Sony Literally Cannot Match Microsoft’s Massive Bethesda Deal, Nor Do They Need To

From Forbes: "Sony, while a huge player in the video game console space, is in no financial position to make a deal anywhere close to as big as this Microsoft purchase of Bethesda."

[Immagaiden]

I’m tired of the mindset that anytime one of the hardware manufacturers makes a big move, people instantly petition for the other manufacturer to quickly find some way to “retaliate”

[-Foxtrot]

I wouldn't say Sony need to do a 7.5 Billion deal...BUT it would be nice if they got a kick up the arse to buy Bluepoint or something.

Even Konami since they don't care about their franchises, don't seem to give a shit about the gaming industry and are letting their franchises rot. Least with Sony you are seeing old PS1 franchises like MGS and Silent Hill come home.

[RpgSama]

Sony needs to continue doing what they're doing of increasing the number of internal teams that every developer under their umbrella has and growing organically by adding developers they have great relationships with, just like they did with Insomniac, so Bluepoint, Housemarque and maybe something out of the left field like Remedy or from the japanese market Level 5.

They don't need to retaliate, I'm sure they will continue with the plans they had the day before the Bethesda News.

[Marquinho]

"Bethesda: $7.5 billion
Sony's 2013-2019 operating profit: $8.838 billion"

'Nuff said.

[morganfell]

""Bethesda: $7.5 billion
Sony's 2013-2019 operating profit: $8.838 billion"

'Nuff said."

Yet MS has possessed such operating capital for the last several generations. Where are we? Sony's entire operating profit barely more than MS spent on a company whose last several projects while making money have not been stellar from a gaming point of view yet Sony has been untouchable this generation in terms of game quality. There is so much irony in your post.

'Nuff said.

[Marquinho]

@morganfell

Hehe... don't cheat. This is the first time Microsoft actually invest big on the Xbox Division. The last time they gave it a "decent" push to it, Xbox 360 and PS3 ended up tied.

From the article: " They don’t need it, nor can they afford it, and if there’s anything they need to be doing to compete with Xbox, it’s figuring out answers for all its various service offerings, which are starting to leave PlayStation behind."

So they don't need to buy a studio but figure out how to compete with Game Pass, which Jim Ryan already said would be unprofitable for them (hence the price increase).

This article isn't very encouraging for Sony fans tbh.

[Zhipp]

I think that Konami actually does care about their IPs. They're still making big money off of them -- just not through videogames.

[RpgSama]

""Bethesda: $7.5 billion
Sony's 2013-2019 operating profit: $8.838 billion"

'Nuff said."

I play games, not income statements, everybody and their mother knows that MS it's a trillion dollar company, they are still being DESTROYED by both Sony AND Nintendo on the console market.

'Nuff Said.

[Sunny_D]

@marquin

“In its 2019 financial year, Sony Corporation reported a net income of around 5.4 billion U.S. dollars, increasing from 4.4 billion in the previous financial year. The company's gaming and network services segment has become its highest earner, accounting for a significant portion of Sony's overall revenue.”

https://www.statista.com/st...

Where are you getting those figures from? 🤔

[TheScotsman]

@Marquinho.

He wasn't saying they just spent money, he was saying they've had trillions of dollars for years and they still at the bottom of the gaming heap.

For an example how many games has Rare churned out since M$ aqucistion?

I'm not attacking M$ .

I'm just pointing out that even if you have trillions at your disposal and you buy great developers, not a rosey line of great games does it make.

[jbull]

They likely will buy Bluepoint or surprise us all and buy Fomsoftware or Platinum games. Thing is Sony invest in more teams at their internal studios and develop so many of the gaming ip's in its inventory such as:
Jak and Daxter
Resistance
Syphon Filter
Socom
The Getaway
Legend of Dragoon

[morganfell]

Xbox 360 and PS3... not tied. The fact this is the first time " This is the first time Microsoft actually invest big on the Xbox Division." is no one's fault except their own.

