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Discussion Platinum’s CEO says he wouldn’t dismiss acquisition offers ‘as long as our freedom is respected’

I know people will jump in and yell “NINTENDO” but, you know, I don’t think it’s going to happen. Platinum is one of those studios dependant on talent and in recent years some have left, some even returned to Capcom (I believe that M3 studio who helped out creating the Resident Evil 3 Remake housed some ex-Platinum people) and that’s pretty damning for a studio like Platinum.

I do believe in terms of philosophy and ideas about game development Platinum is closer to Nintendo rather than Sony and MS, Kamiya seemed to have good chemistry back in the day with Iwata. Still, I don’t know if they would be the best fit. As others have said, I rather believe Platinum would be gobbled up by Tencent or another Chinese firm looking for a point of entry in the gaming industry.
 
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ImpendingFoil said:
I know that Nintendo lets Monolith kind of do their own thing,
Click to expand...
They don't though.


On topic: Platinum needs funding it seems. I can see them getting acquired, but don't know if Nintendo will give them the freedom they want. I think they mean they want the freedom to release wherever they want? If that's the case, Nintendo would never allow that. But if they just want to make any game they want, then maybe Nintendo is a good fit. Platinum has made some of the more successful of their games on Nintendo systems. Though, they could end up like Monolith where nothing gets approved except a single IP.
 
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i don't think they're a good match for nintendo tbh.
they'll probably get bought by tencent or netease or something. the writing has been on the wall for a long time that they're gonna eventually get into financial troubles. they were an amazing studio with great potential, but they never had good management, unfortunately.
 
I do think that if Nintendo acquired Platinum, they would let them keep doing Platinum stuff - it'd just be constrained by exclusivity (basically entirely curbing working with other third-parties' IPs, Bayo aside) and balanced by them being tasked to help with other projects under Nintendo, if needed.

But I think they'd let them still experiment with new IPs (perhaps not as frequently, but still something), and let them try their hand with Nintendo's own IP.
 
Rooster said:
I do think that if Nintendo acquired Platinum, they would let them keep doing Platinum stuff - it'd just be constrained by exclusivity (basically entirely curbing working with other third-parties' IPs, Bayo aside) and balanced by them being tasked to help with other projects under Nintendo, if needed.

But I think they'd let them still experiment with new IPs (perhaps not as frequently, but still something), and let them try their hand with Nintendo's own IP.
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This is my take as well, somewhat similar to how Monolith operates. But they'd still have to go through Nintendo to get their projects greenlit and we know that it's been a while since MS put out a new IP.
 
I've resigned myself to the fact it will eventually happen.

Lozjam said:
Honestly, Platinum isnt actually a good developer at all.

Sure. They make some good games, but honestly they have had more misses than hits. I don't think they have enough talent or prestige to really hang in there like that.

Maybe with right leadership, they could turn the tide. Honestly their Nintendo partnerships seem to work out the best. However, for every Bayonetta or Nier, they have even more stinkers like Korra, Wonderful 101, or even canceled games like Scalebound.

The fact that they seem to always be close to financial ruin really demonstrates that.
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This really isn't the case, like at all.
 
These back-to-back Platinum interviews are very

im_dropping_hints.jpg
 
I love them so much. I hope someone can save them from trash GaaS hell.

Preferably someone who can facilitate further collaborations with my main man Yoko Taro (Drakengard 4 with Platinum please lmao) but at this point I'm not picky.

Nintendo and Astral Chain 2? Microsoft and Scalebound? Just get them to someone who will let them keep making games I want to buy!
 
Speaking purely hypothetically, a Platinum under Nintendo's ownership probably wouldn't be all that different to now. It'd secure the futures of Bayonetta and Astral Chain, while also allowing Platinum freedom to pitch new projects, be they new IPs or existing Nintendo franchises they fancy taking a pop at. The issue of course would be getting Nintendo themselves to give the green light. Might not be a huge obstacle considering they did take a punt on Astral Chain, but I doubt Nintendo would just let Platinum have total free reign over what games they work on.

