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[Reuters] Exclusive-Sony in talks to buy media powerhouse behind 'Elden Ring', sources say

Hypereides

Gold Member
I gotta admit, that would be a huge get for Sony.

mgebXlo.png
I wager this is more Nishino's doing than Hulst.
 

vkbest

Member
They're not trading at 3,745 yen per share
Nope, this is the reason:


Also:

 
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RaZoR No1

Member
Microsoft would never buy Kadakawa as a whole as it makes literally ZERO sense to buy them.


Scroll down to their companies and you'd see that pretty much everything Kadakawa does, is of no interest to Microsoft. Only the gaming section is of relevance.
Never to late to start something in new areas ...

What is the reason Kadokawa wants to sell?
Bad business? Money issues?
 

ergem

Member
Those are some great points. However, I am not holding my breath for the bolded, unless the market penalizes this behaviour of releasing unoptimized crap and From's horrendous optimization record will persist.

The lack of optimization in japanese software is truly baffling. This year we got Metaphor (a game I actually hope wins GoTY), which is a prime example of this. It runs like crap (especially considering how it looks) and I do not know why it does not have the option for even basic post-process AA techniques like SMAA or FXAA. P5R had SMAA if I recall correctly.
They could use Decima engine with Guerilla support. At least Sony now can mandate such change.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
They could use Decima engine with Guerilla support. At least Sony now can mandate such change.

Forcing a studio as big as From to stop using their own engine and move to another. Sounds like a genius move.

PC support will remain day one, no matter what and that is where I personally have played every From game outside of BB / Demons souls remake so I have no issue with this purchase as long as it doesnt stifle any creativity. I also think Sony aren't stupid enough to dictate anything to Miyazaki so there shouldnt really be any issues.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Nope, this is the reason:


Also:


You have comprehension issues.

Your second link should show you that this is very much about FromSoftware.

Sony has been trying to get their hooks into them for sometime now.

Again, if Sony just wanted a partner for anime/manga there are much better options.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Forcing a studio as big as From to stop using their own engine and move to another. Sounds like a genius move.

PC support will remain day one, no matter what and that is where I personally have played every From game outside of BB / Demons souls remake so I have no issue with this purchase as long as it doesnt stifle any creativity. I also think Sony aren't stupid enough to dictate anything to Miyazaki so there shouldnt really be any issues.

I would absolutely not count on day 1 launches on PC.

Sony will suggest to Miyazaki that he let Nixxes take over PC ports and I'm sure he will gladly accept.

The more technical work FromSoftware can offload, the more creative work they can do.

FromSoftware + Bluepoint + Nixxes forms a great trifecta of development and support, but it also probably means no day 1 on PC.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I would absolutely not count on day 1 launches on PC.

Sony will suggest to Miyazaki that he let Nixxes take over PC ports and I'm sure he will gladly accept.

The more technical work FromSoftware can offload, the more creative work they can do.

FromSoftware + Bluepoint + Nixxes forms a great trifecta of development and support, but it also probably means no day 1 on PC.
I would welcome the acquisition for that reason alone. Nixxes has been an amazing acquisition for Sony. FROMs PC ports have been pretty bad overall. Elden Ring performs like shit on PC. A few performance mods almost fix it.
 

ComboBongo

Neo Member
You have comprehension issues.

Your second link should show you that this is very much about FromSoftware.

Sony has been trying to get their hooks into them for sometime now.

Again, if Sony just wanted a partner for anime/manga there are much better options.
Why does it always have to be one or the other? It was the same with the ABK acquisition with people arguing over what the reason was for the acquisition etc. I think this would help Sony in multiple areas, just how ABK helps Microsoft in multiple ways.
 

midnightAI

Member
I just want the gaming part to remain "the" most important.

Maybe I'm too twitchy with the alarm bells, but the lack of care in acquisitions is ultimately what sealed Microsoft's fate.
I get the alarm there, PlayStation hasn't always made the right decisions when it comes to acquisitions (the main bad deals being part of the GaaS initiative but they knew the risks there hence the separate budget).

Microsoft's issue was the purchase of publishers rather than individual studios. Buying a publisher means you purchase all the studios under it, warts and all, which can be a problem if not run right.
 

ProtoByte

Weeb Underling
I would absolutely not count on day 1 launches on PC.

Sony will suggest to Miyazaki that he let Nixxes take over PC ports and I'm sure he will gladly accept.

The more technical work FromSoftware can offload, the more creative work they can do.

