Phil wanted to buy Sega and other companies too

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-explored-buying-sega-bungie-and-io-interactive/

Microsoft has explored the possibility of acquiring Sega, Bungie and IO Interactive in recent years.

In November 2020, Xbox boss Phil Spencer emailed Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company’s CFO Amy Hood, requesting approval to approach Sega Sammy with a view to acquiring its gaming studios.

“We believe that Sega has built a well-balanced portfolio of games across segments with global geographic appeal, and will help us accelerate Xbox Game Pass both on and off-console,” he wrote of the Japanese company in an email seen by The Verge.

Spencer added: “Sega is the most attractive next acquisition target due to its global PC catalog, presence on mobile in Asia, and global brand affinity on console through its classic IP.”

The message was included in internal documents from Microsoft’s ongoing court case against the US Federal Trade Commission, which is seeking to block the Xbox maker’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

While it’s unclear how Nadella responded to Spencer’s request, Sega was also listed on an “M&A final watchlist” document from April 2021.

Bungie, which was later acquired by PlayStation maker Sony, and Zynga, which would go on to merge with Rockstar owner Take-Two in the games industry’s biggest ever completed deal, also appeared on the watchlist.

So too did Hitman maker IO Interactive, Hades developer Supergiant Games, and Pokémon Go studio Niantic. Also under consideration were Thunderful, Playrix and Scopely.

Should Microsoft close the Activision Blizzard acquisition, the deal would dwarf the $12.7 billion Take-Two paid to acquire FarmVille maker Zynga.

Wowza, would you have been ok with that, SW? Sega owns a variety of IPs, Sonic, Yakuza, Total War, Persona and more. Sega also owns the rights to Bayonetta lol.

Heard Phil wanted to buy the fuckn moon.

I was told exclusives are good for the industry. In fact I recall, you made a thread dedicated to the promotion of exclusives. So, at least you would have been OK with this purchase.😎

My argument has always been about competition. but it’s not competition when trying to buy the whole industry 🤣

How is this a surprise? People have been speculating the potential of Microsoft buying Sega for years.

I think Sega would've been a better purchase in terms of expanding Game Pass than Activision.

I'm guessing they decided to just partner with Sega and get the content, which makes sense.

Activision will definitely accelerate the adoption of PC/Mobile Game Pass though

So, I am correct. You would be fine with it because you view exclusives as competition.😎

I’m guessing it’s fine when Sony starves out competition by continually paying big name games to not be on competing systems. Competition baby! 😎😅

Ah, a management team that wants to throw money at the problem.

MBA school must have been tough.

You know the drill.😎

Yea, think about all the good games MS could make with $70billion. Instead, they’re going after Call of Duty, a game people have been calling derivative for years. Come on Phil, wake up!

@Pedro: Yep, time to pay respects at the altar of Sony. 🙏

@SolidGame_basic: Didn’t you get the memo? Jim Ryan literally said that it wasn’t about taking Call of Duty away. 😅

This acquisition really is ruffling the feathers of the Sony faction. It make sense, they are the ones who worship exclusives after all, but now after years of complaining about Xbox lack of, MS went on overdrive just for them.😎

They have been doing it on a daily as of late (soon it would be hourly). Things are rough for the poor lads. I should pray for them but...

I should've listened to Crazy more. Phil is a scumbag!

Right. It was Sony starving out poor Microsoft. It was them who sabotaged MS to not invest in studios and create successful and memorable games. Poor, poor Microsoft.

Well they are investing studios now.😎

@palasta: Sony paying to keep numerous high profile games off Xbox both indefinitely and timed kind of says so. 🤷‍♂️

That doesn't count for..."reasons".😂

@Pedro: Indeed. Funny how that works. 😅

Just shows how bad Sony was dominating MS , that Phil wanted to go on a buying spree, because he lost faith with all the crappy MS studio games.

Pedro + Archie <3 xoxo

This thread should be locked. We have a sticky for related content to the ftc case over AB. Let's not spam the forums with these kinds of redundant threads.

@SolidGame_basic: Look at that deflection. 😅

Translation: My thread backfired and I don't know what to do. 😂

@SolidGame_basic: Phil stated that Sony had paid for over 250 exclusives for the PS4 compared to Xbox's 60 on XB1, obviously not exact numbers, but not far off.