Perhaps a bit of oversight would help Platinum focus on a select number of projects which they can focus on growing and nurturing. I know people can sometimes grumble that Nintendo have 'strongarmed' Monolith into focusing on Xenoblade, but it's done wonders for the franchise to the point it's become a firm fan fav, a multi million seller and Nintendo's premiere RPG offering. The same could theoretically happen with Platinum if the projects they picked and management of them were spot on.
 
They tend to cover a few niches that Nintendo's first and second parties don't cover all that well, so it could be an interesting purchase.
 
Rooster said:
I honestly do feel like Platinum could do good work under Nintendo - they're talented devs but seemingly not particularly well managed, which Nintendo can help with. They've also got an existing, presumably good relationship with the company, and have been brought in to help on projects before.

More over, I think Nintendo, unlike the others, still put more value on the workforce they'd acquire over the IPs that'd come with. Nintendo has a replete catalogue already, which is good, because you'd basically get nothing of value IP-wise acquiring Platinum.

Of the many companies that get bandied about to get scooped up by the big N, this is one I feel like, in theory, is not senseless.

Having said that, never bet on a Nintendo acquisition. Even in situations like with NLG. It's not Nintendo's MO, even at the best of times the games Platinum has made for them have only been moderate successes commercially (unlike NLG), and it's possible all Nintendo really wanted out of them was the Astral Chain IP, and whatever they own under the Bayo IP.

It's not impossible Nintendo grabs them, but I'd have to put the odds elsewhere. It does very much seem like they're fishing for buyers now though.
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I think Nintendo sees more potential in them than we acknowledge... Star Fox Zero was developed by them, not to mention Nintendo having them make new IPs(Astral Chain and The Wonderful 101) and the continued investment on Bayonetta (Bayo 2 and 3, Smash and their properties having content in 1).
Them making Astral Chain and Bayonetta on a regular basis, being a support studio (in the way Monolith helped to develop Zelda, ACNH, Splatoon, etc) and also making new games on Nintendo franchises(Star Fox Zero, but they could very well make, say, a new Mario spin off, F Zero, maybe eventually a Metroid game) would be a very good ideia.

But I do agree that it would be better if someone like Sega/Atlus or Square Enix of Bandai Namco bought them so they can continue to develop and publish to wherever they want. But if we talk about a platform holder buying them, then please let it be Nintendo.
 
platinum is one of my favorite devs, so i hope they get pulled out of whatever trouble they seem to currently be in.

people didn't like star fox, but honestly i still think it was a really good game. on top of that, in the last decade or so you've had bayo 2, transformations devastations, metal gear rising, nier automata, wonderful 101, and astral chain ... all excellent games. i still think they "have it" and like many was saddened by the quotes suggesting they were switching their entire catalog to live games. if someone could buy them and stop that, then by all means.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
Yeah Clover was actually a bigger failure than Platinum.

People can feel how they want about that information.
Click to expand...

Eh, I dunno about that. Viewtiful Joe seemed to sell well enough for a sequel and handheld spinoffs. God Hand bombed though for sure but it's not like Anarchy Reigns set the charts on fire either, did it? Okami is a cult classic that Capcom have re-released a lot over the years and did a DS game, so Capcom must like the IP.

Babylon's Fall is looking to be their biggest bomb yet and their Korra and TMNT games weren't exactly very well received either. Didn't Wonderful 101 sell badly as well? We are kinda splitting hairs between both Clover and Platinum here since their games haven't ever really sold all that well at all. Even Bayonetta 2 only got made thanks to Nintendo really. Metal Gear Rising was their best selling game for a long time until Nier Automata came out. Astral Chain pulled in over a million so that was good, hopefully Bayo 3 pulls in similar numbers.

I'd personally far prefer if they stayed independent but it is what it is I guess.
 
