PlayStation May Be Interested in Buying Xbox and Bethesda Studio

PlayStation may be interested in buying an Xbox and Bethesda studio. Xbox is reportedly planning a reset that could see more than one studio closed, even more teams downsized, and it could dramatically change its approach to hardware, software, and subscription services as the company continues to struggle to establish itself in the market. It’s been reported that several studios are negotiating with Xbox, trying to avoid closure by going independent or possibly by being transferred to another company via sale. Amid all of this, a known PlayStation insider took to the social media platform X with an interesting and timely post.

More specifically, using X, known industry insider Mille A — predominantly known for PlayStation scoops — unprompted revealed that Herman Hulst “admires” MachineGames. For those that don’t know, Hulst is the co-founder of Guerrilla Games, but more importantly, the head of the Studio Business Group at Sony Interactive Entertainment. He was also briefly co-CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. In other words, if a studio is going to be acquired by Sony, he would be spearheading it.

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Will Xbox Sell a Studio to PlayStation?

It’s hard to imagine Xbox selling a studio to PlayStation, as it would be an optical disaster, especially right now with the current state of Xbox and fans losing faith in the brand. More than this, it’s hard to imagine PlayStation buying a studio right now given its own recent string of closures and the current state of the industry and the global economy. It’s not a great time to invest in the video game industry in general, but it’s especially not a great time to be investing in studio acquisitions. In the early 2020s, the video game industry was booming on the back of the pandemic, and money was incredibly cheap to borrow. Now, it’s not cheap to borrow, and the industry is in a rough patch.

Is MachineGames a Good Fit for PlayStation?

MachineGames specializes in single-player narrative-driven first-person shooters, something PlayStation is currently missing in its portfolio. Previously, it had Guerrilla Games filling this spot in its portfolio with the Killzone series, but now the studio has evolved into an open-world RPG studio focused on the Horizon series.

Meanwhile, MachineGames has primarily been focused on the Wolfenstein series since its founding in 2009, and PlayStation would surely not be able to take the IP with the Swedish studio. That said, the studio did just recently prove it can work on other IP effectively with the successful release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

All of that said, it’s hard to know what should and shouldn’t be made of this new information from Millie A. For one, while the source has proven reliable in the past, they don’t have a bulletproof track record. On top of this, even if this information is true, there’s not much to it. Hulst may very well admire the studio, but that doesn’t mean he and PlayStation will try to buy it. And even if they did, would Xbox sell? Probably not.

All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the ComicBook Forum.