Microsoft Aquisition of Lionhead Expected 'Within Days'

[fitbabits]

Thanks to GamesIndustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz) for the news (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=15637).

Chatter at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose is strongly suggesting that Microsoft is on the verge of signing a deal to acquire British developer Lionhead, with rival bidder Ubisoft reported to be out of the running.

Well-placed sources in the development industry claim that the two companies are in the final stages of negotiation and may announce the deal within the coming days - but Lionhead founder Peter Molyneux has flatly denied claims that further job losses could happen at the studio in the wake of the acquisition.

"We have downsized from three studios to two and are now happy with the shape and size of Lionhead," Molyneux told GamesIndustry.biz today. "There are no plans for any further job losses."

..........

Now it would appear that this saga is finally reaching an end, with Microsoft - publisher of the studio's only successful console title, Fable - closing in for a final bid, while Ubisoft, the other company reportedly left in the negotiations, has been left on the sidelines. "Ubisoft are furious," one insider told us this week at GDC, "they thought they had it in the bag."
Hell, I hope Microsoft pissing off UbiSoft doesn't lead to a breakdown in what has so far been a very rewarding mutual appreciation. Think Tom Clancy...

[Zeal]

This is good news. All we need now is for Microsoft to aquire Bioware and they'll be unstoppable.

[CaptStu]

No, no, no. Acquire Ubi and get it over with.

[Zeal]

I wish they'd acquire Ubisoft and fund a Beyond Good & Evil 2. That's still one of the best Xbox games ever released.

[netcraazzy]

Microsoft's aquisition of Rare hasn't really produced much aside from PDZ which was 'okay.' I hope that Lionhead is still given some creative freedom if this happens and does not turn into a one trick pony the way Bungie has been lately.

[fitbabits]

Microsoft's aquisition of Rare hasn't really produced much aside from PDZ which was 'okay.' I hope that Lionhead is still given some creative freedom if this happens and does not turn into a one trick pony the way Bungie has been lately.
Kameo was much better than PDZero. Oh, and one mustn't forget Grabbed by the Ghoulies or Conker.

[Zeal]

As far as I understand it, there's not much left of Rare's original talent. The Goldeneye and Killer Instinct teams aren't even there anymore.

[Nite_Moogle]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Dabombpizza]

Oh yea...we trust Peter Molyneux, he's always on the money.

[EvilBob46]

Kameo was much better than PDZero. Oh, and one mustn't forget Grabbed by the Ghoulies or Conker.

Are you being sarcastic? A game that scored a 71% on Gamerankings.com and a remake of a 5-year old N64 game? Kamero was alright. Nothing more, nothing less.

[The Flash]

While this is good news, it sucks Microsoft had to piss off Ubi in the process. Wouldn't want to miss out on any good games...

[ldi222]

Was Bungie a one trick pony when they did the Marathon Trilogy too?

[Zurik]

Maybe if Ubisoft stops using StarForce on all their games I'd want them to have Lionhead, but as it stands....

[Zeal]

It is very possible that Bungie's next Halo title is a revival of the Marathon franchise.

[Heretic Machine]

I don't care what happens to Lionhead. They've never produced even one good game, and it's time for them to pack up shop.

[Dr Quincy]

Was Bungie a one trick pony when they did the Marathon Trilogy too?

Best. Games. Ever.

[DigiWiz]

I don't know how desperate they are, but they sound really really desperate.

First they pitched the idea that Elevation might be interested in them (they bought Bioware and Pandemic) - but it was obvious that Lionhead generated the rumor themselves to create interest in their company, desperately looking for sellout.

Private Equity firms don't like one thing - bidding competition. If they were interested in the company, they would have bought them, no prior announcement until the deal was sealed (see Pandemic and BioWare).

Next came the announcement that several companies are in a bidding war on Lionhead. At the same time the news broke that The Movies tanked, no console port was expected, the company was downsized, etc. Do you think there was a bidding war going on? Or just another desperate attempt of the company to find a savior?

Do you think Ubi is furious right now? I don't think so.

[Zeal]

I really don't see what the fuss is all about. FABLE was by no means a bad game, and in many respects, it was a rather fun game. It wasn't the be-all, end-all RPG that Peter Molyneux claimed it to be, but it's not like anyone believed his hype, either.

Give them new talent and the right funding and I guarantee it'll pay off in the longrun.

Lionhead will make a nice addition to Microsoft's ever growing lineup of exclusive developers.

[Clancy]

Maybe if Ubisoft stops using StarForce on all their games I'd want them to have Lionhead, but as it stands....

You got that right... any company using the vile starforce shouldn't be allowed to aquire more developers.

[Nighthold]

Oh yea...we trust Peter Molyneux, he's always on the money.


quoted for truthiness.

[jwbxx]

As long as they fire Peter Molyneux, it'll be all good in the hood.

