Rumor: Microsoft in Talks to Buy Silent Hills, Make it Xbox Exclusive - Update

[Steven Bogos]

Rumor: Microsoft in Talks to Buy Silent Hills, Make it Xbox Exclusive - Update

Rooster Teeth is claiming an anonymous source said Microsoft is trying to buy the property for "billions" of dollars.

Update: Sorry guys, this one was a fake. Microsoft's Phil Spencer has stated via Twitter [https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/604697441447731201] that the rumor is untrue.

Original Story: Here's a big one from the rumor mill today, so please take this with a healthy dose of salt. erase all existence of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACGy46iB58k]. According to the source, Microsoft is desperately trying to purchase the property in time for this year's E3, where it will reveal it as an Xbox One exclusive. The dollar amount for the sale is reportedly in the billions.

To add legitimacy to the rumor, Rooster Teeth is claiming that this anonymous source is the very same source that correctly predicted the kinect-less Xbox One [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvXZsufIS5U].

The source says that the reason Konami has been trying so hard to scrub Silent Hills' playable teaser from the PlayStation store [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/140645-PlayStation-4s-With-P-T-Silent-Hills-Demos-On-eBay-For-1500] was due to a show of good faith to Microsoft. It also claims that the game was roughly 80% complete when Konami cancelled it.

This rumor isn't too far-fetched. Silent Hills was a pretty hotly anticipated title, and the way Konami has gone about it after it's cancellation has certainly been very... odd. Furthermore, Microsoft certainly isn't opposed to dropping such a big dump of money on a video game property, having bought Minecraft for $2.5 billion [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/137435-Microsoft-Buys-Minecraft-Developer-Mojang] last year.

I guess Xbox One-exclusive Silent Hills is better than no Silent Hills at all (although I'm sure some fanboys will be too happy to disagree with me...).

Source: Rooster Teeth [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACGy46iB58k]



Permalink

 

[Sniper Team 4]

(although I'm sure some fanboys will be too happy to disagree with me...).

Already happened in the forums. I honestly thought more people would be excited like I am, but most of the stuff was along the lines of "I'd rather see the series dead and buried than with Microsoft." But I'm hoping it's true.

 

[Starke]

Okay, sanity check: Does this make any sense to anyone out there?

This is not a hot franchise. This is a franchise that has put out sequels with tepid sales for years, in a genre that AAA publishing, including Microsoft, seems to think is dead. If they really wanted to run with the psychological survival horror thing, I'd expect them to simply drag out more Alan Wake stuff.

But, billions? Seriously? Microsoft is now going to pay more to buy a franchise than it has ever made in sales? I mean, Minecraft... okay, that made sense, it was a license to print money.

But, I don't see Silent Hill as a locus for that kind of zeitgeist.

So, really, what?

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Is it just me, or does it seem like every single news bit we get about Microsoft is about then trying to sell the Xbone? Not that I have a problem with it. I wish Sony would get off their ass and stop being so smug and try to be competetive.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

(although I'm sure some fanboys will be too happy to disagree with me...).

Already happened in the forums. I honestly thought more people would be excited like I am, but most of the stuff was along the lines of "I'd rather see the series dead and buried than with Microsoft." But I'm hoping it's true.

Ah sir, you wound me with your cruel, cruel words.

But, like I said in the GD thread, I can't be bothered to feel anything, and I honestly don't see this happening.

If by some miracle that they do get it, then good for them since I'm sure they will do a better job than Konami ever will. Them owning it really does nothing for me since I will most likely not fork over cash for an Xbone because I have a feeling that it will be going to PC at some point. And if it doesn't? Eh, oh well.

I really enjoyed the series and I wish the series had better treatment than this.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Whilst I'm happy that it'd get made, it's a small comfort because I won't get to play it. Exlusivity is garbage too, etc. In all honesty, Sony pull ya goddamn finger out; first Insomniac, then Tomb Raider, frig.

 

[Erttheking]

Oh this is just goddamn sadistic. Either it doesn't get made or Microsoft buys it up and makes it an Xbone exclusive? I'm sorry, has any company owned by Microsoft ever even produced a horror game?

Maybe we should just let the franchise die instead of letting Microsoft tarnish its name. I still got my copy of Silent Hill 2 that I need to actually playthrough (Though I feel like I can't. Friend got it for my birthday and I really want to play through it with her, but she's staying away over the summer)

 

[JenSeven]

Is it just me, or does it seem like every single news bit we get about Microsoft is about then trying to sell the Xbone?

