The "loss" of Bungie and the closing of FASA Studio, paired with the third-party snatching up of Bizarre Creations and Bioware-Pandemic led Newsweek blogger N'Gai Croal to key his editorial on a Microsoft "shell shocked" by losses, writing that the aforementioned development houses slipping through Microsoft Game Studios' fingers "strongly suggest that the house that Shane Kim built may rest on quicksand." Sure, some may say that's leaning toward internet-appropriate melodrama, but it certainly didn't appear to be a corporate "win-win", Microsoft's description of the Bungie deal. One group that doesn't see it as a Big Deal is the beloved analyst population.

Instead, expert analyzers like David Cole of DFC Intelligence and (wait for it...) Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan focus on the meaning of the departures, closings and acquisitions in regard to how seemingly unimportant they are in the big picture.

Pachter told GameDaily BIZ that "I'm not sure that MGS is any worse off" highlighting the still in-house teams at Lionhead and Rare, adding that the company has a solid track record of securing exclusive and "there is no reason to believe that they won't be able to manage several more exclusives going forward."

Todd Greenwald of Nollenberger Capital Partners deems the question practically moot, responding "I think the better question is - why isn't Sony doing more to acquire 1st party studios, or at least secure more 3rd party exclusives? They're the ones who need to be doing this, not Microsoft."

More stinging analysis at GameDaily BIZ.

Microsoft Game Studios' Foundation Resting on Quicksand? [GameDaily BIZ]