If someone other than Nintendo buys Platinum, I think their partnership with Nintendo takes a major hit. Let’s be honest, their games on Switch & Wii U have not sold well. From what I can tell, Bayonetta 2, The Wonderful 101, & Star Fox: Zero all failed to hit the 1M mark. Yes, the Wii U is partly responsible for that, but even their biggest Astral Chain has barely eclipsed 1M on a system that has 7x the units in population. Point is if any 3rd party developer scoops them up, they will almost certainly push them away from exclusive Nintendo releases.

IMO, Platinum has the potential to do some pretty decent numbers, but they need to be reigned in a bit. I really think Nintendo could make them their primary “action” game studio and have them do some super interesting things with their IP. Like take F-Zero and build an awesome open-world game starring Captain Falcon thar has both racing and bounty hunter missions (yes I stole this idea). Or create an action/adventure game in the Zelda universe built around Sheik like Retro was planning. Or hell, let Kamiya have a shot at building his own version of Star Fox from the ground up. Do I expect any of those to 10M+ sellers? Not at all, but I think they could easily sell 3M to 4M on Switch, which isn’t far off what their best seller in Nier Automata did. Mix in some new IPs here & there along with sequels to Bayonetta and/or Astral Chain and I think Platinum would setup to be very successful while making the types of games they actually like.
 
Platinum is clearly really really struggling right now. They've clearly been hit very hard by COVID, and the departure of studio heads like Yusuke Hashimoto has obviously hurt them.

I mean, it has taken Platinum more than 2 years to make a small indie-scale shmup and it is still releasing in a pretty unpolished state with some gnarly bugs in place. Their transition into self-publishing has been a very rocky one to say the least; and they've recently had to accept a deal with the devil money from Tencent to stay afloat. Bayonetta 3 has virtually nothing to show for itself after more than 5 years in development, they've been kicked off the Granblue Fantasy project and Babylon's Fall is an unmitigated disaster on every level (though that's arguably more S-E's fault than Platinum's).

Quite frankly, it's a miracle that the studio is still alive after all these years of commercial bomb after commercial bomb. And it seems like Inaba is realising that they can't keep going down the current path as-is...

I do think that an acquisition is an inevitability, but so long as they continue to demand complete independence, that acquisition won't be coming from a console manufacturer...
 
Dark Cloud said:
All those low tier licensed games would be cut out with Nintendo, which is a good thing. They can assist Nintendo on games like Monolith does and work on developing their own games. PG can make new IP’s and maybe work on Star Fox or Takamaru

Nintendo got the Astral Chain IP. What’s good with the IP if Platinum isn’t there to develop it? Nintendo can’t sit back and pray Platinum is bought by some third party who will allow them to work with Nintendo. Nintendo doesn’t know what will happen so they have to be proactive themselves in discussions.
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Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo purchased Astral Chain in its entirety exactly because they knew Platinum would eventually get acquired by someone else.
 
AngryNopon said:
I've resigned myself to the fact it will eventually happen.


This really isn't the case, like at all.
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Huh? In terms of commercial success, they have done very little. And even in terms of critical success, it's only Nier, Bayonetta, Astral Chain, Vanquish and MGR. Everything else is either divisive or outright bad.

I wouldn't say they are a disaster or worthless, but they are definitely inconsistent.

And let's not even talk about cancelled/rebooted projects like Scalebound and Granblue, which I would count as misses too.
 
Last edited:
WestEgg said:
It would be pretty funny if Kamiya ended up at Nintendo, be it by acquisition or headhunted, because he'd be the only Nintendo developer I can think of who would be likely to tell people who annoy him to fuck off on twitter.
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You know what, now I want Nintendo to acquire Platinum.
 
Lozjam said:
Honestly, Platinum isnt actually a good developer at all.

Sure. They make some good games, but honestly they have had more misses than hits. I don't think they have enough talent or prestige to really hang in there like that.

Maybe with right leadership, they could turn the tide. Honestly their Nintendo partnerships seem to work out the best. However, for every Bayonetta or Nier, they have even more stinkers like Korra, Wonderful 101, or even canceled games like Scalebound.

The fact that they seem to always be close to financial ruin really demonstrates that.
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I can't help agree with you, sadly.