Well, seeing as they are failing badly at selling it, guess I wouldn't be surprised if they took a bonkers route like buying Silent Hills.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Bullshit. It's not worth billions of dollars. It would be a terrible investment.

 

[Dead Metal]

BS, Sillent Hills was interesting because of the creative team behind it, both have washed their hands of it. On top of that, the part of it being "80% done" is unlikely, seeing how the last report on the game before its cancellation was that they still hadn't decided whether it's going to be 3rd or first person.
On top of that Konami has no interest in giving up ips, they rather just sit on them forever than give them away. And PT was taken down because it was a trailer for a game that has been cancelled.

 

[Bat Vader]

Honestly I would rather it not be made than see it get locked behind some stupid exclusive deal. I know that sounds petty but a game like Silent Hills should be on every system for every horror fan to enjoy, not just one. If this does turn out to be true I would hope most if not all of the gaming community turns against Microsoft and Konami.

 

[Gizen]

Considering that Silent Hills has never been a huge seller, and that the franchise's installed fanbase is located on a Sony platform, that all the people who actually played PT and were wanting the game were PS4 players, spending billions of dollars on the franchise is a mind-bogglingly questionable business decision to begin with. If true, the entire thing basically just stands out as being one great big 'fuck you' from Microsoft and Konami to everybody.

Fuck you to the dedicated fanbase of Silent Hill who have been located on Sony platforms and must now fork over an extra 300$ to keep playing the game franchise that they love.
Fuck you to all the people who actually were making the game, since it's clear from Guillermo Del Toro's comments that they were not kept informed to the status of their own work.
Fuck you to all the people who value the history and preservation of video games (PT may have just been a teaser, but it was also a game in and of itself, sacrificed by Konami on behalf of Microsoft).
Fuck you to Sony.
Fuck you to anyone who prefers Sony.
Fuck you to all the fans of Xbox, as Microsoft would sooner fork out billions of dollars trying to steal a rival's fanbase instead of spend that money to make games that would appease their own fanbase.
Fuck you to the investors and shareholders, because this is a business decision that is not especially likely to have good returns.

Frankly, if I put enough time and thought into it, I'm certain I could think of a few more people Microsoft and Konami are pretty much flipping the bird at.

So, because I am an incredibly spiteful person, if someone tells me to fuck off, I am going to tell them to fuck off right back. So if this rumour proves true, then yes, I do feel the game is better off buried than an Xbox exclusive.

 

[VinLAURiA]

[yaddayadda]

So, because I am an incredibly spiteful person, if someone tells me to fuck off, I am going to tell them to fuck off right back. So if this rumour proves true, then yes, I do feel the game is better off buried than an Xbox exclusive.

Now, I think that's rather childish. It's the same deal with Bayonetta 2 moving from PS3/360 to Wii U. Would you rather see the game completely buried just because you personally can't play it on your platform of choice? Yes, the demo was PS4 only, but if the game can be salvaged even if it's moved to a different platform, it's better in the big picture. Even outside of Bayonetta, this wouldn't be the first time a game is saved by being picked up by a rival manufacturer to its original system. Look at Super Meat Boy, for example: that game was originally announced for Wii and ended up becoming 360-only because the WiiWare size limit couldn't handle it, and XBLA releases have a digital exclusivity clause.

I mean, it may seem like a kick in the teeth to people who played P.T., but it was a free demo. There's only really a problem with this if people had to buy it and that money went into the game's development, or the purchase of the PS4 version was otherwise unrefundable somehow. Outside of maybe a five-dollar retailer pre-order that can easily be refunded or something, no one's put money down on Silent Hills yet. If it were something like Project CARS - where the Kickstarter was funded through Wii U version purchases and then the devs turned around and cancelled the Wii U version to move it to PS4/Xbone - different story, since that pretty much amounts to fraud and is breaking a transaction obligation. But Silent Hills doesn't have any consumer money put into it yet, and if Microsoft decides to inject their money into the project to make it exclusive, then that's their prerogative. Y'know, unless Sony decides to hang onto it and beats them to the punch.

 

[Andy Shandy]

After P.T, I don't care who saves it, I just want somebody to.

Can't say I understand the logic behind those who would rather have it dead, just because it's not on the console of your choice.