And it honestly isn't the first time. Microsoft has attempted to own gaming with money from the beginning and that really has been their problem. Their idea has always been throw around some money and buy things while lacking an intimate understanding of the gaming ecosystem. They entered gaming by kicking in the door and stomping around and have spent far more money than Sony every generation yet it is Sony's titles that shine. Redmond may never understand that finance does not guarantee landmark titles. 343 is likely the most expensive and well funded dev house on the planet but there are some things money simply cannot purchase.

As I saw posted on N4G the other day, what is Microsoft's record of studios flourishing under them that are purchased by Redmond?

I say go ahead as Sony has announced they are restructuring to bring more first party titles to gamers and their pedigree in that department is unchallenged.

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

@Marquinho

""Bethesda: $7.5 billion
Sony's 2013-2019 operating profit: $8.838 billion"

'Nuff said. "

Yet Microsoft has failed at almost every venture since the launch of Windows and XBox is the closest thing to being successful.

Zune going against IPOD. Microsoft loses.
Surface going against IPAD. Microsoft loses.
Windows Phone going against IPHONE. Microsoft loses.
Microsoft had THE web-browser until Google came along. Now Internet Explorer/Edge/Bing/whatever it will be called next is a distant 5th place in usage.
Same thing with email. Doing great with a big lead until Google came along with gmail

All the money in the world hasn't brought Microsoft success in the past and it is amusing seeing fanboys think that this time it will be different.

[neomahi]

Bluepoint probably doesn't wanna sell, but Sony doesn't just buy a studio to buy a studio, they want to make sure it's a solid track record. Quantic Dream pressured Sony to buy them and, while I think their games were great, they didn't sell well, so Sony have learned from that.

I'm personally of the opinion they need to acquire Ember Labs, that's definitely a PlayStation type of Studio, but not everyone wants to sell anyway, and Sony has to be selective, they don't have the money Microsoft does so in a money war, Microsoft will win every time. But, we're also no business professionals, buying up studios may not always be the answer to everything like we as consumers might think.

[RememberThe357]

@Marquinho
And what were Xboxs profits I wonder? 🤔

Also I think that number is for SIE not Sony as a whole.

[mgszelda1]

It would be really nice to see those dead ips get some respect

[jznrpg]

Sony could have bought ZeniMax as well . I doubt they would overpay like MS did though . Operating income has nothing to do with purchase price of companies and it doesn’t only need to be cash . It can be a lot more than just here’s money I buy and generally is .

[Godmars290]

It would be nice if AAA wasn't such a thing, which it isn't.

@Gameseeker_Frampt:
"Microsoft had THE web-browser until Google came along."

Not quite.

Netscape was the leading browser of its time till MS crippled them out of the industry, bought up and privatized a free code their competitor heavily relied on, only to sit on their hands till Firefox, then Google, came along.

That's MS: Go to great pains to beat the other guy, only to have less than a plan after "winning".

[Unspoken]

Of course they can't match it. Sony does not have deep pockets to be able to make such a move. MS on the other hand has been in the enterprise space making money hand over fist as well as having a huge r&d budget. Sony can't even come close. Gaming...lol.

[Marquinho]

@Gameseeker_Frampt

You will learn in life that being victorious isn't about never losing. Microsoft has tried an succeeded many times, and failed some others. Competing against Apple and Android on a market they already had a Monopoly was a lost battle from the beginning, but they tried. On the other hand, they're doing great in servers, Office, OS, Teams (Skype), LinkedIn, Yammer and Azure. This is why Microsoft is the biggest software company in the world, and keeps growing YOY in both sales and profit.

The Xbox division was the bastard son of the corporation... they never really invested big on it. They had plenty of chances to buy very talented studios in the past (Irrational, Remedy, Bioware) but they just didn't. They wanted to keep the division organically profitable... but that's almost impossible with competition as big a Playstation.

This time around, they're doing everything they did well with the 360... only better. Adding it's own gargantuan effort to change the videogames industry with GamePass + xCloud, and buying talented studios in addition to investing big on the existing ones... and they're already enjoying huge results (50% growth in GP subscriptions in only 6 months) even before those new studios release a single big exclusive. That's the kind of endeavor worth investing in and Microsoft knows it.

Why now and not before? Sony was never a threat for Microsoft as a corporation, Google is... that's where the real fight is, not vs. PlayStation. Microsoft knows Xbox will be big in the battle for the cloud and now they have the upperhard against Google.