If anyone were to acquire them, Nintendo maybe has the best chance of supporting them to reach their potential.
 
KCannon said:
Huh? In terms of commercial success, they have done very little. And even in terms of critical success, it's only Nier, Bayonetta, Astral Chain, Vanquish and MGR. Everything else is either divisive or outright bad.

I wouldn't say they are a disaster or worthless, but they are definitely inconsistent.

And let's not even talk about cancelled/rebooted projects like Scalebound and Granblue, which I would count as misses too.
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I wasn't talking about commercial success, as i don't really think sales are the best meter to determine the quality of a game, and i don't think the person i quoted was either.

Out of 18 games they have released there are only 3 games (Korra, StarFox and TMNT) that are universally panned, while everything else is comfortably above 70 Metacritic in both critic and user score. Yeah, some stuff could be defined as divisive, but a game being divisive doesn't mean it's a stinker. So i don't think the notion that they have far more misses than hits is fair and correct (and i'm probably not the only one thinking this, considering they keep receiving commisioned work by big publishers).

I won't deny that these last few years have probably been rough, but projects being cancelled is just something that happens at every studio. This time the cancellations were just more "public" than in other situations.
 
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KCannon said:
Huh? In terms of commercial success, they have done very little. And even in terms of critical success, it's only Nier, Bayonetta, Astral Chain, Vanquish and MGR. Everything else is either divisive or outright bad.

I wouldn't say they are a disaster or worthless, but they are definitely inconsistent.

And let's not even talk about cancelled/rebooted projects like Scalebound and Granblue, which I would count as misses too.
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The detail that you're missing here is that they make a chunk of their game on accelerated timelines and minimal budgets to keep the lights on. It's not fair to factor those into their pedigree as a developer, as they aren't representative of their actual potential. Under the proper acquisition, there wouldn't be a need for that – similar to Microsoft nabbing Double Fine which has had similar quality issues. Not to say I'm advocating for an acquisition tho.

Likewise with cancellations and reboots.. you can't chalk that up solely to an internal failure as there are endless external factors at play.
 
If they really want this, I hope it's not by a platform maker. They really just want consistent money I think and obviously this generation (Switch/PS4/XB1 and Switch/PS5/Xbox Series) hasn't been quite as consistent as previous ones.

Maybe it'll be for the better as long as they can still choose which platforms to develop for.
 
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I'm not trying to discredit VGC's reporting here, but whenever I see news stories in English without the original question/statement in another language I allow for the possibility that I'm misreading the situation. As the article mentions, there have only been a few mergers with Japanese companies in the last 20 years (Sega Sammy, Bandai Namco, Koei Tecmo, and Square Enix), and so it's hard to know how serious the CEO was about an acquisition.

In short, I'm doubtful that Nintendo or any company is going to acquire Platinum. It's more likely that key figures like Kamiya would leave for a new studio like with Nagoshi.
 
Dark Cloud said:
Didn’t he also message Phil for doing Scalebound? All of this is meaningless. What matters is the discussions behind closed doors with companies.
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Didn't think it was a direct message per say, it was in an interview with someone and they mentioned Phil. i could be wrong though.
 
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KCannon said:
It helps that the IP isn't even Nintendo's.

Don't think they can dictate much anyway, even if it's funded by them.
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It functionally might as well be. Regardless, Nintendo rather explicitly told them to sexy bayonettas Link costume up more than the people at platinum initially suggested, for instance. And they let them make those other sexy peach/daisy costumes, so they're definitely not that against the deliberately erotic designs.
 
KCannon said:
Huh? In terms of commercial success, they have done very little. And even in terms of critical success, it's only Nier, Bayonetta, Astral Chain, Vanquish and MGR. Everything else is either divisive or outright bad.

I wouldn't say they are a disaster or worthless, but they are definitely inconsistent.

