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Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

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Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#411

Post by grawprog »

nonbirithm wrote: post #311
tinus_hn wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For these big conglomerates, the trendy thing is to have your own games store. Complete with exclusivity deals How else are they going to get people to use these stores?

Also the fact that the Epic Games Store exists is a step towards countering Steam's monopoly on mainstream titles. People complain about the loss of functionality like screenshots or the in-game browser when using Epic. And there are exclusivity deals. Complaints against those things are valid, and the actual implementation of the storefront needs a lot of improvement, but I'm wondering if a Steam monopoly would have…

>if a Steam monopoly would have been any better for consumers and developers.

Well steam runs on and is actively supported on linux, Epic takes games that used to support linux then removes linux support and makes the games exclusive to their store.

So for me personally, a steam monopoly would be better. The epic game store's existence has actually caused games to be removed from the platform I use. It's taken away choice from me. If it stopped existing, I'd be happy.

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#412

Post by acolumb »

francis_t_catte wrote: post #22

Soon we'll just have Microsoft, Epic, and a conglomeration of EA, Activision, and Ubisoft after Bobby Kotick forces them all to merge. Facebook will bungle up any chance they have of capturing the gaming market after writing a cryptic paragraph about their legal right to request blood samples from all Oculous users in the TOS. Valve will quietly exit software development altogether, and pivot to building custom vanit…

I find that funny when Among Us (indie) and Fall Guys (also indie) are some of the highest-trending games at the moment.

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#413

Post by mattmanser »

RealStickman_ wrote: post #391
mattmanser wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fallout 4 was a massive hit and they've got a new franchise about to come out (Starfield). Wolfenstein + Dishonored have consistently sold well. In May 2016, 5 years after Skyrim was released, it was valued at $2.5 billion, now it's being bought 4 years later for $7.5 billion. I appreciate some Bethesda fans have a weird agenda, but you are wrong. Also, Starfield has been written in an overhauled engine, so again, wr…

> ... stop the small minority of rabid fans that keep on harping about their imagined deficiencies of the creation engine with every new Bethesda game. Seeing as there are still some ancient problems with CreationKit (physics over 60fps, widescreen support, etc), I'll be interested to see how much they will overhaul it and how many old bugs will have to be fixed by the community (see nexusmods "Universal Patch" for a…

The creationkit games are one of the few that have the two critical components that allow this, mod support and extensive modding communities.

It's easy to have no fixes, when it can't be fixed.

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#414

Post by b3kart »

lifty wrote: post #107
Firebrand wrote: post #84

Bethesda Games are not going not be exclusive to Xbox -- Confirmed by Todd Howard: >Like our original partnership, this one is about more than one system or one screen. We share a deep belief in the fundamental power of games, in their ability to connect, empower, and bring joy. And a belief we should bring that to everyone - regardless of who you are, where you live, or what you play on. Regardless of the screen siz…

While statements like these are common when mergers/buyouts happen, the final decision down the line will not be his to make. Not saying that things will not happen as he states, but it shouldn't be seen as a certainty.

Yep. Don't make promises when the outcome is not up to you. See [1] for many examples of acquired companies going back on such statements.

[1]: https://ourincrediblejourney.tumblr.com/

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#415

Post by lapetitejort »

djsumdog wrote: post #211
apatters wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, if you ate McDonald's every day you'd probably think that there are no good restaurants anymore. My top 4 games by playtime in the last few years were Rimworld, Oxygen Not Included, Dwarf Fortress and WoW Classic. Honorable mentions go to Spelunky and Stellaris. It's to everyone's great regret that a single one of these titles was purchased by one of the shitty publishers you mentioned, fortunately it's the one…

There are a lot of great Indie titles, and you can get a lot of them DRM free on Humble or Gog. I've loved a lot of Devolver's stuff. The Red String Club, Hotline Miami I/II, Katana ZERO .. all super incredible games with gameplay and story that's just as fun as the any of the big AAA shops.

Focus Home Interactive publishes some great AA games. I'm very glad publishers like them continue to exist.

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#418

Post by tomc1985 »

pjmlp wrote: post #78
doomlaser wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unity just had its IPO, and the technology is powering a huge fraction of games across all platforms, from recent hit Fall Guys to Pokemon Go, to thousands of indie efforts, not to mention wide adoption in both the AR software industry and as a platform for many AI research projects. I don't know what its financial future will be as the company has been focusing on growth over profit, but it's a significant player. T…

According to Switch data, Unity powers about 50% of its games. It is also the tier1 engine sponsored by Google and Microsoft for their 3D offerings, Godot needs to grow a bit more to reach that level of relevance for game studios, AR/VR companies and Hollywood now looking at Unity.

I wouldn't write off Godot, it may not have the hype or big names but it is seeing swelling support from the indie and garage developer side of things

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#419

Post by lapetitejort »

criddell wrote: post #250
francis_t_catte wrote: post #22

Soon we'll just have Microsoft, Epic, and a conglomeration of EA, Activision, and Ubisoft after Bobby Kotick forces them all to merge. Facebook will bungle up any chance they have of capturing the gaming market after writing a cryptic paragraph about their legal right to request blood samples from all Oculous users in the TOS. Valve will quietly exit software development altogether, and pivot to building custom vanit…

If Epic is successful in their lawsuit against Apple, then I think it's only a matter of time before the consoles will have to allow alternate stores as well. The hardware-is-sold-at-a-loss argument that people like to use to defend closed console stores isn't as convincing when the console makers also own the biggest money making game studios as well. Go Epic, go!

Following from alternate stores on consoles, we're not far away from Valve's SteamBox, i.e. prebuilt PCs marketed for living room play. I'm disappointed the idea never took off.

I would love the game industry to fully embrace Linux. If cloud gaming gains more traction, the industry might just do that. Why develop games to run on custom-built blades in a data center when generic blades exist?

Re: Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5B

#420

Post by noncoml »

mattmanser wrote: post #259
fendy3002 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are more: - paradox interactive - rockstar, which is strong from gta v online and rdr - cd projeckt red, which also get income from gog and hyped cyberpunk - valve won't exit software devs in short time, their investment in vr is big. I won't be surprised if they release vanity knives with lootbox though IMO Bethesda decided to sell to MS because their recent games cannot generate enough popularity. They can on…

Fallout 4 was a massive hit and they've got a new franchise about to come out (Starfield). Wolfenstein + Dishonored have consistently sold well. In May 2016, 5 years after Skyrim was released, it was valued at $2.5 billion, now it's being bought 4 years later for $7.5 billion. I appreciate some Bethesda fans have a weird agenda, but you are wrong. Also, Starfield has been written in an overhauled engine, so again, wr…

> I appreciate some Bethesda fans have a weird agenda, but you are wrong

> small minority of rabid fans that keep on harping about their imagined deficiencies of the creation engine

You post comes across a bit aggressive and insulting.

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