[porkChop]

Konami is worth $3.5B. Bethesda was worth $2.5B, and MS had to triple that to buy them. For reference, they considered a bid for Leyou Technologies but couldn't afford to outbid anyone, and those bids were around $2B.

Sony *cannot* afford to buy a publisher.

[savedsynner]

Agreed, Konami needs to sell their IPs or do something meaningful with them. How hard would it be to farm the IPs out to quality studios? What is it gaining them for the IPs to sit on a shelf collecting dust.

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

sony retaliates by still having better games lol

[lifeisgamesok]

PS5's library is looking amazing already it's actually surprising that their 1st year is so stacked

[RememberThe357]

That was my thought. I've been airing my grievances but there's no doubting that Sony has been the most consistent publisher next to Nintendo. I look at it as MS had to spend 7.5 billion on what Sony spent hundreds of millions on. This isn't a huge win for Xbox as much as an admonition that they haven't been able to develope IP the way they should have. Daddy MS had to come cut a check to bail out the boy again. That doesn't change the fact that MS got what they got and they got a lot.

[Wrex369]

I agree it's freaking exhausting. The sega shit, from software shit, the konami shit. Like PlayStation does just fine on its own as it is.
Microsoft REALLY NEEDED this acquisition, I can admit that. To even compete

[Eonjay]

The fact that they need 23 studios just to compete should tell you something. Sony and Nintendo will still beat Xbox. Eventually Microsoft will have to buy the entire industry just to make the Xbox competitive.

[itsmebryan]

All it shows is that they poked the bear one too many times. Now they have 23 studios and after spending $7.5 billion they are not done yet. They are building a Gaming powerhouse. Hate if you want but, now they are going to be capable of put out much more AAA first party games for their console.

Will Sony fans still say "Xbox has no games!" ?

[fr0sty]

Not to mention, the Bethesda deal is Microsoft trying to match Sony.

[neomahi]

Agreed.

[WelkinCole]

Yeah I know Beth games are huge for many folks but to be honest I never played any of those games and I take ND,GG,IG games anyday over what Beth produces

[dietis_h]

me thinks marquinho here has no clue of what he’s talking about and would rather be a corporate cheerleader of stocks instead of asking for quality games.

[zsquaresoff]

Sony exclusives can easily hold their own against all the 23 Xbox studios. If Sony includes new acquisitions, that will only enhance their already incredible portoflio further.

And lets be honest, Sony doesn't need to acquire any more studios but Microsoft surely does.

[CaptainHenry916]

I would like for them to acquire at least one of these developers From Software, CD projekt Red, or Konami. But tbh I still think Sony will be fine even if they don't acquire them. Their exclusives are on a whole another level

[-Foxtrot]

CD projekt Red would be decent since they are an RPG company and that's what Sony needs at the minute

[gamer7804]

No absolutely not . everyone needs to leave cd project red alone. They make great games with any political pandering or agendas. I think we can all get behind cdpr staying exactly where they are. I would want Microsoft Sony activision anyone buying them.

[Sunny_D]

I only worry cause it’s seems MS may not be stopping at Bethesda it seems. I have a bad feeling Sega might be their next target.

[RememberThe357]

CDPR is a special company in gaming, if they can't stay independent I wouldn't mind seeing Sony grab them up in stead of the usual suspects. Plus that would give Sony their own PC platform.

[UltraNova]

I can't see Sony spending so much money on a niche game developer like From soft, their games are not that popular especially with casuals and this is coming from the biggest From soft fan. I want them to buy From but financially the suits will say no.

Konami is on a planet on their own, no one knows what the hell they are doing over there, including them so the only way I see this moving forward is for Sony to buy their gaming IP while Konami retains the license to produce pachinko machines out of them.

CDPR cannot and will not be bought by anyone. They are so close with their government the latter of which have been helping them financially throughout the years and they are a source of national pride. Not only that but this company seems to thrive on their independence. I wouldn't want them to get bought out by a huge multinational company, no matter how much I trust Sony to do right by them.

Platinum games is to close with Nintendo so I can't see this happening.

