PlayStation May Be Gearing Up For A Studio Acquisition Spree

Microsoft and its Xbox brand made waves in 2018 with a host of studio acquisitions. In case you missed it, Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Playground Games (Forza), Ninja Theory (Hellblade, DmC: Devil May Cry), Obsidian (Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity), InXile Entertainment (Wasteland), and Undead Labs (State of Decay) are now all apart of the Xbox first-party family. Microsoft even opened a new studio comprised of numerous industry veterans.

Meanwhile, Sony didn't add a single studio to its roster, and has actually closed a few the past couple of years. And while SIE Worldwide Studios is comprised of some of the best teams in the industry -- Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Sony Santa Monica -- it may soon be looking to add some reinforcements.

At least that's what appears to be on the agenda according to two new job listings. Over on LinkedIn, Sony Interactive Entertainment posted a job listing three days ago for a Senior Manager of Corporate Development position.

Among other things, the listing says the position "works closely with SIE's management team and is responsible for identifying inorganic growth opportunities through acquisitions, investments, or joint ventures."

In addition to seeking a new Senior Manager Corporate Development, SIE is also looking for a new Director of Corporate Development. A snippet of the job description reads:

"SIE seeks a highly qualified candidate for the position of Director, Corporate Development. SIE's Corporate Development Team works closely with SIE's management team and is responsible for identifying inorganic growth opportunities through acquisitions, investments or joint ventures. The team sources, evaluates and executes transactions that are aligned with SIE's strategic priorities and drive significant long-term value for the company."

Both positions mention very similar responsibilities and have similar job descriptions, and neither outright confirm Sony is looking to acquire studios, but they do suggest that may be in the pipeline. And when you consider how active Microsoft has been on that front, it wouldn't be very surprising if Sony wanted to clap back with its own acquisitions.

If Sony is about to go on a shopping spree, the question becomes: who are they about to buy? The obvious answer would be one of the studios it has a second-party relationship with, such as: Supermassive Games, Insomniac Games, or Quantic Dream. The first and third appear to have a much tighter relationship with Sony, but with Insomniac Games tied to Spider-Man for the foreseeable future, maybe Sony is finally about to gobble them up. I doubt it though. I think if Sony is about to acquire any studios: it would be Supermassive Games or Quantic Dreams.

Anyway, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt. There's nothing here to definitively say Sony is about to go on an acquiring frenzy, but it does seemingly open the door to the possibility.

Thanks, ResetEra.