But if MS buys a dev like Bethesda who wouldn't even make close to 50 games in the next 10yrs let alone 250 games, but yet buying the dev is bad, but paying for over 250 exclusives in ONE generation is not, makes the mind boggle how you guys make reasoning out of this 🤣

and what are the 250 exclusives?

@SolidGame_basic: I actually Googled it and found out from eurogamer (not familiar with them) that Sony had over 280 first and thitd party exclusives on the PS4, and they stated that was 5x as many as Xbox One did.

If you want to know the names of them, then you're going to have to look them up as im on my phone and can't post any links.

But im sure you will try an spin it 🤣

You’re the one that made the claim, so back it up 😇

I don't mind exclusives, but I do mind consolidation. How many times do we have to see these mega corporations run talented companies into the ground? If they want to pay for exclusivity, fine. Just stay separate entities.

As for it being Sega specifically, I couldn't care less about any of the properties you mentioned. Maybe a new Condemned would peek my interest, but it would more likely be a another remake.

And this boohoo nonsense with not having access to every game possible is ridiculous. Either nut up and buy the other system, or make a friend that has the other system and swap occasionally. If you really want to play it, the effort will make it that much sweeter. Or if it sucks... much worse 😜

I doubt that most people in management have MBAs or required to have one. Anyways, compentency is more important in management than an advanced business degree.

Why can't these assholes open studios and establish new publishers instead of gobbling up ones that exist?

I mean, I suppose I know the answer: market shares, and when you buy one you remove their ownership from the market and it becomes your own.

But still...I feel like this is why games feel so bland and ordinary now, because we don't make any new studios and stuff, we just make the same shit from the same tired old developers.

HERE you go.

Now let's see if you make a comment or run and hide 🤣

That's if gamers are even that lucky. Bunch of those studios go to waste and we see nothing.

They have been getting their ass kicked and are virtually incapable of forming a decent studio. They also have deep pockets. Everybody saw this coming.

@last_lap: Doesn't mention the games, just MS claim.

I bet they are ignoring the switch when making that claim.

MS was doing that during the 360 generation.

@Chutebox: MS would know which games are being made exclusive. Its not rocket science for the highrr ups to know whats going where.

As for the Switch it was the FTC who decided the Switch wasn't a competitor as their claim is for the high end console market. Yes the FTC is dumb af, but what else is new lol.

@Sagemode87: Sony was doing it back in the PS1 days before MS even made a console.

For example when Tomb Raider released it became a smash hit, Sony then paid for exclusivity of the Tomb Raider franchise for the next 3yrs which spawned at least 2 games, and stopped the Sega Saturn from getting another Tomb Raider game ever again.

280 first and third party. You know the difference between first and third party? Not so sure you do...

62 games are listed on the following page. Many games Sony published to PC missing, like God of War games, HZD, Spiderman, Helldivers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:PlayStation_4-only_games

XboxOne page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Xbox_One-only_games

Nope. They are just buying established Publishers and IPs that previously been multiplat, not really investing into building from the ground and contributing, but excluding on large scale, because MS sucks at managing their studios and creating something meaningful on their own. I know the difference is a mystery to you.

SEGA doesn't have anything. They can be erased (being acquired by MS is pretty much the same thing tbh), and i wouldn't even notice. Outside of PSO and PSU, i don't think i enjoyed anything made by them.

That would've sucked. Not that I play any SEGA games and haven't since 2003, but **** MS.

Love how you guys worship this corporate asshole.

@palasta: The link says the amount of exclusives in 2021, so I was wrong when I said the entire life of PS4, its must worse if we go by the link i provided. Wiki lists means nothing, you can edit any page you want, says all that needs to be said about Wiki.

@SolidGame_basic: You sure that ms are spending 70b on COD alone? Pretty sure there were a pile of companies included in the deal as well.

I asked you for the list of games 😄 you sent me a link where it doesn’t specify the games and you’re telling palasta that his source is worse? Lmao!

The more news like this I see, the more I get the feeling that nice-guy-Phil is the most hardcore system warrrior of all times.

@SolidGame_basic: I provided you with the article that made the claim, my part is done. You seem to trust Eurogamer so I guess you believe this then because they reported it. I mean you made a whole thread over one of their tweets, or do they only matter when they portrait a narrative you like?

You call into question other people’s sources but you’re ok with supporting claims that support your narrative 😎