Square Enix Trying To Buy Eidos...erm why?

[Hadrian]

Source

Well it looks like Square Enix are really going all EA/Activision with yet another attempt at taking over another country publisher. In the past it they have taken over/merged with Enix (duh!), Taito but failed to get Temco. This time its Eidos and they have offered 84 million to buy them and the board of Eidos has agreed but its not final as it needs to be approved by 75% of the stockholders.

The questions is why though? Tomb Raider is Eidos's hottest franchise and the last game hasn't sold well.

Popular franchises in Eidos back catalogue:
Commandos
Chuck Rock
Deus Ex
Fear Effect
Hitman
Legacy of Kain
Just Cause
Theif
Kayne & Lynch (well maybe not popular)

Yeah they've had some hits and some good games but would you pay 84 million to own them?

 

[gov78]

well deus ex is gunna be there next big release so there probably want to get there grubby little

mits on it.

 

[stivsama]

I would pay 84 million for the next Legacy of Kain game to be made.

That's 84 million INTERNETS, but that's still a whole lot.

 

[FAST6191]

At least they went in someone with some recent history, I can not see brand recognition being so important people would buy atari or even commodore but apparently it still happens ( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/11/at...buys_into_mmos/ ).

 

[RupeeClock]

Eidos is a UK publisher, so I guess it'll help with publishing in the Europe region?

I dunno, but assets are assets, always good for any business to have more of them.

 

[Hadrian]

Eidos is a UK publisher, so I guess it'll help with publishing in the Europe region?

I dunno, but assets are assets, always good for any business to have more of them.

I'm pretty sure they can get someone far cheaper who knows just the same.

I think SE are going about buying publishers the wrong way. EA & Activision take ones that may be small but are on the way up.

 

[Satangel]

Hopefully we'll get a new Thief game soon

 

[Cablephish]

Chuck Rock was a pretty epic side scroller. I miss my SNES.

 

[CockroachMan]

Japanese developers are all talking about reaching the western market, what a better way to do that than getting a western developer to work for you?

And Tomb Raider is still pretty profitable, maybe not so much the latest games, but you gotta remember all the toys, movies, comic books and merchandising it has.

Also, IMHO, Square-Enix has a much better quality control.. I don't think they will, themselves, develop the games.. but I don't think they'll keep approving the kind of crap Eidos has been putting out lately

 

[GeekyGuy]

Heck, the rights to the Tomb Raider franchise are probably enough to make SE happy. Regardless of the mixed reviews, Lara games still seem to do quite well at retail.

But more importantly, it's another branch in the west for SE to grab hold of. SE are masters of production and the JRPG, but they are obviously putting gusto into reaching the western market. Their teams don't necessarily have the cultural insight to make games with broad appeal out here, outside of, likes I said, their RPGs.

It's also another way for them to grow. Eidos might not be sailing through blue skies right now, but they still have great value, and bringing that into the SE fold just strengthens SE as a global corporation. In a sea where companies gobble other companies at the first opportunity, it pays to be a big fish.

 

[Rod]

Taito games have seen better days recently than a few years before, as we've seen with Space Invaders Extreme and Exit DS. I'd say it's for the best =P

 

[Ferrariman]

Deus Ex 3 please.

 

[Maz7006]

SO i guess we should be happy then ? Well if you ask me, i wouldn't personally through 84 mill on eidos, well yeah they have made good games but i really don't think its worth it. The best game series that they have made is Hitman, only the first 2 games were cool, the others sucked.

 

[FAST6191]

@Ferrariman did you miss the announcement? http://www.deusex3.com/

 

[UltraMagnus]

I hope this means another legacy of kain game

I guess this recession isn't hurting SE all that badly....

 

[Banger]

Eidos is a UK publisher, so I guess it'll help with publishing in the Europe region?

I dunno, but assets are assets, always good for any business to have more of them.

I'm pretty sure they can get someone far cheaper who knows just the same.

I think SE are going about buying publishers the wrong way. EA & Activision take ones that may be small but are on the way up.

Well Activision merged with Blizzard and as far as I know Blizzard is not exactly small fish...

 

[mkoo]

I'm hoping for Nintendo to buy Square-Enix, Sega, Namco, Capcom, Atlus and Konami.. (Are there any Japanese publishers I forgot to add)

 

[granville]

This info has been partially confirmed by BBC news as Eidos accepts the takeover:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7885454.stm

Weird. I wonder why they want the company. What now? A turn based RPG with Lara Croft?

 

[[Jez]]

So Agent 47 is going to get some hair, big spiky hair at that

 

[m3rox]

I don't get why people are getting their panties all up in a bunch over this. Both are good companies, and Square Enix buying Eidos can only mean good things to come. It's not like EA buying Eidos.