Microsoft to buy Epic?!

[Noja87]

Washington (dbTechno) - According to reports, Microsoft is planning to buy the developer of the hit Xbox 360 game Gears of War, Epic Games, for the price of $1 billion. This all comes as an announcement is expected for Gears of War 2.

The report comes from the latest issue of GamePro magazine which stated that by this summer, Microsoft plans to finish a deal to buy Epic Games.

It is expected that Epic Games will reveal the sequel to Gears of War at the Game Developers’ Conference 2008 this week (GDC 2008).

They have their booth set up right next to Microsoft at the show.

If Microsoft does acquire Epic Games, it would also mean that they would own the rights to the Unreal game engine, which is used on every single platform, including the rival PS3, for developers to use to make next-gen games.

This would basically allow Microsoft to make money off of the Unreal engine rights used to sell games on the PC and PS3.

dbtechno.com

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In other news, kid needs help with his game

[Spyhop]

For **** sakes.
First EA buys Bioware and now this? Why can't the big monolithic corporations leave the awesome game studios alone. They just ruin them.

[Hard core Rikki]

they just buys them for the intellectual property (the already released, commonly prestigious catalogue), then close the studio as soon as possible.
a defunct studio sure cant sue you (as an entity), when its employees are integrated into a different mother company, then conveniently "laid off"...

[Thanakil]

Originally Posted by Spyhop

For **** sakes.
First EA buys Bioware and now this? Why can't the big monolithic corporations leave the awesome game studios alone. They just ruin them.

Let's not talk too fast. Right now EA has done nothing wrong with Bioware except give them support, both versus controversy and to help port games.

Second, this is only a rumor at the moment. Even if MS buy Epic, they may not change anything in future games, except ask for Window Games Live! to be part of every games. They may simply be looking to become the boss in name but without doing anything real. Just a investment, pay a big sum of money now and make it back in the future with sales.

Just because someone buy a studio doesn't mean that studio will completely change, sometime it does, sometime it doesn't. Let's wait for them to act before we start making uneducated judgments (or judgements, if you're british).

[PCXL-Fan]

Its ALSO so other companies can't compete with Microsoft and steal sales of games they make. Even if in the longrun Epic doesn't make back the money that it cost to purchase them, M$ eliminated one source of competition that could have stolen sales away from their own games.


Also this locks Epic in with the xbox360 and prevents Epic from making games on the ps3. We all know Epic makes better shooters then Bungie.

Look for Bethesda to be purchased in the coming years as well.

[Exodus]

That's odd... I thought they already did that. Must be my premonitions acting up again.

[MagicDust]

Hmm I'm not really impressived with their games lately.

Sure the first one I play is unreal tournament its a great game and I enjoyed it that can withstand the flow of CS.

Second game UT2K3 I skipped during I play the demo and its too much quake copied.

Third game UT2K4 I bought it during I love assault so much but its turn out that only demo servers pop up instead where's retail server ? nobody knows lol

Lastest installment UT3 ghost town....all you found are servers but players see no where.

[emwearz]

So they did halo to death now they wanna do the same for Gears Of War.....exciting...

[Phil]

MS has a habit of buying into a winning formula, then driving it to the hilt....with little or no innovation (like halo 3)

[MasterPhW]

Originally Posted by tomegathericon

MS has a habit of buying into a winning formula, then driving it to the hilt....with little or no innovation (like halo 3)

Or the RARE studios... >.<