I don't see MS being successful in gaming long term. Their strategy is to buy stuff.

Buy Halo, buy Gears of War, buy Rare, buy MineCraft, buy Zenimax etc. All that does is allow you to tread water. Eventually you actually need to create something new and popular yourself. And they don't do much of that.

Hello! I am writing this message from the XXIst century, and I have some bad news for you…

There is very little difference whatsoever between modern CDPR games and modern UbiSoft games.

In fact, modern CDPR games, including Witcher 3, have stolen tons of elements from UbiSoft games, i.e. Witcher Senses is a blatant ripoff of Eagle Vision from the Assassin's Creed games before Odyssey. Literally all that CDPR did was change the name.

Likewise, the the map markers and navigation indicators in Witcher 3 is also blatantly lifted from UbiSoft open world titles like AC and Far Cry games, etc.

Although the AC games have much better combat than any of the Witcher games do, so in some areas, UbiSoft games totally trounce CDPR games.

And both companies are in the business of making their modern games as be as woke, and therefore as cringey, as possible.

This thread title & original post premise might have made sense if it were coming immediately after the release of the original Witcher 1 game. Back then, a sound argument could be made that CDPR games were innovative and different and not a part of the generic AAA template that's been done millions of times before in other similarly copy & pasted titles.

But now, in 2023? That argument makes no sense, since modern CDPR games fall fully within that generic copy & pasted AAA template.

who cares it will have the same shitty engine and will be a lame skyrim mod

Microsoft wanting to buy Nintendo is like Ford wanting to buy Ferrari.
They may have a better chance getting SEGA as that was originally an American company.

edit:
sry off topic.

As for M$ buying CDPR, yah hope it's without gog and stays independent otherwise it's goodbye gog.
Couldn't care much about CDPR itself (sry again), just another AAA gamedev.
AAA in the sense of give it your own meaning.

MS is still better than $C$D$P$R$$$$

As far as I'm aware (and I admit, I didn't follow the case closely), they filed a suit to prevent the acquisition, but lost in court. I wouldn't call that "turning a blind eye".

Sega might have originally been a part of the mess that was Gulf & Western, but they eventually bought themselves back and merrily marched into Japanese ownership. And given that, they're so far removed from their origination point that I don't think that'd really count for anything anymore.

Always keep safe your offline installers and... Go_G!

You know we are living in the 21st century right now. This confuses learners of English no end.

Did someone really believe that Steam will be sold, even Microsoft will not have enough money to make Valve accepting the deal with all the money they make there is no reason to sell it to anyone.

And you don't think that he, like Torvalds hasn't had a plan in mind for his eventual replacement? He still owns Valve and never has once hit the IPO button.

Sadly, I would say expect consolidation into a handful of corporations.

And whether that happens to CDPR or not...

... is there any true independence if financing / loans are through ESG gatekeeping schemes?

Anything can happen and Gabe Newell will not live for ever. All you can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
I see no proof he has a replacement other than his son.
His son could sell value off or run into the ground. It's ludicrous to think it's certain he has a replacement or a good one.

While your paranoia is practical as misplaced as Big Yud's fears towards AI magically developing killer robot syndrome, do you really think he's been sitting on his thumbs all day and just letting the company culture fester towards capitalistic shrillness such as that?