Rumor : Sony to acquire Quantic Dreams

[starcraft]

CGI-Quality said:

starcraft said:

CGI-Quality said:

Rainbird said:

I don't hope it's true, Quantic Dream needs to be a free studio, although Sony are definitely a great place for them to be. If they must be purchased, Sony is the right one to do so, but it's not ideal.

With Sony, they are free, which is one of the main reasons devs like working with them so much. I think for the kind of company Sony is and the types of games Quantic produces, the acquisition would be quite ideal.

I think that is naive.  Microsoft is clearly too dominearing in directing it's devs, but working for Sony is nothing like being an independent dev.  Sony only acquires you to fill a perceived current or future gap in their line-up, and that is the position you're then expected to occupy.

It isn't naive, because it doesn't mean what you thought.

First, I don't know (and neither do you) what stipulations are put on acquired devs. I do think they acquire any team that seems diverse enough and gets along well enough with the PlayStation family to help differentiate their brand.

Second, when working with Sony, there's definitely a freedom to create whatever it is you wish to create. That's actually a far cry from "working with Sony is the same as being independent", which isn't what I said.

You directly corrolated the situation under Sony as being identical to "Rainbird's" 'free' situation as an independent.

If by "a" freedom you mean 'some' freedom and also 'less freedom' by definition than any independent developer, then I agree with you.  If you truly believe what you clearly stated, that there is no differences (or even no substantial differences) between the freedom of independent developers and the freedom of Sony first parties then that, clearly, is naive.

Sony is ultimately a business (sometimes quite a ruthless one) and firms are purchased as part of a business plan.  The diversity you speak of is across the entire stable of Sony titles, with each acquired dev required, at least to some extent, to fit the game plan.