Microsoft has announced its plans to buy Activision Blizzard, and the implications of the deal are mind-boggling. Many journalists in the industry are speculating about what this means for the industry at large, what it means for the employees at Activision Blizzard, and of course, the possible games that could be developed as a result. The usual suspects have been mentioned, such asCall of Duty,Crash Bandicoot,Guitar Hero,Tony Hawk, andSpyro. However, there are a few lesser-known franchises that aren’t being talked about that deserve attention, as they could give Microsoft franchises to compete againstsome of Sony’s biggest exclusives.
Sony’s biggest strength over Microsoft is that it has several franchises made by its own studios that push the medium forward, such asThe Last of Us,God of War, andDeath Stranding. Microsoft has its own exclusive franchises such asGears of War,Forza, andHalobut none of them have had the same impact as PlayStation’s output.Halomay have gotten millions in sales in its heyday but so didSpider-ManandGhost of Tsushima. Withthe acquisition of Activision Blizzard, however, not only could Xbox have exclusives that are special to it likeSkylandersandHexen, but it now has access to three franchises that could compete with three of PlayStation’s biggest IPs. Furthermore, because of the talent Microsoft has accrued, it has plenty of studios and developers to make these titles.
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The Bloodborne Competitor
The first titles to compete with isBloodborneandDemon’s Souls. The classics developed by From Software were instrumental in solidifying and popularizing the Souls sub-genre. Fans of Souls games may also know that there was a PlayStation 1 game that has a lot in common with the Souls games and feels like a progenitor to the series as a whole.
That game isNightmare Creatures, an action survival horror title originally released in 1997 by Activision. There were two games made in the franchise, developed by former studio Kalisto Entertainment, with a sequel released in 2000 for the PlayStation and Dreamcast. The game featured a gothic horror setting and a story dealing with the occult, similar toBloodborne. It also utilizes both melee anda bunch of other weaponsincluding a flint pistol, just likeBloodborne. It even has a combat system that’s focused on countering and one on one fights likeBloodborne.Bloodbornedid not rip it off by any means, but the similarities are clear to see.
Raven Software will be owned by Microsoft, and they have experience with action gothic horror titles such asHexen. They even have experience with RPGs since they developedX-Men Legends. They could be tasked to develop aNightmare Creaturesreboot or reimagining with modern Dark Souls mechanics. Perhaps take some influence fromother titles in the genre likeMortal Shelland make something that feels familiar but all its own at the same time.
The Twisted Metal Competitor
One of PlayStation’s earliest franchises is theTwisted Metalseries. Originally a launch game for the PlayStation 1, the vehicular combat franchise hasn’t seen a new release since the reboot in 2012, but there’s reportedlya newTwisted Metalgame in development, as well as a TV show on the horizon. It would be in Microsoft’s best interest to be able to meet Sony at this revival with one of its own, and it happens to beTwisted Metal’s biggest competitor.
Vigilante 8was released by Activision in 1999 on the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64. It was developed by Luxoflux, also known for theTrue Crimeseries, and a sequel was released a year later for the same consoles as well as the Dreamcast. The game had similar mechanics with cars driving around arena-like stages with missiles and machine guns and the like attached to their vehicles. It did have a three-weapon limit, unlikeTwisted Metal, but it also introduced upgradable stats in the sequel. It also has a unique 1970s backstory as well as time travel added in the sequel.
Additionally, Activision’sHigh Moon Studios has madecritically acclaimedTransformersgames in the past, namelyWar for CybertronandFall of Cybertron. It’s not the same style of gameplay, but it has mechanical beings that can transform into vehicles that fight against one another. It would be interesting to see how that studio would tackle theVigilante 8franchise. There was aVigilante 8title released exclusively on the Xbox 360 in 2008 with updated mechanics that wasn’t too bad and could be used as a blueprint for a new title or reboot.
The Uncharted Competitor
Unchartedis one of Sony’s biggest franchises. It has had seven entries, has solid millions of copies, and has there’sanUnchartedmovie releasing soon. Microsoft has tried to compete against Sony on this front by buying timed exclusivity ofRise of the Tomb Raider. However, that series was a multi-platform title that didn’t belong to Microsoft was ultimately released on PlayStation later on. It also didn’t help that the series was more associated with PlayStation than any other console during its heyday. However, with Activision franchises now in its stable of intellectual properties, Microsoft could compete with one of its oldest franchises.
Pitfallis Activision’s first hit series and has just as much in common withUnchartedas Tomb Raider does. The protagonist Pitfall Harry would jump over various traps and hazards in a jungle and ancient tomb-like setting.Pitfallcould also have the benefit of a character that’s more family-friendly thanUncharted, which is an audience Microsoft needs to reach more, so this could kill two birds with one stone.
A character action-platformer title like this would probably work best under a studio like Toys for Bob or a resurrected Vicarious Visions or Radical Entertainment. A newPitfallwould most likely need to be a reboot, and Microsoft would have to give it a large budget so it could compete with the action set piecesUnchartedhas.
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