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Microsoft's Sleazy Tactics in the Video Game Industry?
Dyrandia asks: "I'm currently working on a Legal and Ethics course for my software engineering degree and have decided to write about microsoft's tactics of buying up video games and companies in order to keep games limited to their own platforms (pc and xbox). I am currently using the following games as examples: Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee; Halo (Microsoft bought the developers, however rumour has it that Halo will actually make it to PC next year); and Shenmue 2 (they even bought the rights to it so that it couldn't be released for the Dreamcast in the US, even though it was released in Japan and Europe). Does anyone know of URLs for sites that would have more information and possibly other games Microsoft has used similar tactics on?"
Back in 97 or 98 whenever it first came out I was a huge fan. I never expected the sequels would be carried out on the X-box. That was so dissappointing. Now I know why that happened.
Sorry, Microsoft is just playing the game in this case:
Nintendo buys Retro Studios
Sony buys (into) Square
Sony buys (into) Rare
Buying a development house to gain exclusives does not seem to be ground-breaking news.
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
It is possible that there is a reason these companies were bought by microsoft. In the case of Bungie, it was to help fund the last phase of development for Halo, and to push the development of their next two games (Project Phoenix and something like Halo 2). Microsoft offered more people to work on the projects, more resources to produce a quality game and all within less time (It was crucial to the Xbox launch that Halo be shipped with it. It is the killer game for the Xbox still).
Halo will be coming out for the PC and Mac, but it may not be for a while... personel are still focused on the next game release, and not porting the game to PC/Mac.
Bungie will keep its name, as one of the many subsidiary companies of a larger company throughout the gaming industry.
Its all about project funding.
--onyx--
- PS2: everything Squaresoft
- Nintendo: Mario, Zelda
- X-Box: Halo
It's not so much a Microsoft thing as it is an industry thing. I've fallen into their trap myself. I bought a PlayStation primarily to run Final Fantasy. I bought a N64 primarily to run Zelda. (X-Box? I'll wait for Halo on the PC, thanks. No mouse, no WASD, no service.)As fun as it is to punch MSFT in the nose every once in a while, don't blame 'em for this one... =)
Now, I dislike microsoft quite a bit, but having been a gamer most of my life, this kind of thing goes on all the time in the industry. The only problem with the strategy here is that Sony has deep enough pockets to go head to head with Microsoft doing the same thing. In the end, though, MS has already lost the Japanese market, and Sony has such a larger user base worldwide that despite the difficulty programming the PS2 - developers will support the platform that has 25 million users better than the the one that has 2 or 3 million (especially when the XBox is still underselling PS2 by a factor, they can't catch up if they can't outsell) - I'm used to this idea, I'm a mac user.
Just games?
/. :-)
Has Microsoft, to some extent, limited competition in the entire software industry by buying rights so programs cannot be released to other platforms?
Well, I can tell now:
-1 Troll, -1 Offtopic, -1 redundant, -1 overrated.
Perhaps there is an M$ conspiracy surrounding
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- adam
I've become seriously hooked on Age of Empires II. Does anyone know an alternative that can let me break out of the MS control, even if it's something on Windows?
THIS SPACE FOR RENT
SubLogic made Flight Simulator for Microsoft to brand - it also made Flight Simulator for other computers, even the TRS-80 CoCo has a version. After Microsoft bought SubLogic outright - the only playform they produce for belongs to Microsoft.
Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.
MS is buying up companies so their games will only be available on XBox? Well, they're not doing a very good job of it, because so fart there isn't a single decent XBox-only title, or even reports of one (although that may change at E3). All the console makers do this, so why get on MS except to say that they do it poorly?
Bite the hand.
EE is like AoE with all the good add-ons included, and all the bad parts removed.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
I was heart broken when I read that MS was assimilating Bungie. More so when I found they at one point halted all development of the PC/Mac version of it. I've heard about the PC version comming sometime next year, and it's belivable, but what I want to know is if there will be a Mac version or is that going to be a no show.
(Score:0, Interesting)
and Shenmue 2 (they even bought the rights to it so that it couldn't be released for the Dreamcast in the US, even though it was released in Japan and Europe).
As I understand it, they will be paying for heavy advertising of Shenmue II in America, and as part of the deal (for obvious reasons) Sega is not releasing it for the Dreamcast. This was a simple business deal between Sega and Microsoft, and while it may piss off Dreamcast fans, there is nothing the least bit sleazy about it.
