Off Topic Discussion Megathread

[VirusOnline]

It feels like with time we're just moving closer and closer to a bunch of companies owning everything and more and more control being slowly exerted over what artists do by people who don't care about it and just want to make money.
And there doesn't seem to be much will at large to do anything about it.

Next thing you know, they'll be influencing laws and ... and indirectly owning countries through sheer economic force and ... and throwing money around to quiet those shite practices !
Uh something something, the shite practices will continue until consumers stop paying.
;___;

This reminds me of Hitman. I won't forgive Square Enix for literally throwing away the IOI team. Despite SE cutting off them off, IOI had a huge stroke of luck when Warner Bros took them on and allowed them creative liberty with Hitman 1 and 2. Beautiful games.
IOI is now their own developer and publisher for Hitman 3 and the future 007 project and I hope they are never bought out and if they are this is the type of team that deserves creative liberty. Happy stories are far and few between unfortunately.


If I'm honest, I don't see Microsoft or Sony buying out SE.

Sony is largely proprietary and benefits greatly from that. SEs cash cow is an MMO and the lifespan of FFXIV can't be more than a decade. Sony would be taking on the commitment of a cross platform game and many other PC titles.

Microsoft taking Activision-Blizzard was a solid move imo. It was collapsing from the top - but perhaps the foundation is still solid ? And even if not, Microsoft has the power to throw it out and remake it all. Will they let creative liberty reign or are they only interested in the AAA profits that this new acqusition has given them in the form of in game cash shops ? Compare Microsoft to Square Enix though - hmm - in the west SE franchises are quite niche. It wouldn't make sense considering the market and audience. Though, that's not to say it could never not happen.


Sigh, it's a whole other beast when you've got billions and economic power to throw around, creative liberties be damned.

[Kolsykol]

If I'm honest, I don't see Microsoft or Sony buying out SE.

Yeah I don't think it's going to happen either, possibly they might sell their Western branch.
I am a tad worried about Sony buying Arc System Works tho especially after they bought EVO, Capcom would be a really attractive option too.
Since they own EVO they probably want their own fighting game studios ( Capcom also got Resident Evil, Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry ).

I really wish Japanese and Korean studios would become better at self-publishing.
There's so many cases where they outsource it and the localizers just end up screwing it up.
It often just feels like there's no fun allowed and like they act like your overzealous mom or something lol.

And in the case of publishers and localizers dealing with games they had no hand in creating to begin with they shouldn't be publishing or localizing it if they feel the need to '' change '' it.
Clearly they're not the right fit then and have no actual respect for the devs.