Sony aquires "Insomniac Games"

[starcraft]

CGI-Quality said:

starcraft said:

I think there is an inherent contradiction in that statement, given Insomniac games have been producing PS exclusives since PS1 without being purchased.

There are new advantages in the current games market environment to making this purchase, including the PR win in light of Microsoft's recent significant purchases, and the reduction of risk - i.e. while I agree with other posters that the value of Insomniac to MS would be less than their value to Sony, an MS purchase given their current attitude would be impossible to rule out.

We would never know definitively how much Microsoft's recent actions in the market played in to Sony's decision to purchase Insomniac without Sony telling us, which they have no obvious incentive to do (both of these companies are very fond of pretending they don't react to each other's actions). In the current context though, some cognisance of Microsoft in making this purchase can be very reasonably assumed. 

You originally were positive this had to do with Microsoft. Now it can be ‘reasonably assumed’. It just as easily being reasonably argued against, making that a ‘no shit’ sort of comment. ;)

No one was ever told they couldn’t assume it, I’m saying, with my own reasons, that I disagree with said assumption. This type of thing has been going on since before Xbox was even swimming with the others.m

And positive I remain, I was just using softer language to be polite. I think the difference in our arguments is this. I am saying Microsoft will have factored in to this - that is a 'no shit' comment, to use your terminology.

You're arguing they had nothing to do with it. Even under normal circumstances it would stretch credulity that a company would spend tens of millions (if not more) they dont have to spend on a studio if they didn't have one eye on the competition When that competition is busy buying up studios, even moreso.

Hiku raised an excellent point - Spiderman did incredibly - but incorrectly (or perhaps, incompletely) applied a conclusion. With that game I've no doubt Insomniac did cement their value. They certainly will have commanded a higher price than previously. And Sony who have previously not given strong indications they'd buy Insomniac suddenly after decades found a hell of a lot of money, purchasing a company at a time when it would otherwise make the least fiscal sense.

This type of thing has been going on forever - you're right. Its always had something to do with competition. Just moreso than usual atm.