a Ps5 to play any of the worth while Sony exclusives, the smart choice is get a series X for the Bethesda stuff and all the cross platform games and use the PS4 for the Sony exclusives.
@Rob_230 Skyrim and Fallout AREN'T huge franchises?
😉
Maybe the creative types would prefer their independence but money talks and MS seem determined to buy anything they can get their hands on.
I guess we'll find out tomorrow!
@InvaderJim
You do realize that Bethesda's two titles in development currently are PS5 timed exclusives, don't you? That means 2023 is an optimistic release date for anything Xbox exclusive.
When was the last great Xbox exclusive released? Gears 5? When will the next release? crickets Let's be honest here, the only Xbox series that had high marks last gen was Forza. And nothing of substance has released this gen.
Meanwhile, PlayStation Studios and their partners continue to churn out hit after hit after hit.
Microsoft has the money, but that doesn't translate into quality (Scalebound - cancelled; Crackdown 3 - LOL)
@lacerz you do realise people have different tastes and just because somebody says it's hit doesn't mean I'll like it, I only care about tlou, gow and horizon and they all on PS4 still the rest I don't care about, so far there is no exclusive ps5 games I want to play.
Microsoft brought Bethesda because they were owned by a hedge fund and the hedge fund wanted to make money
I did not buy into PlayStation because of 3 party games. There is a fix for anyone with Microsoft woes, Buy a Xbox or PC. Yes I will miss Hellblade and Wolfenstein. While I could get game pass on my PC or buy a Xbox i doubt I ever will. It's about the solution, not the problem!
@InvaderJim
I appreciate different tastes, but when your buffet has literally one item, you sure as hell better like what's being served. Forza is on the menu. Eat up.
@lacerz what you said makes no sense, why would only one item??
@InvaderJim
No games man. No games. They'll come eventually with the Zenimax acquisition, but Microsoft is notorious for not having games. Look at the last 4 years of the 360. Look at the Xbox One. Look at the Series. There is a body of work that can't be denied. Last gen especially. It was pretty much Forza/Forza Horizon and not much else.
@lacerz but if I did have a series X and game pass and my PS4 that's still getting all the big Sony exclusives I care I about wouldn't miss anything.
Am I missing something here??? All of the amazing games heralded in the article were made by studios that Sony bought.
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