Every Franchise Xbox Now Owns After Buying Activision

https://kotaku.com/xbox-activision-blizzard-bethesda-deal-every-franchise-1850925890

232 points · 52 comments · view on lemmy.world

52 Comments

NOT_RICK@lemmy.world · 113 pts · 2y (6 replies)

Microsoft spent 69 Billy just so they could finally own geometry wars, change my mind.

echoplex21@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 2y

XBLA goat

simple@lemm.ee · 21 pts · 2y

Microsoft can FINALLY make the Zork sequel we've all been waiting for

kaitco@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Candy Crush Saga. Guaranteed.

paultimate14@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 2y

Gonna get automatically re-installed with every single Winfows update for all of eternity.

BaronVonBort@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

Ballmer actually really wanted that THPS 3&4 remaster.

Pixlbabble@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

The music from that game started to play in my head when I read this.

FlashZordon@lemmy.world · 51 pts · 2y (8 replies)

COD suddenly overrated to PlayStation owners.

Edgelord_Of_Tomorrow@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 2y (7 replies)

Name a good game by a Microsoft studio from the last 5 years that isn't by Obsidian or someone who used to work at Obsidian

OrgunDonor@kbin.social · 37 pts · 2y (5 replies)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps(Great)
Sunset Overdrive(Good)
Battletoads(Good, at least I enjoyed it)
Forza Horizon 4 and 5(both are good, but definitely feeling a little repetitive and overly done now for me)
Flight Simulator

That is all I got though. and technically Forza Horizon 4 is 5 years and 12 days.

brawleryukon@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Sunset Overdrive(Good)

Released in 2014, so while good, doesn't quite fit the "from the last 5 years" criteria (unless you're specifically talking about the PC port, which just squeaks in by a month, but I'm not sure that's quite in the spirit of the discussion).

OrgunDonor@kbin.social · 3 pts · 2y

I didnt actually realise the PC version was a year later(it was the PC release date I was looking at). Well... shit.

lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Isn't Ori only published by MS? Moon Studios is a private studio, IIRC.

OrgunDonor@kbin.social · 3 pts · 2y

Although Moon Studios are not owned by Microsoft, the Ori IP is.

sheogorath@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

Point of Forza, driving cars around in circles will get repetitive after some point tho. I played Horizon 4 much more than 5 because 4 has a ranked system. I'm definitely going to play more Horizon 5 if they have a ranked system.

Vordus@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 14 pts · 2y

Psychonauts 2.

brsrklf@jlai.lu · 24 pts · 2y

3D Ultra Pinball

Come on, how can they list that and not the masterpiece that is 3D Ultra Minigolf?

Seriously though, they're at least missing quite a bit of Sierra stuff there. Like Impressions Games city builders, or The Incredible Machine.

JokeDeity@lemm.ee · 17 pts · 2y (6 replies)

Wonderful news, I sure did want all those franchises that I loved to be turned to shit before being shelved for eternity.

Maalus@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2y (3 replies)

Blizzard has already been doing that for a while. Also failing with new franchises, not investing in their core games, half assing releases. I hope they actually turn things around for games like Starcraft, Diablo, HotS etc

krakenx@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Blizzard would never have done that if Activision hadn't been allowed to buy them. The new conglomerate will be worse than we anticipate in the same way Activion-Blizzard was.

Maalus@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Why would they be worse? We have a bunch of good games out of Microsoft. I don't see how they could fuck it up

krakenx@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2y

Blizzard had pretty much only made amazing games before Activision bought them. Activision also made a lot of good games back then. People couldn't see how the merger would fick it up back then, yet it still did.

I expect Bethesda to get infected with the worst that Activion-Blizzard has to offer more so than the opposite.

winterayars@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

"If there are fewer and fewer games coming out that are more and more exclusive people will just have to buy an Xbox!" --an MBA, probably

srecko@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

Most of those are already shit (Fallout, Diablo, Overwatch, call of duty) or shelved 25+ years ago (Commander Keen, Hexen, Phantasmagoria...). Microsoft's own games are rather good compared to Activision Blizzar or even Bethesda.