FromSoftware + Bluepoint + Nixxes forms a great trifecta of development and support, but it also probably means no day 1 on PC.
I don't even want this kind of logistical confusion. If Sony owns a studio, their output should be exclusive, full stop. Harder to implement that policy with a studio like FS.
 
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ergem

Member
Forcing a studio as big as From to stop using their own engine and move to another. Sounds like a genius move.
It is a genius move. New modern tools and Guerilla support will keep things fresh and exciting inside the studio. And the prospect of better looking and better performing end results.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly

I would absolutely not count on day 1 launches on PC.

Sony will suggest to Miyazaki that he let Nixxes take over PC ports and I'm sure he will gladly accept.

The more technical work FromSoftware can offload, the more creative work they can do.

FromSoftware + Bluepoint + Nixxes forms a great trifecta of development and support, but it also probably means no day 1 on PC.

Hahaha! You guys are crazy. Sony would dictate From leaving out their largest target audience?

They would be castrated all over the internet if they stopped day one PC support for From games. You are living in a dream world or a public execution of Sony if they did this.
 

ComboBongo

Neo Member
It is a genius move. New modern tools and Guerilla support will keep things fresh and exciting inside the studio. And the prospect of better looking and better performing end results.
There's nothing genius about forcing anything on a creative team. Now if they're open to it and can see the benefits then sure, it can happen.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Hahaha! You guys are crazy. Sony would dictate From leaving out their largest target audience?

They would be castrated all over the internet if they stopped day one PC support for From games. You are living in a dream world or a public execution of Sony if they did this.

Yeah, and Sony cares about that so much that they've stopped the PSN login requirement on Steam... Oh wait...

Bloodborne - No PC release
Demon's Souls - No PC release

But you're CONVINCED Sony would keep DAY ONE releases going forward?

I wouldn't bet on it.

From with the help of Bluepoint can pump out games without having to worry about optimizing on PC. Nixxes can do all of that, but it does come with a delay.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Why does it always have to be one or the other? It was the same with the ABK acquisition with people arguing over what the reason was for the acquisition etc. I think this would help Sony in multiple areas, just how ABK helps Microsoft in multiple ways.

It does help Sony in multiple ways and I think that's why they're looking to buy Kadokawa and not just FromSoftware.

That being said the reason they're coming to the table is clearly FromSoftware. There are a multitude of better companies to get into bed with for anime/manga that would be more beneficial than Kadokawa.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Yeah, and Sony cares about that so much that they've stopped the PSN login requirement on Steam... Oh wait...

Bloodborne - No PC release
Demon's Souls - No PC release

But you're CONVINCED Sony would keep DAY ONE releases going forward?

I wouldn't bet on it.

From with the help of Bluepoint can pump out games without having to worry about optimizing on PC. Nixxes can do all of that, but it does come with a delay.

Want to make a bet on it? if the sale goes through?

BB is 10 years old in march and was before From really, really went huge with Elden Ring. Demons souls is an ancient remake.
 

vkbest

Member
You have comprehension issues.

Your second link should show you that this is very much about FromSoftware.

Sony has been trying to get their hooks into them for sometime now.

Again, if Sony just wanted a partner for anime/manga there are much better options.
Elder ring first video was streamed 6 months after those news. From games were niche previous to Elder ring.

You are overrating From Software.
 
There is in no way Sony will keep FromSoft games exclusive, FromSoft will be like Bungie, entirely separate doing their own stuff, not a part of SIE California. Also I do hope Nixxes/XDEV help FromSoft to get PC (and in general) optimized builds for their games.

Exciting times ahead.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Elder ring first video was streamed 6 months after those news. From games were niche previous to Elder ring.

You are overrating From Software.

Niche?

First off, you can't discount Elden Ring (not Elder ring). It sold over 25 or 30 million copies.

Second, the Dark Souls franchise has sold nearly 30 million copies.

Third, Bloodborne has sold over 8 million copies.

Throw in Demon's Souls and they're over 70 million copies.

Can you find me another studio that has done that since 2009?
 

Radical_3d

Member
There is in no way Sony will keep FromSoft games exclusive, FromSoft will be like Bungie, entirely separate doing their own stuff, not a part of SIE California. Also I do hope Nixxes/XDEV help FromSoft to get PC (and in general) optimized builds for their games.