And let's not even talk about cancelled/rebooted projects like Scalebound and Granblue, which I would count as misses too.
Click to expand...
they are one of the only non-indie devs out there doing consistently interesting shit, and I don't even particularly like action games
 
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Aggrocrog said:
I'm not trying to discredit VGC's reporting here, but whenever I see news stories in English without the original question/statement in another language I allow for the possibility that I'm misreading the situation. As the article mentions, there have only been a few mergers with Japanese companies in the last 20 years (Sega Sammy, Bandai Namco, Koei Tecmo, and Square Enix), and so it's hard to know how serious the CEO was about an acquisition.

In short, I'm doubtful that Nintendo or any company is going to acquire Platinum. It's more likely that key figures like Kamiya would leave for a new studio like with Nagoshi.
Click to expand...

this has nothing to do with publishers merging, its just a studio being acquired, happens regularly all around
 
maebe said:
I love them so much. I hope someone can save them from trash GaaS hell.

Preferably someone who can facilitate further collaborations with my main man Yoko Taro (Drakengard 4 with Platinum please lmao) but at this point I'm not picky.

Nintendo and Astral Chain 2? Microsoft and Scalebound? Just get them to someone who will let them keep making games I want to buy!
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I'd be very surprised if Astral Chain 2 doesn't happen, bar them being bought by a competitor. Even though it only sold slightly more than a million, that's one of Platinum's bigger successes and especially if they're struggling it's a sensible well to return to.

Plus Nintendo seems to value the IP as well, bothering to fully acquire it.

As for why Square hasn't brought them on board for more Nier, I'm not sure. But I think Nintendo will keep them working on Bayo and AC, at least.

Marce-chan said:
I think Nintendo sees more potential in them than we acknowledge... Star Fox Zero was developed by them, not to mention Nintendo having them make new IPs(Astral Chain and The Wonderful 101) and the continued investment on Bayonetta (Bayo 2 and 3, Smash and their properties having content in 1).
Them making Astral Chain and Bayonetta on a regular basis, being a support studio (in the way Monolith helped to develop Zelda, ACNH, Splatoon, etc) and also making new games on Nintendo franchises(Star Fox Zero, but they could very well make, say, a new Mario spin off, F Zero, maybe eventually a Metroid game) would be a very good ideia.

But I do agree that it would be better if someone like Sega/Atlus or Square Enix of Bandai Namco bought them so they can continue to develop and publish to wherever they want. But if we talk about a platform holder buying them, then please let it be Nintendo.
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Well yeah if Nintendo saw nothing in them they wouldn't work together, or at least keep working together - but just because they'll collaborate certainly doesn't mean Nintendo will go to the effort of acquiring them.
 
It seems like they’ve been struggling for a while to find their footing. I love Platinum, but they make niche games that aren’t huge commercial successes. As long as they can get funding from someone (Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft or another big publisher) and they’re given creative freedom, that would be great. Hopefully, they can find the perfect match for what they’re trying to achieve.
 
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Jarmusch said:
this has nothing to do with publishers merging, its just a studio being acquired, happens regularly all around
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Does it happen regularly all around with Japanese developers? I brought up those examples bc mergers and acquisitions are frequently discussed together and they were the only ones I could think of. This is likely why they were also mentioned in the article.
 
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Actually, sorry, my bad.

Apparently he's talking to everybody.

Kamiya really wants to get paid out. This begging is a little unbecoming though.

"Asked if Platinum was already in conversations with Microsoft over Scalebound, Kamiya replied: “I can’t confirm or deny anything, but we could be talking to Microsoft. But we could also be talking to Nintendo, Sony, Capcom, Konami or anybody!”
Click to expand...
 
Dardan Sandiego said:
It's weird (and a little sad) how they just put out a new game and are releasing Babylon's Fall in ~2 weeks but 99% of the coverage is about them looking desperate for external funding or even an acquisition.
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Unfortunately Sol Cresta & Babylon’s Fall aren’t going to generate clicks, both are not interesting to report on for two different reasons. Sadly this will generate clicks, capitalize on acquisition talk, & spark the console wars anew. Also completely decontextualize the quote while making it seem worse the it is for more clicks. Surprised they haven’t photoshopped Kamiya’s face on their like a YT thumbnail.
 