Bluepoint is a must buy at this point, no question there and I'm afraid if Sony doesn't hurry up they might lose them.

Square might be to big of a purchase, financially speaking for Sony but they can pay in shares and cash so it's doable and they fit together as a glove.

Capcom might be their best bet out of all, since they've faced financial instability for far too long, but managed to gain some ground in the recent years with a stellar game release stream. Still, this would be the best moment for Sony to cut a deal with them. Then they can be financially stable for ever.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

Well, actually, MS needs to make more use of their studios. Quantity isn't going to change that much. They strike me as being kind of like a restaurant where the cooking staff barely ever turn on their ovens/stoves. They can buy more ovens/stoves, but that wouldn't solve the problem unless that's what it takes to make the chefs more inclined to actually use them.

Metaphor aside, MS actually has had some pretty decent studios for some time now. They just have a history of sitting on them and letting them rot. When studios are first acquired by them, there's usually a bit of a show of using them to make an impression, but after an initial wave of games is produced we often end up seeing nothing from them for years at a time, if they even keep working on games.

I think companies like Bethesda are ones that MS will indeed use more than once, but are they going to produce games any more frequently than, say, Rare in the long term? I'm predicting that there either won't be a lot of games or they'll be another Mojang and stay multiplat...or both.

[Tetsdah]

This is a big industry move, but so many Bethesda ip were underperforming and MS has a great relationship with them. This move made a lot sense.

GP is a buffet of cheap games or old games, that doubles as a graveyard for failed and low quality ideas.

I think Sony should expand and cultivate their studios. Make acquisitions where it fits. Finally seal the deal with House Marque and Blue point. Then give me Level 5, Kojima, From or Platinum

For a big Japanese pull Square, Capcom, Namco

[lifeisgamesok]

Imagine if Rare was left alone all of these years to just make colorful platformers and was given a good budget

[xTonyMontana]

Exactly, while I hope Sony doesn't get complacent, there is no need for them to react to this yet. They have done a fantastic job with their first party studios who are all creating top notch games and have a great relationship with third party studios.

[kayoss]

Acquiring studios is only a very tiny part. What comes out of those studios is the bigger part of these acquisitions. Xbox have more to prove to their fans and critics vs Sony. You said it best, "Sony exclusives can easily hold their own...". Microsoft at this point have more to lose if they cant come up with high quality games from those new acquired studios. Many of their fans already given up on them at this point. Just imagine if Microsoft screw up some of these studios too? I shudder at the thought.
I'm rooting for them, because i want to be a gamer and the more variety of games available, consumers wins. I dont want to continue these petty console war discussions.

[Gunstar75]

Hahaha! No they can't

Sony zealots are insufferable.... this is a seismic shift, one that Sony cannot match.

[SyntheticForm]

Agreed, but I also believe that this was a powerful acquisition. But, is it the studios Microsoft needs or is it the direction?

They already had plenty of studios, but much of their work has been uninspired sequels.

[savedsynner]

Exactly. Sony already has a huge head start. Plus, if they ever need to add more money, partnerships with the likes of Amazon and Google are always possible...let's be real, there's only so much room in video gaming and google/amazon would be wise to hitch their wagon to a proven winner than try to do it alone.

[P_Bomb]

“Sony would only be buying IP rights, not actual studios ready to make massive AAA Silent Hill or Metal Gear games (Hideo Kojima has moved on to his own studio, you’ll recall, and he’d have to be his own “purchase.”) It’s just not a reasonable or relevant suggestion.”

I disagree. Once you have an IP, studios can be hired. Quantic Dream worked exclusively for Sony for years, same way Bluepoint and Housemarque are now. After years of swimming in the DNA of the Uncharteds, SotC and Demons Souls remakes...who’s to say Bluepoint can’t handle a Castlevania and Housemarque can’t handle some bullethell Contra?

Until Dawn wasn’t made in-house and neither was Sackboy which comes out Nov. Judgment was Sega. Kojima teamed with Sony for Death Stranding, who’s to say he wouldn’t do it again to finish PT?