 

[laggyteabag]

Skeptical. The Silent Hill franchise is no where near worth "billions", and it would be a terrible investment on Microsoft's part to purchase a franchise for that much on the basis of a good demo.

As for the source, ehhhhhhhhhh, I mean, it wasn't exactly hard to predict that the Xbox One would release a Kinect-less bundle, especially because of the bad reception that the One got when it was announced because of the Kinect and the increased price over the PS4, so I am certainly questioning the source there. If this was the source that leaked Microsoft buying Mojang and Minecraft, then I would believe it more, but as it stands, ehhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

Oh boy, oh boy, my favorite company is swooping in to save the day. :l

Better this than nothing, I suppose. If it's accurate, of course...since it still seems kinda sketchy.

 

[Silver Patriot]

If it was as far along to completion as rumored then it's hard to imagine them screwing it up. So I am ok with this. Yeah it sucks that it won't come to PS4 but at least it will exist. Maybe it will even have a PC release. It's Bayonetta 2 all over again in a way.

Until further notice I am going to be optimistic about this.

 

[Gizen]

[yaddayadda]

So, because I am an incredibly spiteful person, if someone tells me to fuck off, I am going to tell them to fuck off right back. So if this rumour proves true, then yes, I do feel the game is better off buried than an Xbox exclusive.

Now, I think that's rather childish. It's the same deal with Bayonetta 2 moving from PS3/360 to Wii U. Would you rather see the game completely buried just because you personally can't play it on your platform of choice? Yes, the demo was PS4 only, but if the game can be salvaged even if it's moved to a different platform, it's better in the big picture. Even outside of Bayonetta, this wouldn't be the first time a game is saved by being picked up by a rival manufacturer to its original system. Look at Super Meat Boy, for example: that game was originally announced for Wii and ended up becoming 360-only because the WiiWare size limit couldn't handle it, and XBLA releases have a digital exclusivity clause.

The difference between this situation and Bayonetta is that Sega wasn't actively setting Bayonetta on fire as they kicked it out the door. They didn't set out to remove the first Bayonetta from online stores or burn bridges with its developers, they simply went 'you know what, we don't think this is worth the money' and chose not to make it. Whereas Konami went 'fuck that Kojima guy' and set out to burn everything he had a hand in to the ground. There's a pettiness there that, to the best of my knowledge was not involved in any of the other examples you used. Furthermore, even if Bayonetta 2 wasn't published by Sega, it was still made by its original creators, whereas with Silent Hills, the impression I get is that this will not be the case, as comments from those who've worked on it have sounded pretty conclusive that it was dead and buried. Which means either the remaining portion of the game will likely be finished by Microsoft itself. Even IF Microsoft went out of their way to try and get the original crew working on it back together, it still implies that they had no hand in its change of ownership or platform.

I mean, it may seem like a kick in the teeth to people who played P.T., but it was a free demo.

It's not about a loss of money, it's about a loss of historical value. Games shouldn't be getting erased and removed from existence, not even shitty ones, and especially not ones that struck and left a relatively decent impact on pop culture. Especially in an age where everything is friggin' digital, there's no reason to be deleting shit. And if it turns out to be true that it was deleted to appease Microsoft, it's just an incredible jerkass move.

That's what it all comes down to in the end. Petty jackassery. Silent Hills cancellation was a petty 'fuck you' to Kojima, and its acquisition reeks of being a petty 'fuck you' to Sony. There are things that could happen that would reduce the pettiness of the latter, but if PT's removal is really a result of this, then nothing can ever negate it entirely, and nothing really changes the former. Like I said in my post, I am a spiteful person. I respond to pettiness with pettiness. If Microsoft was literally just saving Silent Hills, I'd be fine with it, but you don't get to claim to be the hero when you're the one helping to start the fucking fire.

 

[VinLAURiA]

Well, I'll agree wholeheartedly with the historical value bit. It is indeed stupid that Konami is removing P.T. outright from PSN, regardless of what happens to Silent Hills. Of course, that's if there's not a more legitimate reason going on behind the scenes like a rights conflict, but even then it sucks to see a game just vanish.

 

[blackdwarf]

But so what? besides the the fan base of SH, wasn't most of the hype there because of PT which was created by Kojima and Del Toro? I don't believe if MS would get their hands on it, we get a what the new SH was meant to be.