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Dardan Sandiego said:
It's weird (and a little sad) how they just put out a new game and are releasing Babylon's Fall in ~2 weeks but 99% of the coverage is about them looking desperate for external funding or even an acquisition.
Click to expand...

I have seen no promotion of Babylon’s Fall and maybe a single ad for Sol Cresta. For a studio that is launching two titles the only conversation being had is about Platinum looking for either more work or talking about being acquired.
 
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Kreese said:
Actually, sorry, my bad.

Apparently he's talking to everybody.

Kamiya really wants to get paid out. This begging is a little unbecoming though.
Click to expand...
How to say your company is in a bad state without saying your company is in a bad state
 
0
The statements on respecting Platinum's freedom are an interesting element. Platinum wants to make what Platinum wants to make and has been trying to push further toward this end -- hence the, apparently short-lived, self-publishing efforts. What's interesting here is that one has to consider Platinum as is has still been unable to just make whatever they want; they remain beholden to who they can get to fund what projects, and then to what the client might demand of the project.

Even the concept that's been thrown around, that Platinum wants to be able to decide what platforms its games release on, has been an ability largely withheld from them for the same reason. Overall, Platinum, though free, hasn't had the level of freedom being read into these statements -- and which, perhaps, could even be intended, that Platinum would accept an offer in exchange for more freedom than it currently possesses.

But if Platinum were wanting to retain roughly the level of freedom currently possessed, pitching whatever games its developers want, with the understanding that they might be greenlit, the request doesn't seem nearly so outlandish. Of course, with what seems to be a constant threat of diminished funds based on their current operations -- itself a reason potential buyers might shy away from any actual absolute freedom --, it might be more difficult to find a purchaser who would let the creativity run wild, especially for games that regularly don't exactly set the charts on fire, regardless of how critics might rave.

Even a more hands-off purchaser, given the apparent finance troubles, might eventually tighten restrictions or turn the company into a support studio. Without a particular reason to let the studio make what it makes, willingness to do so could dwindle.

Nintendo does make a good example, based on what data we have, of a potential buyer that would probably be good for Platinum's well-being, should Platinum be willing, though I'm not about to suggest it's the only one. However, Nintendo's position as a platform holder does give it cause to let Platinum keep making games that might not be the hottest sellers, to fill a niche and draw people into the ecosystem, or even just for the prestige. We've seen Nintendo keep working with Platinum, where a significant portion of their projects are actually new IP -- and these are considered a high quality. Interviews have indicated that Nintendo lends Platinum a respectful freedom in these projects, even while providing a guiding hand. It seems this would be a good choice for continued creative freedom, while still reigning Platinum in and helping it flourish. Statements suggest that the company cultures actually meld surprisingly well, and there seems to be mutual respect.

And maybe we would even get Kamiya's original pitch for what eventually became the ill-fated Scalebound


Pure conjecture here, but the recently indicated possible GaaS direction seemed as though it might have been less a creative desire than it would be financially directed, wherein even a position of freedom might require less desired work, where Platinum needed consistent income to sustain itself as a mercenary studio and also in its self-publishing endeavors (though this itself would be risky, counting on this large investment to pay off when such attempts offer absolutely no guarantee). However, given the industry's current fascination with GaaS, the indication that the studio might be interested in developing such endeavors could be an attempt to garner interest as well.

Dardan Sandiego said:
It's weird (and a little sad) how they just put out a new game and are releasing Babylon's Fall in ~2 weeks but 99% of the coverage is about them looking desperate for external funding or even an acquisition.
Click to expand...
It seems it wasn't all that long ago releases from them would attract a lot of attention (at least in certain spheres). I can see people not being excited about Babylon's Fall considering the general assumption it won't be all that good, and then Sol Cresta is different from their generally expected releases (though one might expect that to give it some more buzz).

It almost seems the dreariness around Platinum right now has drowned their new releases, and I wouldn't suspect that to be intentional.