Icaria@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y (1 reply)

So many dead franchises. The videogame industry really went in an unexpected direction...

scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech · 12 pts · 2y

Imagine all the money stupidly left on the table. All because they refuse to accept long term investment over short term gains.

So much money these franchises could have made - if they were given an honest chance

Bonskreeskreeskree@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Look at them including perfect dark in the list as if they'd have the balls to make another sequel after they botched the last one after essentially using it as a launch exclusive title for the 360... such a shame. Perfect dark 64 was a masterpiece.

ShittingDickNipples@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 2y

Unless it got canned, they do be making another Perfect Dark

Vordus@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 2y

Ultimately the problem with Perfect Dark as a franchise is that everyone who made it great went off and formed Free Radical and made the TimeSplitters games.

thorbot@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 2y

There was a glimpse of prototype in that trailer and I can only dream of a new version of that game

AgentGrimstone@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 2y (8 replies)

I'm surprised I have avoided being invested in any of these franchises.

RGB3x3@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 2y

It's probably because so many of them are mediocre or don't really exist as modern games. It's kinda sad that out of that list, there are so few 10/10 series there.

Psythik@lemm.ee · 8 pts · 2y (6 replies)

So you've never played Fallout: New Vegas?

Wow, just wow. You're missing out.

Pixlbabble@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

That's Obsidian

AgentGrimstone@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y (4 replies)

I haven't. I did try Fallout 4 but it just wasn't for me.

Psythik@lemm.ee · 5 pts · 2y (3 replies)

I'd still give it a try. FO4 was one of the worst games in the series.

Silentiea@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y (2 replies)

I liked its mechanical innovations, especially in how power armor works, but....

And I'm assuming we're just not talking about 76?

Psythik@lemm.ee · 0 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Yes they improved a lot of the gameplay in FO4, but Bethesda sucks at writing a good story. Just look at Starfield.

And yes, FO76 is worse. I was careful with my wording in the other comment.

Silentiea@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y

There was a project to port the story from FNV into FO4, but I haven't checked on the progress in a year or so.

Damage@feddit.it · 13 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I remember buying a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro joystick that came bundled with Interstate '76... Hey MS, up for a revival?

clearedtoland@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y

I kid you not, that joystick and MS Flight Simulator 2004 got me through flight school and several ratings.

clearedtoland@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 2y (5 replies)

I’m voting for them to revive Soldier of Fortune!

ignism@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 2y (3 replies)

I see your SoF and raise you a Heretic/Hexen revival

TSG_Asmodeus@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y (1 reply)

In the meantime, check out Amid Evil for an absolutely fantastic Heretic/Hexen like game.

I have more screenshots saved on steam in one playthrough of that game than any other game I've played.

Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 2y

My friend recommended Amogus Evil and it’s SOOOO GOOD.

It’s very faithful to Heretic and extremely well done.

Paradox@lemdro.id · 1 pts · 2y

I wasn't singularity to get rebooted and finished

w2tpmf@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y

My vote is for Heretic/Hexen.

brawleryukon@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Imagine leaving Lost Odyssey off of this list.

(Although I suppose maybe you need more than one game to be considered a "franchise" 😢)

Vordus@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I think they published it, but don't actually own it.

brawleryukon@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

Microsoft at least owns the trademark on it. Not being a lawyer, I don't know if that's at all decoupled from "the IP" or not, but I suspect they'd be tied fairly close together.

It would also be weird if Mistwalker signed a contract giving MS ownership of Blue Dragon (which is on the list, but has multiple games from different publishers) but not Lost Odyssey. I guess maybe the solution would be to remove Blue Dragon from the list rather than adding Lost Odyssey. 🤷‍♂️

dewritoninja@pawb.social · 3 pts · 2y

I knows it's not gonna happen but since they own heretic and he eb now I would love to see a modern day reinterpretation by the guys at id

Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca · -3 pts · 2y (1 reply)
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Boxtifer@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

Warcraft is listed as well as world. Good reading skills there.