QUOTE(LowProfileWurm @ Apr 6 2006, 05:42 PM)
This is good news for MS and Fable fans. But I'd rather see MS buy Ubisoft or Namco or better yet, Sega. Those are pipedreams, but everyone has a price and MS is one of the few companies that could afford it. While I'm dreaming, I want MS to buy EA and fire all the lazy executive bastards that work there.
I agree 100% as I am not familiar with LionHead at all - yet the article says they're very prestigious and a BIG studio that puts out great games and franchises. Is this true or just exaggerated hype? Because I really don't know.
But I agree about other companies.
If I remember right, MS pitched Sega an exclusive offer to buy them out a year ago or so but they declined and said they wouldn't sell even if they were offered more money than any other studio/developer out there. I could be wrong. Even if I am, I bet they wouldn't sell to ANYONE anyway - at least not for a few years or so.
UbiSoft -- That's a great example. Although I dislike a lot of their franchises (all Tom Clancy games), that would be a HUGE acquisition - maybe a little bigger than Rare imo. MS doesn't really need to purchase them though, imo, for a few reasons: Their games on other platforms look like shit compared to what they put on to Xbox and Xbox 360, plus I'd bet they'd want a ton of money, too. This may change when the PS3 comes out (if it ever does ROFL) as their games will start looking much better on another platform for once.
Anyhow, I don't see why people would leave if MS bought them out, unless they just don't like MS and/or won't make as much money (which I highly doubt). I also doubt the bulk of the talent will leave. I seriously do. When MS buys a company like this, such as they did with Rare and Bungie, those companies still remain separated from MS and really the only HUGE changes are that they're commited to only making games for the platforms MS wants them to. Sure there are other things here and there, but that's the only HUGE change imo.
And as far as the PS3 goes, when it finally does come out, a lot of us Americans will still be frustrated by the controller design as we love our third and first person shooters and there's no doubt that the thumbstick analog button layout that Sony loves for all their controllers just sucks for those types of games. Sure we'll see third-party controllers with a more Xbox-like layout (probably) but there's no guarantee.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to chime in on. I'm not dissing anyone but just making a few comments. But could someone please list the prestigious games/franchises this new studio MS has acquired has developed, besides Fable or whatever was posted in the article summary on xbox-scene? (I'd assume a lot of PC franchises but I haven't been a PC gamer for 5 years).
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Topic: Microsoft Game Studios Acquires Lionhead Studios (Read 210 times)