Questions TC could be asking are, what could Metal Gear look like through the eyes of Naughty Dog? Media Molecule will need a gig after Dreams and I don’t think Japan studio are making another Gravity Rush. There’s spots to fill.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

My unpopular opinion is that MGS has had its run and needs to finally be taken out back and shot, but otherwise, I agree wholeheartedly. I'd love to see a new Castlevania for sure! Maybe even a new Silent Hill. If Sony either bought Konami or one or more of their IPs, these games could actually happen.

[I_am_Batman]

Sony should continue to invest into the growth of the studios they already own and from time to time make a reasonable acquisition of a studio that they've been working with for many years. That's how they've done it for a long time. There is no reason for a kneejerk reaction and quite frankly it could end up being counterproductive.

Let's not forget that Microsoft is not the only corporation that can make these kinds of deals. If those acquisitions spiral out of control Google, Amazon and Apple might want to get involved and before you know it, a good portion of the major publishers could be in the hands of these mega corporations.

[Battlestar23]

Microsoft now have 2 to 3 times the 1st party studios that Sony have. While Sony will be having 1-2 1st part titles a year Microsoft will have like 7-8 games a year.

[IRetrouk]

🤔
16+16=32
16+16+16=48

Sony = 16
Ms = 23

[potatoseal]

That's a flat out lie. Sony will have 3 -4 1st party massive titles a year. Also, Sony have 15 studios and MS have now 23.

Many studios that Microsoft own are small and don't do massive AAA games. Now though they have the Bethesda collection which games will most likely come to PS5 anyway, let alone PC. They have MULTIPLAT studios. All games will go to PC.

Sony have REAL exclusives and the pedigree of their studios and their games speaks for themselves. THIS is why PS5 is the popular choice and will win next gen. It's because of the quality Sony deliver.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

MS should have had way more games per gen with their previously acquired studios. See my above post. Studios are worthless unless they're actually put to use, and Sony actually uses studios they acquire.

[TheScotsman]

Delusional Battlestar23.

[dietis_h]

someone needs to learn math101 again.

[TheTony316]

They have more now but none of their studios comes even close to Santa Monica or Naughty Dog.

[waverider]

I hope not. Buying studios like that is not the path. Nobody wants a company with monopoly. Competition isnt that. Creating studios and getting small studios is one thing. Now getting EA or Activision.... or somenthing like that.

[Elda]

"Nor do they need to" is absolutely correct. Sony has absolutely nothing to worry about.

[AuraAbjure]

Sony will kill it with PS5 probably just like last gen. They said they plan to do the same stuff all over again.

[DarkZane]

If Sony buy anybody, it's going to be Bluepoint games and/or Housemarque.

[Father__Merrin]

sony are in the lead by a mile its another stupid article that says now bethesda is bought no more sony

[danny818]

As an Xbox fan xbox is simply catching up. Idk why people are so upset about this. How ever, they have been making crazy moves all current gen and we should see the fruits of their labor next gen. Every one wins

[AnnaDea]

Microsoft bought Rare.

Enough said what happened there.

[S2Killinit]

No need to retaliate. They should nurture their own studios as they have been doing all along, and they will still have the must have games of the generation.

[kayoss]

Sony dont need to do anything. They have well established and well proven studios that they own. Their studios have proven time after time that they can deliver a AAA game. The only thing Sony needs to do is make sure that they dont become complacent, continue to deliver high quality games with the studios they already own, have varieties of games they release, and maybe increase the exclusives per year.
Any Playstation owners knows that Sony dont need to worry about proving anything to their fanbase.

if anything, Xbox have a lot to gain but also have a lot to lose. why? They have to prove to everyone that they can produce high quality games from the studios they acquired so far. In addition, make sure they dont drive the studios that theyve acquired into the ground.

[SIdepocket]

It seems the editorial staff at Forbes doesn't know the definition of the word "literally".

[AnotherGamer]

Are you serious lol?

[Whitey2k]

If they have say 40 billion to spend they can easily purchase parent company of rockstar amd include capcom. But to save them abit of money they could atleast buy ubisoft and capcom

[anast]

One one hand, we have the fine arts of gaming (Sony) and on the other we have the "Walmart Supercenter" of gaming (MS Xbox). I don't see an art museum competing with the cheap paintings that can be found at a supercenter and I don't see a supercenter producing fine art. They both offer different things.

