@kitler53: Maybe so, but that's emotional and not logical. I think Microsoft just can't win in terms of PR. If they contract out to a third party developer, they will be hated for moneyhatting. If they bought a third party developer, they would be guilty of throwing their money around. If they even help a third party get started in exchange for some support but still allowing them their independence, like they did for Mistwalker, they're still moneyhatting according to a lot of people.
Sony, on the other hand, gets tons of credit and goodwill for everything they touch, even something like LittleBigPlanet, which was the work of a third party, Media Molecule. When they do this, though, it is for some reason seen as "cultivating relationships" or something else more nuanced than naked moneyhatting.
Funnily enough, it was Sony who started this business of mega corporations muscling in on the game industry. Sega suffered a lot of self-inflicted wounds, to be sure, but it was Sony who dealt them their death blow. So I will admit, it's hard for me to feel bad for poor Sony (or their fans) if they don't get a few games due to being outspent by another company.