Marce-chan said:
also making new games on Nintendo franchises(Star Fox Zero, but they could very well make, say, a new Mario spin off, F Zero, maybe eventually a Metroid game) would be a very good ideia.
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Here I thought I was the only one!
Supreme Overlord said:
(Tangential thought: an F-Zero Hyper Stylish Racing Action Game by Platinum Games would almost certainly include some iteration of Wonder Red)
Click to expand...
Supreme Overlord said:
I present again the outlandish idea of

F-Zero, Hyper Stylish Racing Action Game developed by Platinum Games
Click to expand...
Supreme Overlord said:
I must conclude that the idea was too far out there ...

Or that Nintendo already has Platinum Games on queue for an F-Zero Hyper Stylish Racing Action Game.
Click to expand...
Supreme Overlord said:
They wouldn't be in this situation if they'd just gone ahead and made that F-Zero Hyper Stylish Racing Action Game.
Click to expand...
 
totofogo said:
The detail that you're missing here is that they make a chunk of their game on accelerated timelines and minimal budgets to keep the lights on. It's not fair to factor those into their pedigree as a developer, as they aren't representative of their actual potential. Under the proper acquisition, there wouldn't be a need for that – similar to Microsoft nabbing Double Fine which has had similar quality issues. Not to say I'm advocating for an acquisition tho.

Likewise with cancellations and reboots.. you can't chalk that up solely to an internal failure as there are endless external factors at play.
Click to expand...
I mean, Obsidian had a canceled game with Microsoft too called Stormlands. A canceled game does not make a bad developer. I certainly wouldn't call Obsidian a bad dev, and I wouldn't put that title on PG either.
 
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Supreme Overlord said:
The statements on respecting Platinum's freedom are an interesting element. Platinum wants to make what Platinum wants to make and has been trying to push further toward this end -- hence the, apparently short-lived, self-publishing efforts. What's interesting here is that one has to consider Platinum as is has still been unable to just make whatever they want; they remain beholden to who they can get to fund what projects, and then to what the client might demand of the project.

Even the concept that's been thrown around, that Platinum wants to be able to decide what platforms its games release on, has been an ability largely withheld from them for the same reason. Overall, Platinum, though free, hasn't had the level of freedom being read into these statements -- and which, perhaps, could even be intended, that Platinum would accept an offer in exchange for more freedom than it currently possesses.

But if Platinum were wanting to retain roughly the level of freedom currently possessed, pitching whatever games its developers want, with the understanding that they might be greenlit, the request doesn't seem nearly so outlandish. Of course, with what seems to be a constant threat of diminished funds based on their current operations -- itself a reason potential buyers might shy away from any actual absolute freedom --, it might be more difficult to find a purchaser who would let the creativity run wild, especially for games that regularly don't exactly set the charts on fire, regardless of how critics might rave.

Even a more hands-off purchaser, given the apparent finance troubles, might eventually tighten restrictions or turn the company into a support studio. Without a particular reason to let the studio make what it makes, willingness to do so could dwindle.

Nintendo does make a good example, based on what data we have, of a potential buyer that would probably be good for Platinum's well-being, should Platinum be willing, though I'm not about to suggest it's the only one. However, Nintendo's position as a platform holder does give it cause to let Platinum keep making games that might not be the hottest sellers, to fill a niche and draw people into the ecosystem, or even just for the prestige. We've seen Nintendo keep working with Platinum, where a significant portion of their projects are actually new IP -- and these are considered a high quality. Interviews have indicated that Nintendo lends Platinum a respectful freedom in these projects, even while providing a guiding hand. It seems this would be a good choice for continued creative freedom, while still reigning Platinum in and helping it flourish. Statements suggest that the company cultures actually meld surprisingly well, and there seems to be mutual respect.

And maybe we would even get Kamiya's original pitch for what eventually became the ill-fated Scalebound


Pure conjecture here, but the recently indicated possible GaaS direction seemed as though it might have been less a creative desire than it would be financially directed, wherein even a position of freedom might require less desired work, where Platinum needed consistent income to sustain itself as a mercenary studio and also in its self-publishing endeavors (though this itself would be risky, counting on this large investment to pay off when such attempts offer absolutely no guarantee). However, given the industry's current fascination with GaaS, the indication that the studio might be interested in developing such endeavors could be an attempt to garner interest as well.


