Microsoft

[DirtyP2002]

MS could buy quite a lot studios actually. They have the money to do so.... probably more than ever with the success of Windows 7. Even the EDD made some nice profits the past two years.

As a gamer, I would love to see them buy smaller but highly skilled studios. Here are my Top3:

• Remedy
• Epic Games
• Mistwalker

But as a rational person I think it would be stupid to buy them. Look at Epic Games, their biggest title was Gears of War (2). MS secured it as an exclusive anyway. Both made a lot of money with it. Win/Win situation.

Remedy working on Alan Wake and it will be a Xbox 360 exclusive. Paying for the studio for the past 5 years without seeing ANY revenue at all would be much more expensive than paying for the single game.

Mistwalker made Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Both are Xbox 360 exclusives.

I think the way MS acts is pretty smart. They check independet developers for upcoming games and secure them as exclusives. They avoid the risk of owning a studio. Or they let other indepent companies creat new franchises for them. MS owns the franchise without owning the studio. Infinite Undiscovery is an example for this. Square (TriAce) made the game, MS owns the IP. Or Crackdown in the West as a more successful example