NawaiNey said:
There's nothing wrong with buying a development studio. It's just hiring people to make games for you at the end of the day, whether you find them indivdually or a ready made unit is immaterial. The difference between Sony and MS is that Sony funds games from the ground up, that's obvious for the first party studios as they're just subsidiaries of Sony. But even in the case of a game like Bloodborne, it was Sony who brought the idea of the game to FromSoftware and asked them to make the game. As in the games Sony puts out wouldn't exist without Sony's involvement. And very often Sony funds games that other publishers just flat out won't. Sony has funded more new IPs this generation than MS, Activision, Nintendo, EA, Ubisoft, etc. all put together. MS on the otherhand usually comes in and buys exclsuivity for games already in development, as in the game was going to be made with or without MS, so in the end gamers gain absolutely nothing, on the contrary anyone not playing on a MS platform ends up losing out on a game they would've gotten if not for MS. One company is using it's money to fund new games that wouldn't otherwise get made, while the other is using it's money to deprive most gamers of games they were getting before MS came into the picture. |
I agree that buying studios is fine. As well as moneyhat deals. And timed exclusive deals. However, others here disagree. Or, I should say, disagree when Microsoft is the one writing the check.
The only real difference between the two when they make these deals is that Sony demands the IP in return and MS does not. Microsoft has helped completely fund games just like Sony. And they've both also funded games that would have come anyway. As far as Bloodborne is concerned, of course Sony asked for another Souls type game. Reading the directors interviews on inspiration and the development process I don't get the idea that the game was Sonys "idea" and that he and his team were just designers making Sonys vision. I mean... it's a Souls game. Developers come to publishers with ideas, publishers go to developers, Sony wanted an exclusive game so they turned to a reliable partner to make a game with a formula that had proven to be successful. Nothing wrong with that. Unless it's Microsoft I guess, according to some.
Can I see your list of new IPs funded by all of these companies? I saw a list recently of stuff that has been released so far and it was 12 for MS and 16 IIRC for Sony. Are you implying EA, Ubisoft, Activision, Nintendo, and "etc" have only funded 3 new IPs this gen? Ubisoft has Child of Light, Watch Dogs, Division, and For Honor alone right off the top of my head. And Steep, and The Crew. Probably missing some others. Don't even need to get into Nintendo, Activision, EA, or "etc".
I don't know of a game Microsoft has handled like Street Fighter V, or a DLC deal they made like Destiny. Both of those fall into the category you're describing of taking stuff that was already coming and making it not playable for other gamers. Closest thing is Tomb Raider... but PC/PS players got that, and in superior form with more content. You talk as if they do it all the time though, what are you referring to?