[Bennibop]

Sony don't need to match Microsoft but we know they are looking to aquistions. Think its is likely we see one or more studios joining the family such as House marque, Supermassive, sumo or Bluepoint. And with all the murmurings about Konami it maybe they are looking to purchase ips and licensing them back.

[Mrmartir305]

I hate playstation fanboys when they say I hope the Xbox fails and goes out of business. Y'all obviously are stupid af if you think PlayStation shouldn't have competition . You 🤡🤡🤡

[CaptainObvious878]

Nintendo...?

Also, I want GOOD competition. MS is a cancer on the industry, though, as their recent buyout has indicated.

Imagine if they used that 7.5 billion to cultivate, nurture and expand and create their own devs teams.

[jbull]

The most realistic studios they could buy are Bluepoint and Housemarque and invest in the studios to bring them up to AAA standard. An ambitious one would be Konami especially the gaming division as they are not doing a whole pile console wise, not sure do they do mobile etc. getting access to the MGS, Contra, Silent Hills and Zone of Enders franchises and turning out them out in AAA games is a win win.

[MrSec84]

Both Bluepoint and Housemarque are technically already AAA studios, Bluepoint became AAA when they put out their last Remake, which was Shadow of The Colossus.
Returnal is Housemarque's first major AAA game.

It would be great to see Bluepoint make their own new project, whether it's a new IP or a unique game from a Sony owned franchise that has laid dormant for a time.
Capcom or Square could be within Sony's reach and they wouldn't have the issues of trade laws for foreign companies preventing for attempting a deal in Japan, it all depends on whether Capcom or Square wants to be bought. Platinum Games are privately owned, Sony could certainly afford to buy them and we know they're capable at making a variety of kinds of games.

[ThereGoThatManQ]

Wasn’t everyone just talking about how shite Beth has been but now it’s the best acquisition.....

[CaptainObvious878]

Yeah, funny that.

I'm still a little mad about this latest blatant buyout, but I still recognise bethesda has gone to sh*t, so it hurts a little less.

For me personally, if Bethesda release their next FO and ES games with their same decades old clunky, buggy engine, then absolutely nothing of value will be lost.

[ThereGoThatManQ]

They have done it for the last 3 gens! They keep shoving us the same stuff over and over I PERSONALLY loved FO3 and Oblivion. Everything after that was meh to me. I didn’t see the heart anymore.

I have both consoles and plan to get both for this upcoming gem but Xbox has shown me that I can wait till 2023 for them.

Any game being made currently is not going to have the next gen feel I just know it from their track record UNLESS they push back the release so they can revamp with MSFT

[CaptainObvious878]

I really enjoyed skyrim too, but retrospectively understood how flawed it was.

If they used a new engine it might have a next gen feel, but I sincerely doubt they will spend the time making a new engine.

I doubt it even more so now that MS has acquired them. Why you ask? Because GamePass is their top priority and they need to pump out another Elder Scrolls game as quickly as possible. They're aren't going to recoup the 7.5 bil if they take the huge amount of time and money it will mean for a new current gen engine. They're going to use the assets they bought.

[tombfan]

Instead of spending 7.5 billion dollars, Sony can make 75 new games (because they're costing about 100 million each right now)

[isarai]

I just find it funny that there was so much hate for Bethesda (and rightfully so) but now that MS owns them it's the best thing ever lol.

[neomahi]

And as part of their license renewal with MLB, they have develop The Show for Xbox, that's not fair, and that's not how business is done. Not that Microsoft cares because they don't, that's gratitude for ya. But, it's not a huge loss to Sony. I, personally, don't play Bethesda games, and who knows how many of your average gamers do. But a 7 billion dollar acquisition, Microsoft could've bought a console for their fans with that money or think of all the homeless they could've taken care of or assisted with jobless people with that much money. Sheesh.

