Did Microsoft Purchase Capcom?

By James Munn | January 12, 2007

Has Microsoft just completed a purchase of Capcom? According to, “people on ‘the inside’ and from executives in the retail sector” who are close to EvilAvatar, that might just be the case. While it’s only a rumor right now, the ramifications of a Capcom buyout would be pretty significant.

I’ve been expecting something like this for awhile now and EGM discussed this way back in November. No planet can hover that close to Unicron and avoid getting eaten.

I’ll update this as more information becomes available, if any.

***UPDATE***

No Capcom purchase announcement has come to pass and a Capcom PR Rep was quoted as calling the Microsoft purchase news, “An old rumor.” Debunked for now.

Via EvilAvatar

Topics: XBOX 360 | Comments

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George

Ha ha ha! Awesome picture!

Paul

Fantastic picture.

Sammael

Damnit!!!!

I really hope this isn't true. I like the way Capcom has been producing games for everyone indiscriminantly. I was really looking forward to playing DMC4 on PS3, damnit.

This is one of the few companies I'd like to see stay exactly the way they are.

James

Don't worry, Sammael. If this is true, (considering the November rumors and my own presumptions that this would happen, I think it is.) I'd say DMC4 is too far through development not to hit the PS3. I think it just means that Dead Rising will stay on 360, Mega Man will hit the Live Arcade and you'll never see Dante flash his boomstick on a Sony console ever again.

Subnet6

I don't really care where capcom puts their games.
But I do care how MS handles them. Rare used to be good. This is the kind of move that people fear when they say that MS will hurt the gaming industry.
Not that DMC will be on PS3 or 360, who really cares, but the fact that DMC may suck now that it gets absorbed into the MS horde, well known for sucking the creativity out of every living thing it touches.

Paul

Capcom going first-party would be a major hit for Sony primarily because of Resident Evil's breakout hit with RE4 and the Devil May Cry series.

Of course with DMC3SE now on the PC courtesy of UbiSoft, I'd fully expect a port to the 360 to come next for that title.

I doubt Microsoft would corrupt them much. Rare has generally faltered on their own. They weren't doing all that great when Microsoft bought them, and Viva Pinata seems a good new property.

Tom Clancy

Good point about Rare as an MS property, but is that much of a concern with a company that spends half its time putting out good games and half its time milking shitty licenses? Maybe MS cash will leave them more time to work on good stuff.

Paul

And if you think DMC4 will still be released if MS buys Capcom, I'd think again. This is Microsoft we're talking about. They only support the Windows platform with ports from the 360 a year plus after the 360 version hits. I think the best Sony would hope for would be Microsoft sitting on DMC4 until the 360 version was done and then release them side by side. Or just sit on the PS3 version a hair longer, citing development problems, further twisting the FUD knife.

:(

Well I guess that means no more Zelda-Capcom collaboration games. That sucks, Minish Cap was awsome.

James

Still a rumor though, no confirmation on this.

Sammael

"Too far along in development"... This is M$ you said this about. They would buy up a company to prevent them from releasing software if they knew it would hurt the competition. Or they could just release it pre-maturely on purpose so that SCEA ends up with an iunfinished version and they still recoup on some development.

biggos

Sammael, yes but I doubt Capcom would agree to a deal that dumps all projects in progress for other consoles.

qbix

@Sammael: Good point. The best example is Halo which was already in development for the mac when MS bought Bungie. This also proves that just because MS buys your studio the quality of your games is very much still up to you. If this rumor is true, I'll be excited about the possibility of playing Devil May Cry on the 360. This would be bad for Sony but I really couldn't feel sorry for them.

StephenJMunn

Very unlikely. Japanese buyouts of Japanese companies are rare and delicate enough. Square-Enix and Namco-Bandai mergers only happened after lots and lots of talk and lots of shows of equality of the two. There's no comparison in size between Capcom and Microsoft. Also, an American buyout of a Japanese company is enough to ruin the buyer completely in Japan. This could mean no more 360s sold in Japan, and other Japanese third parties ceasing development. They take these things very seriously, and so would Microsoft. They're trying to take over the market space and this would likely do far more damage to them in Japan than benefit.

XAQ

This is why I hate M$. Sure, I have a 360, so I could play Capcom games on my 360. But I want to play Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicals on my Wii. M$ would def. ruin Capcom. Esp in Japan. But if ms wants something, you can bet the bastards will get it.

Michael Barclay

Rare weren't ruined by Microsoft and their purchase. They were ruined by the quality developers leaving the company throughout the last few years. Nintendo let them go for a good reason if you hadn't noticed.

CappedCon

M$ didnt damage RARE, however M$ doesnt have the quality control to delay substandard releases, like Nintendos-Rares partnership. M$ is all about quantity of releases not quality. Capcom working with M$ would mean 8hr tops gametime-completion games/franchises coming out every 6 months. M$ is McDonalds.

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Did Microsoft Purchase Capcom?