Off Topic Discussion Megathread

[Kolsykol]

I don't rly think that you buy a publisher/ studios like this and then go in and make major changes, what's the point?
IP's yes but 70 bil?
I think you buy them so that you can just own them as a money and marketing farm ( gamepass ) and then basically forget about them and let them do their thing, anything else is just further expenses.

I do think some things will change tho in that Microsoft will be less lenient on misbehaviour and be faster to kick people out and enforce workplace policies better.
Altho I also wish that'd extend to demanding that the actual devs behave better too in how they interact with the audience which probably won't happen.
Tbh the Blizzard devs are probably some of the most toxic and antagonistic I've seen online which makes it very hard to want to support them.
They still view themselves as rockstars and it seems very common in other studios too that are successful it rly brings out A LOT of arrogance and looking down on the players as '' beneath us ''.
It's pretty awful PR too when it's directed at big content creators for their games.

With Blizzard I don't think much will change if anything at all.
Blizzard already is a NA company located there they already exist in that overall culture which ultimately is also where a lot of the issues stem from imo they're not getting away from that and it's a bigger problem.
I'd be more worried if it was a Japanese studio or a publisher like Square Enix, alto Square Enix already has been trying to appeal to '' the West '' ( aka the US ).
Most of their AAA titles are very typical and similar, Forspoken is probably the most on the nose imo.
But they still do put out some more original gems that break the mold and remind you that they're Japanese.

Same with Bandai Namco, Konami, Nintendo and Capcom the games would fundamentally change to a point where they'd be unrecognizable.
( Gets awful flashbacks from when DMC and Silent Hill were outsourced ).

Microsoft buying Activison Blizzard makes a lot more sense and won't lead to any drastic changes I don't think.
Microsoft buying Capcom however, that'd make me worried and I'd actually get really upset about that.

[Illmaeran]

very least a frying pan, could MS be considered a fire? Or is there the chance they'll actually do something good with the IPs they've acquired?

I'm hoping they toss some butter, garlic, rosemary, and a nice steak in the pan.

[Thaciscokidd]

I'd be more worried if it was a Japanese studio or a publisher like Square Enix, alto Square Enix already has been trying to appeal to '' the West '' ( aka the US ).
Most of their AAA titles are very typical and similar, Forspoken is probably the most on the nose imo.
But they still do put out some more original gems that break the mold and remind you that they're Japanese.

There's actually a really good example already. Every since Sony has gradually shift to the west you don't see as many Japanese style games as you use to in the past. Heck they even made the western controller style default in the Japan market which is a big flex. Its bad when Nintendo is less likely to censor a game that Sony is to now a days. With the purchase of Activision Blizzard dropping Sony stock by $20 billion dollars(and still dropping!) I'm worried that Sony might try to make a similar move and buy Square Enix(would be a good buy for IP's and its mobile market) and try to change there climate to match there own.

[Shibi]

I'm worried that Sony might try to make a similar move and buy Square Enix(would be a good buy for IP's and its mobile market) and try to change there climate to match there own.

Ugh, that would be terrible. Sony Online Entertainment destroyed EQ2 completely.

[Theodric]

There's actually a really good example already. Every since Sony has gradually shift to the west you don't see as many Japanese style games as you use to in the past. Heck they even made the western controller style default in the Japan market which is a big flex. Its bad when Nintendo is less likely to censor a game that Sony is to now a days. With the purchase of Activision Blizzard dropping Sony stock by $20 billion dollars(and still dropping!) I'm worried that Sony might try to make a similar move and buy Square Enix(would be a good buy for IP's and its mobile market) and try to change there climate to match there own.

I wish we'd see more JRPG's in the same vein as Shadow Hearts and Breath of Fire 4. So many modern JRPG's seem to avoid darker, more mature stories with bleak consequences for the protagonists. Even the humour seems to have been toned down a lot, to better appease 'modern sensibilities'.

[Vyrerus]

There's actually a really good example already. Every since Sony has gradually shift to the west you don't see as many Japanese style games as you use to in the past. Heck they even made the western controller style default in the Japan market which is a big flex. Its bad when Nintendo is less likely to censor a game that Sony is to now a days. With the purchase of Activision Blizzard dropping Sony stock by $20 billion dollars(and still dropping!) I'm worried that Sony might try to make a similar move and buy Square Enix(would be a good buy for IP's and its mobile market) and try to change there climate to match there own.

:| Yikes! Man, the corporate side of game companies blows.

[RobynDaBank]

I passed my N4-level Japanese exam! Honestly I could have done better (100/180 scored) but the listening exam sucked balls. From what I heard from students of a higher level than me, the listening part of the exam had been difficult for them too.

Still though, I cleared it! Overjoyed.

[Vyrerus]

Congrats Robyn! I wish I had the discipline to learn Japanese and become fluent... or any other language for that matter. I knew enough when I went to be polite and not make waves, but desperately needed my pocket dictionary and phone translation app when I went to Japan in 2016.

[Garet]

I just feel bad for the WoW players who are putting their hopes that the game will be better. I'm not discounting that it can't, I'm saying given all the shit you've seen gaming coporations have done in a very anti-consumerist way, take the news with a grain of salt.

I agree with this. For now it is best to temper expectations. Even if the deal really pushed through and Microsoft does plan to revive WoW, it will take many years for redevelopment to finish.

Maybe they are better off making a WoW2 instead with modern engine etc. It will be the ARR version of WoW which i think is needed at this point.

[Larirawiel]

I just feel bad for the WoW players who are putting their hopes that the game will be better.

It still hurts seeing the game i really loved going this path. And i have absolutely no idea what Micros~1 will do with Activision Blizzard and their games.


Cheers