You want sleze in the video game industry, you go to the master: Nintendo. Go find a book called 'Game Over.' Read it. Boggle in amazement at the realization that Microsoft is a lightweight in the world of sleaze.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Sorry, Microsoft is just playing the game in this case:
There are some specific games that Microsoft is not allowed to play under United States law. Microsoft has been convicted of using a monopoly to create another. Leveraging its Title 17 monopoly on Windows software into a monopoly on the broader market for x86 PC operating systems is one thing; leveraging that monopoly into new areas (XboxOS is based on Windows 2000 Embedded) is another. Bill Gates III does not like to talk to the judge.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Why buy a $299 console to play a game that's available for PC?
Microsoft could release Windows LH operating system for the PC, charge $300 per seat, and encourage developers to take advantage of Windows LH's new gaming features.
Better yet, Microsoft could release a VMware-like product that virtualizes your CPU and GeForce 4, creating "Windows XB" with a built-in Xbox "emulator."
Will I retire or break 10K?
PS2: everything Squaresoft
Not necessarily. Squaresoft and Nintendo have made up. Specifically, Final Fantasy Tactics is coming to Game Boy Advance.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I once read a story several years ago, possibly 1993. It was in PC World or something to that effect. It was about a guy who wrote a flight simulator. As the story wentm, a company approached him about publishing it, and he said cool. They offered him either $10,000, or 10% of the proceeds. Believing in his product, he took the 10%. Little did he know, the software company was a front for Microsoft. They were buying up flight simulators so that Microsoft Simulator would enter the market with little competition. His product never made it to the shelves, and since he sold the rights for 10%, he couldn't take it elsewhere.
It was a while ago, I'd really like to find that article again. I might have messed up some of the figures and facts, but that was the basic gist of it.
look, i hate M$'s tactics and feel that it's leveraging it's monopoly to buy into a new market, but the more i play halo, the more i like the whole feel of the controllers and the gameplay. well, sometimes. sometimes that block of f**king buttons on top pisses me off, it's impossible to hit the one you're looking for unless you have tiny fingers and thumbs with absolute accuracy.
what my point here? i forget. f*** M$.
lf.o
MS also frequently makes acceptance of 3rd party games contingent on the inclusion of a few XBox-only features. Sony (and presumably Nintendo) frequently do this as well. All three are guilty of the tactic the original poster describes, although MS may be pursuing it a bit more strongly than most.
That Halo was ready to go for the Mac, and they were still working on a PC port when MS bought it up for the X-Box. MS wants all us FPS players and Halo looked to be the next gen. FPS. Now it looks like crap, thanks MS for killing a good game.
Microsoft bought out Digital Anvil in Dec. 2000
1 205003170.htm
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2000nov/gam2000
More often than buying up the companies, they just make deals with them where they are the only platform that that the game can be developed for.
Most people would die sooner than think; in fact, they do.
Posted anon for obvious reasons.
I worked on a small startup that was developing a strategy game based on a successful tabletop rpg. We'd negociated an option with the rpg publisher, and were finishing up the technical demo and documentation before doing the publisher guantlet.
Microsoft had a similar game in internal dev, so they went to the rpg, and spewed pleasant sounding words about a long term relationship. Of course, said rpg company levered back the option faster than you'd ever believe, and dropped all further corrispondence.
Microsoft never did anything with the rpg companies properties. Later, talking to people at GDC I found out MS had uses similar tactics on other possibly competeing games.
Now, mind you, nothing MS did was illegal, and you could make the argument it wasn't unethical. However, it's clear they play hardball, and have the biggest lever to play it with in the industry (money). Anyone entering into a relationship with them, or encrouching on what they consider their territory should use care, secure every detail of their business plan, and be ready to fight hard.
For me, it's just not worth that kind of life. I'd rather make cool games, not play the power game.
After reading through this thread I became more confused.
SO what if MS buys out games to keep it to their platform. The bigger point is that MS offers to buy out a company. Guess what the gaming company does. SELLS?! at their freewill. Shouldn't you direct your anger at them and not MS?
This sleaze that you talk about has been going on in the game industry since the early days. Suddenly it is evil and a hot topic since Microsoft is involved?
Everybody remember when the Sega CD came out and everybody thought it was cool and wondered why Nintendo didn't make one for the SNES?
Well, from what I heard, they did codevelope an adaptor with Sony. However, behind Nintendo's back, Sony made plans to create another system that would use the technology and disks they developed with Nintendo as well as their own propietary disks. Nintendo found out and pulled the plug on the project. The name of the Nintendo CD?
Playstation