It seems it wasn't all that long ago releases from them would attract a lot of attention (at least in certain spheres). I can see people not being excited about Babylon's Fall considering the general assumption it won't be all that good, and then Sol Cresta is different from their generally expected releases (though one might expect that to give it some more buzz).

It almost seems the dreariness around Platinum right now has drowned their new releases, and I wouldn't suspect that to be intentional.


Here I thought I was the only one!
Click to expand...
Amazing post right here!!
 
Supreme Overlord said:
The statements on respecting Platinum's freedom are an interesting element. Platinum wants to make what Platinum wants to make and has been trying to push further toward this end -- hence the, apparently short-lived, self-publishing efforts. What's interesting here is that one has to consider Platinum as is has still been unable to just make whatever they want; they remain beholden to who they can get to fund what projects, and then to what the client might demand of the project.

Even the concept that's been thrown around, that Platinum wants to be able to decide what platforms its games release on, has been an ability largely withheld from them for the same reason. Overall, Platinum, though free, hasn't had the level of freedom being read into these statements -- and which, perhaps, could even be intended, that Platinum would accept an offer in exchange for more freedom than it currently possesses.

But if Platinum were wanting to retain roughly the level of freedom currently possessed, pitching whatever games its developers want, with the understanding that they might be greenlit, the request doesn't seem nearly so outlandish. Of course, with what seems to be a constant threat of diminished funds based on their current operations -- itself a reason potential buyers might shy away from any actual absolute freedom --, it might be more difficult to find a purchaser who would let the creativity run wild, especially for games that regularly don't exactly set the charts on fire, regardless of how critics might rave.

Even a more hands-off purchaser, given the apparent finance troubles, might eventually tighten restrictions or turn the company into a support studio. Without a particular reason to let the studio make what it makes, willingness to do so could dwindle.

Nintendo does make a good example, based on what data we have, of a potential buyer that would probably be good for Platinum's well-being, should Platinum be willing, though I'm not about to suggest it's the only one. However, Nintendo's position as a platform holder does give it cause to let Platinum keep making games that might not be the hottest sellers, to fill a niche and draw people into the ecosystem, or even just for the prestige. We've seen Nintendo keep working with Platinum, where a significant portion of their projects are actually new IP -- and these are considered a high quality. Interviews have indicated that Nintendo lends Platinum a respectful freedom in these projects, even while providing a guiding hand. It seems this would be a good choice for continued creative freedom, while still reigning Platinum in and helping it flourish. Statements suggest that the company cultures actually meld surprisingly well, and there seems to be mutual respect.

And maybe we would even get Kamiya's original pitch for what eventually became the ill-fated Scalebound


Pure conjecture here, but the recently indicated possible GaaS direction seemed as though it might have been less a creative desire than it would be financially directed, wherein even a position of freedom might require less desired work, where Platinum needed consistent income to sustain itself as a mercenary studio and also in its self-publishing endeavors (though this itself would be risky, counting on this large investment to pay off when such attempts offer absolutely no guarantee). However, given the industry's current fascination with GaaS, the indication that the studio might be interested in developing such endeavors could be an attempt to garner interest as well.


It seems it wasn't all that long ago releases from them would attract a lot of attention (at least in certain spheres). I can see people not being excited about Babylon's Fall considering the general assumption it won't be all that good, and then Sol Cresta is different from their generally expected releases (though one might expect that to give it some more buzz).

It almost seems the dreariness around Platinum right now has drowned their new releases, and I wouldn't suspect that to be intentional.


Here I thought I was the only one!
Click to expand...

A Captain Falcon brawler with some races mixed in made by Platinum has been a dream game living in my head.
 
0
The problem of buying Platinum is that you buy a straggling Developer with....0 ips

W101 value is 0 lets face it

It goes completly against any of the Microsoft\Sony, purchase companies established content and ips
 
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