[motor]

Molyneux, believe it or not, is just about all lionhead has going for it. Fable was one of the worst engineered pieces of software to run on the xbox. And I think, although this is much more subjective then the engineering part, that the art direction for the game was terrible as well (the sound was quite good though). I just hope that this isn't a big payout to lionhead for a job poorly done.

[Chimpbot]

I don't care what happens to Lionhead. They've never produced even one good game, and it's time for them to pack up shop.

I beg to differ; they've made plenty of good games. Emphasis on the word good; they're not great or spectacular, but nontheless, they're good.

They have a strong, albeit it relatively small fanbase. I, for one, am among their fans. I've enjoyed all of their games; while they're not the best, they certainly do provide a decently decent amount of fun and entertainment.
Their main problem is their ambition; they simply get ahead of themselves and ultimately can't fully deliver on their overly ambitious goals.

Making broad, sweeping generalizations based only on your own opinion of their work doesn't make you sound more correct or true...it just means you're trying to force your own opinion on everyone else.

But, I digress...

Ultimately, this could be the best thing that could happen to them. They'll have the proper financial backing to be able to sit down and tinker with their future projects until they're as complete as they can possibly be. At the same time, I'm quite sure they'd still have more than enough creative freedom to create what they want...although a few projects handed down from Microsoft might do them some good. If they're handed an idea and told what is expected and desired out of a project, it might give them a little more direction and focus.

[Megalith]

Can Microsoft acquire something worth a crap, like Starbreeze.

::Enclave 2::

[Vandenh]

I would buy Bethesda :)

Fable was fun... loved every minute of it. If Fable 2 can learn from some mistakes and adopt a streaming, open Oblivion style world they can't go wrong.

[Heretic Machine]

I beg to differ; they've made plenty of good games. Emphasis on the word good; they're not great or spectacular, but nontheless, they're good.

No, they aren't good games, they are mediocre games in a world full of mediocre games. If the games they released were movies, they'd be direct-to-DVD movies about giant animals and natural disasters.

[TKO]

No, they aren't good games, they are mediocre games in a world full of mediocre games. If the games they released were movies, they'd be direct-to-DVD movies about giant animals and natural disasters.
There you go again, slagging-off Lionhead. I can accept that you don't like their stuff. But y'know what? There are people that do like Lionhead games. And they're certainly different from the mainstream FPS stuff around. I can see why Microsoft would want them.

With Bungee doing MS's flagship FPS game, Rare doing their cutsie Nintendo stuff (and Perfect Dark, but maybe now that franchise can quietly die ;)), now they have an RTS/Management/Sim company (not sure which area MS would like them to focus on.) This seems a good way to have broad appeal in the first-party lineup.

[Heretic Machine]

But y'know what? There are people that do like Lionhead games.

They are in the EXTREME minority.

And it's not like I don't want to like their games, I really do. Great concepts, terrible execution. I used to be a fan of Bullfrog too, but they actually had great concepts AND good games. That's pretty key to success. I'm not even sure I can blame Moly, it might not be his fault, maybe his dev teams just really suck. It doesn't matter, Lionhead still hasn't made anything worth playing.

[TKO]

They are in the EXTREME minority.
Are we talking about the FPS-obsessed US, or can other markets count? Like, if we look back to the Bullfrog days: ThemePark was still a top-10 title in Europe four years (!) after its release, but it was Bullfrog's worst selling title in the US. Seems like most of his titles do far better outside of the states. ..I'm curious where this "extreme minority" value comes from tho. It feels so caps-lock-important, yet somehow insubstantial. ;)

And it's not like I don't want to like their games, I really do. Great concepts, terrible execution. I used to be a fan of Bullfrog too, but they actually had great concepts AND good games. That's pretty key to success. I'm not even sure I can blame Moly, it might not be his fault, maybe his dev teams just really suck. It doesn't matter, Lionhead still hasn't made anything worth playing.
Fair enough. I don't think we'll be agreeing in this area: I don't like Populous or Syndicate, though I appreciate the landmark titles they are. But The Movies and Black and White were really quite captivating. (I'd play The Movies just for the hillarious DJ quotes ..wonder if they got that idea off of GTA?)

Looking back over Molyneux's history, hot damn, Microsoft are so right to want this guy on board. Whether you like his work or not, this guy spawned a whole genre, and more landmark titles than you could comfortably shake a stick at. They could make a good profit together even if they just beat a Black & White sequel out of him every couple of years. (Like they do with Bungie and Halo) :D

[Xerxes]

Would this mean they'd have the money to finish games now?

[TKO]

Should at least be enough money to buy a rare Ferrari, get sloshed (drunk), let some random German dude behind the wheel, drive it at excessive speeds, and smash it into small pieces. (Yes officer .. his name was Dietrich .. all I know .. he ran that-a-way .. *hic*) :D

(No, I don't see any parallels between Moly and the Gizmondo dude ..this was just the first thought to pop into my head. ..I'm kinda hope Microsoft will give them more time to finish stuff than EA did. I guess they will. MS seems to treat their people less like sub-human sweatshop workers than EA does, at least.)