Exciting times ahead.
That worked so well with Bungie…
You Got Me GIF by HULU
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
Not a fan of third party acquisition unless that third party is almost entirely working with the platform holder anyway or the third party is broke. I won't be championing this at all.
 

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Dark souls remaster making a lot of sense right now
It actually doesn't since the IP and the publishing rights are owned by Bandai Namco and not FromSoft or their parent company.

 

SweetTooth

Gold Member
And also Sega and Squaresoft. Consolidate. Unify the big Japanese developers against the giant Bethesda and activision of MS.
That would be overkill, this acquisition will send bigger waves to the core gaming audience than anything MS did with Activision.

Look how MS-Acti turned like a small fart in the wind!

This in the other hand.. oh boy look at the tears that started flowing 🤣
 

ToadMan

Member
This rumor has been around for a while - personally I stick to the line that we never hear about this stuff via leaks. Too much money and legal issues involved, so for me, this isn't happening because this rumor has surfaced. It's probably a hopium rumor to counteract the MS comment about more acquisitions.

But, setting the above aside, this is the deal that would unlock Bloodborne surely.

There can be no other reason for it to have been in limbo for so long - there must be something contractual blocking it from getting through, whether it's Sony wanting the IP to go a way From don't want - staying exclusive probably - or From holding some key IP and refusing to let Sony get a port or remake team on it.
 
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GHG

Member
Hahaha! You guys are crazy. Sony would dictate From leaving out their largest target audience?

They would be castrated all over the internet if they stopped day one PC support for From games. You are living in a dream world or a public execution of Sony if they did this.

Demons Souls Remake didn't release day one on PC and it still doesn't have a port. Same with Bloodborne.

I'm yet to see this so called "castration" and "public execution".
 

Z O N E

Member
Doesnt mean Sony couldn't very easily continue with the multi platform releases that From currently do. Thats up to Sony if they do buy them, but it wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if they continue with multplatform for a majority of releases (like I said, unless they make a Bloodborne 2, which I think will be PS exclusive)

I mean, they COULD, but was just pointing out the difference in situations.

Never to late to start something in new areas ...

What is the reason Kadokawa wants to sell?
Bad business? Money issues?

There is ZERO reason for Microsoft to get into selling books online. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

Bojji

Member
Demons Souls Remake didn't release day one on PC and it still doesn't have a port. Same with Bloodborne.

I'm yet to see this so called "castration" and "public execution".

BB wasn't touched by Sony since DLC landed (2015). They don't give a fuck about it, new Horizon remasters and spin offs are more important.

One good thing from acquisition like that could be: maybe finally From games will run good on consoles?
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Demons Souls Remake didn't release day one on PC and it still doesn't have a port. Same with Bloodborne.

I'm yet to see this so called "castration" and "public execution".

Completely different, but you know that.

If Elden Ring 2 was announced on one platform. You will see how the world responds.
 

kaizenkko

Member
BB wasn't touched by Sony since DLC landed (2015). They don't give a fuck about it, new Horizon remasters and spin offs are more important.

One good thing from acquisition like that could be: maybe finally From games will run good on consoles?
If Sony adquires From, all their games will be fully localize (dub and sub) in basically all markets. For exemple, in Brazil the only From Softwate game who got dub is Bloodborne.
 

vkbest

Member
Niche?

First off, you can't discount Elden Ring (not Elder ring). It sold over 25 or 30 million copies.

Elden Ring released in 2022, first video was streamed in the second quarter of 2021.

Stock price in the first quarter of 2021 was already over 2000 yen after Sony invested and over 3000 yen when Tencent invested too. You said previous to Elden Ring, the price of stocks were around 800 yen. I'm proving you are wrong.

Second, the Dark Souls franchise has sold nearly 30 million copies.

Why then Kadokawa stocks were around 600-800 yen? you are contradicting yourself.

Third, Bloodborne has sold over 8 million copies.

Throw in Demon's Souls and they're over 70 million copies.

Can you find me another studio that has done that since 2009?

Anyway, why are you mixing Sony IP games as a main stock price factor?
 
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Banjo64

cumsessed
That would be overkill, this acquisition will send bigger waves to the core gaming audience than anything MS did with Activision.

Look how MS-Acti turned like a small fart in the wind!

This in the other hand.. oh boy look at the tears that started flowing 🤣
At first I thought you were just a troll but I can’t lie you’ve grown on me over time. The blatantly erotic love you hold for Sony and your desire to see everyone else fail is actually quite refreshing.
 

Larivel

Member

Sony got scared
 
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