[Phantom68]

I think one thing seems to have gone amiss here. Sony is already doubling up on their own studios by increasing and often doubling the manpower in each of their main studios. San Diego, Santa Monica, Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, etc.are some that have had increased investment in manpower so they branch out on 2 separate projects at the same time whilst sharing resources. Each of this studio is now working on more than one triple A game. If you recall Sony did say that they will grow their studio organically as well as acquiring external studios that fit with their portfolio. They do not have to match Microsoft like for like and buy huge horsepower. They can continue growing their own studios so each one can make more than one or two games in a console generation whilst also acquiring a medium size studio if it fits with their portfolio. I do agree that Sony does need an RPG studio to support their list of first-party titles but even if they acquire (or build one) they will never be able to match the deal Microsoft has one. Let's be honest, there are better things Sony can do with 7.5 billion dollars. Bethesda games are likely to be either timed exclusives or multiplatform, at least those big titles that sell millions of copies will be. It is in Microsoft interest to recoup the money spent and given they keep on saying their agenda is not to sell hardware than I struggle to understand how can they make money back by simpling offering Zenimax games only on Game Pass. They would need an additional revenue stream (like they did with Minecraft), even if it is from the PC and Switch only. As I said before I could not care less. about this deal. I have a high-end gaming rig with a top of the range I9 CPU and an RTX 30 with M2 SSDs and maxed out on RAM. I can play anything I like at 4k 60fps and if I want to play a Bethesda game I would play it on PC, not on a console however I would still need a PS5 if I want to play Horizon, Spiderman or any other exclusive Sony will develop.

[Thundercat77]

Sony first party studios are on a league of their own. I don't see any thread from Bethesta. They have popular games and Playstation gamers may miss them if Microsoft decide to restrict them but Playstation is still going to soar and dominate the market.

[Miacosa]

Well Microsoft has tons of cash so Sony cannot get into a bidding war strictly on a monetary basis.

[Kakashi Hatake]

"Tons of cash" isn't going to help them win the war. Not everyone is for sale. Bethesda was drowning from not doing well this generation. Nothing sold well outside of Fallout 4.Playstation is bigger than Xbox regardless. Xbox fans are forgetting Playstation is an international brand and that 115m PS4 users aren't going to abandon their digital libraries. 8th gen was the worst gen for any of the manufacturers to come in last place.

[Thatgrammar]

Series question: Why do lots of people say Gamepass is amazing and Playstation has nothing like it?

I agree that Gamepass is great and has lots to offer people in the way of games, but Playstation does have PSNow. You can stream select ps1/ps2/ps3/ps4 games and download any PS4 game thats on there. The only difference between the two, and its a pretty sizable difference, is the day one launch of all xbox 1st party games on the service. PSNow does not launch PS 1st party games day one, but it does launch them eventually on the service to be available for 3 or more months at a time. For example, God Of War, Uncharted 4, and Spiderman to name a few. They launched Spiderman on PSNow about a year after it came out. The 3rd party offerings on Gamepass and PSNow are quite similar. For example, they both have Resident Evil 7 biohazard right now and other high profile games. On PSNow you can stream any game to try it out and if you like it you can download it (as long as its a PS1/2/4 game). The two services are very comparable with the big difference being the fact that you get all of Microsoft 1st party games the day they release. Thats great, but how is PSNow not comparable? Its the same thing excluding the day one exclusives isn’t it? Just thought Id ask this since I have seen it repeated so often (even in this article).

[Kakashi Hatake]

Of course the Xbots will ignore this...

[jambola]

what would eve be lost if bethesda went exclusive to MS?
doom
anything else?

[GamingSinceForever]

Sony won’t have any problems with pushing out great games. What they will have problems with is game pricing because MS is looking to get as many big name games under their subscription service as possible right now.

[Petebloodyonion]

Why would Sony need to buy more studios?
So they can sell you more exclusive games in the same month?
PPL seems to forget what Sony tried and fail during the Ps3 day when they released 1 game per month for a year ( I think they called it the year of exclusives
That several games underperformed because ppl don't buy all the games and will spend premium money on 1 or 2 games per year.
In that regards having more exclusives AAA games will surely make the Playstation 5 more attractive but it won't translate into profit from the sales of 1st party game.

[Kakashi Hatake]

But Capcom, Konami, and Square

[MADGameR]

SONY still has the much better games AND they sell more.

