So, after the shocking news of Microsoft buying ZeniMax Media and all its companies under its wings, I have the distinct impression this is not going to be an isolated event. We've been seeing the big boys purchasing indie tier companies, but more and more we've seen bigger and bigger companies being absorbed by the big 3. And with ZeniMax absorbed by Microsoft, I believe we're going to see more medium-tier companies absorbed, as the race for exclusive software becomes more and more desperate. Maybe by the end of the 9th gen, we'll see the platform holders and some of the biggest publishers around eating everything smaller than them, concentrating most of the gaming market in a couple of big entities, hence the big crunch.

So do you think this is going to continue? Which company do you think will be the next, and for how much? Who will buy it?

Sony buying Capcom.

It'll be announced at TGS next week, lol.

As long as its not Capcom, then go nuts I guess. No more Mega Man on a Nintendo system would be devastating for me.

Can Nintendo just buy Capcom already. But they won't cause they have no interest in buying publishers

Hopefully no one else.

I mean, at least with MS I'm guaranteed to see continued PC support, but the other two of the big 3 on the other hand...

I just woke up and what? Fuck off MS. Ok not a fan of Bethesda but seriously just fuck off with your checkbook. This is playing monopoly and sick of this shit. Guess I am done with Doom series.

If they go anywhere near any of the big Japanese publishers. I am done. Like just done with gaming. I'm on the edge of quitting the BS that is modern gaming anyway but that will be the last straw. I'm not going to be in the Demolition Man world of gaming of Taco bell as the only place to eat.

I think Nintendo should wait just a few more years and then buy some Western companies. If nothing else the dollar keeps gettin weaker relative to the yen. This keeps hurting Nintendo (and Sony) when they sell products in the US and then convert the money to yen. However, it becomes a benefit when Nintendo is buying, like buying a big Western company. They basically get it on sale. Also Nintendo is sitting on a huge mountain of cash that only seems to be growing.

I think a really good buy for them would be EA in the 2023-2025 time period. Nintendo systems lack big sports titles, so they would benefit a lot from having Madden and FIFA as exclusives.

Nintendo needs to change that mindset, I guess, since mega-corporations are just going to go on a binge, Nintendo might as well join them.  Nintendo could pretty easily afford Capcom with their war chest, and all of Capcom's big series (MH, RE, SF, and MM) have all done well on Nintendo systems. We'd probably get a new Breath of Fire out of it.

I was honestly thinking that with Disgaea 6 being a Switch exclusive in the West that Nintendo ought to buy Nippon Ichi. Apparenty the Switch really saved NIS and made them competitive again, which is why they've also been going through the trouble of porting Falcom titles to the Switch.

EA Play is now part of Gamepass ultimate... HMMM....

Let me just say, I know a very specific gaming company who is currently BACK ....

They make the best games around, and they just announced an exclusive for Switch a few days ago. You might have heard of them.