Microsoft To Buy Vivendi?
coil
Amateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance. Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
Amateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance. Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">XBox exclusives: HL2 and Starcraft2?</div> <a href='http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php(que)id=85976' target='_blank'>http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?pa...hp(que)id=85976</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->MICROSOFT TO BUY VIVENDI?
Fevered speculation points to a shock swoop by Bill Gates's company, with an announcement imminent
19:25 If insider speculation is to be believed, Microsoft has bought US publisher Vivendi, with an announcement to that effect due soon. Take a deep breath and reflect on the implications of that, if true.
Half-Life 2, Warcraft, Counter-Strike, Crash, Spyro, Lord of the Rings... Vivendi has an enormous portfolio boasting some of the biggest titles on all formats, and it would be an ultra-smart move on Microsoft's part to snap them up. Such a buyout, of course, would come at a terrifically high price, making the 365 million acquisition of Rare look like peanuts. But if anyone has the necessary funds, it's Microsoft.
Rumours regarding potential buyout targets for Microsoft are nothing new, of course, and have been spreading for months, with the likes of Sega and Capcom both mentioned in dispatches. However, talk of the Microsoft/Vivendi deal seems far more serious, with one insider suggesting the buyout could be confirmed as early as Friday.
Furthermore, an email from Universal was accidentally sent out to developers last week stating that all work on GBA titles should be suspended. The email was promptly recalled and branded an error, but could it be that this was in some way tied in with this alleged deal?
We contacted Vivendi for comment and a spokesperson told us: "We've heard all sorts of rumours over the past months - Activision, EA and many more. They'd all like to get their hands on Blizzard. I guess Microsoft are one of the few companies that has enough money."
A Microsoft spokesperson would only state: "This is a rumour and we do not comment on rumours."
If the rumours prove true, this will be a huge boost for Microsoft's soaring Xbox console, providing it with a broad spectrum of big-name games that would either appear as Xbox lead or as Xbox exclusives outright.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->MICROSOFT TO BUY VIVENDI?
Fevered speculation points to a shock swoop by Bill Gates's company, with an announcement imminent
19:25 If insider speculation is to be believed, Microsoft has bought US publisher Vivendi, with an announcement to that effect due soon. Take a deep breath and reflect on the implications of that, if true.
Half-Life 2, Warcraft, Counter-Strike, Crash, Spyro, Lord of the Rings... Vivendi has an enormous portfolio boasting some of the biggest titles on all formats, and it would be an ultra-smart move on Microsoft's part to snap them up. Such a buyout, of course, would come at a terrifically high price, making the 365 million acquisition of Rare look like peanuts. But if anyone has the necessary funds, it's Microsoft.
Rumours regarding potential buyout targets for Microsoft are nothing new, of course, and have been spreading for months, with the likes of Sega and Capcom both mentioned in dispatches. However, talk of the Microsoft/Vivendi deal seems far more serious, with one insider suggesting the buyout could be confirmed as early as Friday.
Furthermore, an email from Universal was accidentally sent out to developers last week stating that all work on GBA titles should be suspended. The email was promptly recalled and branded an error, but could it be that this was in some way tied in with this alleged deal?
We contacted Vivendi for comment and a spokesperson told us: "We've heard all sorts of rumours over the past months - Activision, EA and many more. They'd all like to get their hands on Blizzard. I guess Microsoft are one of the few companies that has enough money."
A Microsoft spokesperson would only state: "This is a rumour and we do not comment on rumours."
If the rumours prove true, this will be a huge boost for Microsoft's soaring Xbox console, providing it with a broad spectrum of big-name games that would either appear as Xbox lead or as Xbox exclusives outright.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Comments
I truly believe it will be good for gaming quality. Microsoft is the top software development company in the world for a very valid reason, that being they're the best at what they do. They're not the best because they give the user what they want/need, but because they can give it before the user realizes they want/need it. Some would view this as market manipulation, but I view it as innovation.
It's bad because of the following quote:
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->If the rumours prove true, this will be a huge boost for Microsoft's soaring Xbox console, providing it with a broad spectrum of big-name games that would either appear as Xbox lead or as Xbox exclusives outright.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I have no objection to the Xbox itself or consoles in general. Releasing titles to consoles weeks/months before they're available on PC is, IMO, a smart move. It gets interested people to buy the game and maybe the console, then also purchase the game again weeks/months later on PC.
However, having basically every major title being exclusive to <i>one</i> console is probably the worst possible thing for the gaming industry. It would essentially make other consoles utterly useless. They'd be at the mercy of Microsoft, essentially begging MS to let a major title be released on their console as well. The hardware is just a $300 paperweight without the software.
Maybe I'm wrong in my prediction, but I see it as a bad thing. Maybe the console market, including <i>all</i> consoles, would explode even more than it has in previous years already. Maybe Microsoft's intentions are truly benign, with the only real purpose to be to produce quality games for everyone.
I'm very skeptic by nature, so naturally I would see this as being a dark day to the console gaming market. If the sale did actually occur, I only wish the best for the console gaming community. I'd hate to see such a powerful and widespread market collapse due to the Beast from Redmond.
Bungee, Halo, Microscreweditup.
You're right.
I may have to kill myself if this deal goes through. I can't live to see WarCraft 4 to be buggy, rushed, and stamped w/ the MS logo...
Also, I don't think Microsoft buying Vivendi would affect Half-Life 2 or any other such future Valve products since Valve and its products/franchises aren't owned by Vivendi. Vivendi only owns Sierra which has simply been the publisher of Valve games so far. I could be wrong though.
The only thing I (and I suspect most people on these boards) am seriously worried about is the Blizzard part. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
or so it goes, i read that somewhere ...
The problem I can see with this is that Microsoft are already losing money on the X-Box so something like this could push the X-Box over the edge.
I just don't want valve to get brought so that HL2 is an X-Box exclusive. That would bite. I don't want MS to steal another quality title. (Perfect Dark......) Who knows, Valve would probably just get another publisher. And said publisher would probably get a load of money.
HL2 is still coming to PC
Microsoft can suck our collective ****
We must set forth from the land of Forum and deliver the console of Crapness to it's destruction in the only place it can be destroyed; In the forge of Microshaft R & D...
Second, Blizzard has proven to be rather clever when it comes to copyright deals, I hear. Should Microsoft push them too far, you can bet they'll push back.
They ruin games!
But surely Microsoft have seen how succesful the modding community has made Half-Life. You may not like Bill Gates, but he's still a businessman, and a pretty good one at that. I'm sure if it comes down to it Microsoft would realise that HL2 would generate more revenue were it to be released on PC rather than being an X-Box exclusive.
They ruin games! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
hehe..
You'd also think they would of fixed all the bugs with Windows by now...
Illegal Operations are now a daily traditon... <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->