[PlayStation47]

They all ready did with insomniac. Way better games and more fun to play

[plmkoh]

There is no need to 'retaliate' when you are the industry leader. Your competitors having to spend 7.5billion in baggage is just validation of your 10 year strategy.

[BehindTheRows]

Though I think Sony will eventually have to, somewhat, play ball here, I've said this before. It's an admittance of defeat in a certain realm and Sony remains in the much better position going forward.

[jznrpg]

Well I disagree they could but don’t need to

[walkincarpet]

wow, good to see Sony’s online army hard at work pumping up their exclusives. Here’s a question if they are so good why do you spend so much energy promoting them and attacking other platforms? As a Xbox gamer I just don’t have the time - too busy playing the best multiplayer games on the best system with the best controller on the best network. And now I can finally add best single player as well. Got to hand it to Demon Souls is a gem, but the others aren’t as great as you make them out to be - Tomb Raider is better than Uncharted. LOU2 went down the toilet. Your future is still bright with GOW, Spidey, Horizon, but carrying on how they are in different league than Halo, Gears, Forza, MFS... please stop drinking the koolaid, stop bugging everyone, and start playing your single player cinematic masterpieces.

[masterfox]

lol massive XD, both have IP's that are big sellers, still is it really Bethesda and MS that big to compete against Sony PLaystation?, hmm lets see some facts then, for example Fallout 4 sales , in total this franchise has sold since 2015 up to 13 plus million copies but this includes PS, Xbox and PC, and now for Sony , PS4 God of War released two years ago sales goes up to 10 million I think is even more now, and this is only just in one console and I only mentioning just one exclusive, now imagine the other PS exclusives ;), hell see for for example Ghost of Tsushima up to this point has almost sold over 3 million copies and probably even more, and this is a brand new IP, not even mentioning TLOU, Horizon, Bloodborne, Uncharted , Rachet and Clank, oh and there is a little racing game Gran Turismo and I only just mention a few exclusives, all of them million seller IPs, and new IPs are coming hur hur.

So again ask your self the question , does Sony need to be worried? not one bit imo. :D

Playstation success is because how they handle their exclusives, keep creating new impressive exclusive IPs, help developers investing in them to create new IP's as well, keep investing in new gaming technology, Playstation has never ever depend of multiplatform games for their success or to sell a systems, Nintendo has maintain a position in this gaming industry not because multiplatform games is because their exclusives too(see for example Zelda and the Switch), MS xbox is trying to maintain it self in this game industry just with old games, and multiplatform games and guess what that will be its demise.

[OhReginald]

Konami and Kojima Prodcutions acquisition would be so effin perfect.

[Jayszen]

Playstation is part of a division (SIE) within Sony. Playstation alone cannot even come close to MS when it comes to buying power. However, it's owner Sony, though only a quarter of the size MS is when comparing total equity ($35bn vs, $118bn), is cash rich and could front up the kind of money needed to buy something that could equal Bethesda.

But Sony does not have to. Over 25 years, Sony has bought, created and either merged, consolidated or sold-off studios while producing tons of great exclusive games to end up at the present time with 13 excellent studios, 7 of which were created and 6 were established studios bought by Sony, the latest of which is Insomniac. All of the studios are supported by ICE on technology creation and sharing, many of them have multiple teams working on several projects at the same time. Sony is better off spending money improving the existing studios and creating more development teams.

Microsoft has also bought studios but has not had the success Sony has and it is hard to think of more than 2 or 3 that have sustained success and the present generation was the worst with very few exclusives and the console reliant mostly on multi-platform games. In other words, MS had to buy Bethesda.
I expect that Fallout, Doom, Wolfenstein, etc. will no longer be available on Playstation at some point. In addition, I can't expect its shareholders will be happy that MS invested $7.5bn just so that all the new games from 8 major studios can be on Gamepass. A price hike has got to be on the cards.

[TheTony316]

Sony should continue investing in their own studios. MS has more studios now but none of those come even close to naughty dog, sucker punch, guerilla, santa monica etc.

[Ulf]

Lol. "Nor do they need to".

Okay because yeah.. the console maker on top doesn't need to try harder. Consoles have demonstrated such brand loyalty as to make that such a clearly truthy-fact-like statement.

/s