PlayStation’s next acquisition might be a huge one. There were rumors earlier this year that PlayStation was preparing to match Xbox’s larger acquisitions of Activision-Blizzard and Bethesda with its own acquisition of Square Enix, the makers of series like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. At the time, we pointed out that Square Enix had some bloat in the form of a few western studios that Sony would probably not be interested in, and thus would get in the way of any potential deal. Since then, Square Enix has sold these studios — Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal — and the IP associated with them. There’s nothing wrong with these studios, but there’s little reason Sony would want to add them to PlayStation. When Square Enix sold these studios to Embracer, it was speculated that this could have been a trimming of the fat to make Square Enix more appealing to potential suitors, primarily Sony. All of this brings us to today, to new speculation that PlayStation is acquiring Square Enix.
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In a new interview, Eidos Montreal founder Stephane D’Astous — who is no longer with the company — teased that he’s heard “rumors” that Sony was/is interested in Square Enix, but only the Japanese portion of the company, which may explain why the aforementioned trio of studios were not only sold, but sold fairly cheaply.ย
“If I read between the lines, Square Enix Japan was not as committed as we hoped initially,” said D’Astous to GamesIndustry. “And there are rumors, obviously, that with all these activities of mergers and acquisitions, that Sony would really like to have Square Enix within their wheelhouse. I heard rumors that Sony said they’re really interested in Square Enix Tokyo, but not the rest. So, I think [Square Enix CEO Yosuke] Matsuda-san put it like a garage sale.”
Of course, D’Astous isn’t some random Reddit user or even a prominent “industry insider.” He’s someone who would have very real connections to both Eidos Montreal and Square Enix. In other words, this may be the most compelling scuttlebutt yet about PlayStation acquiring Square Enix. Typically, where there is this much smoke there’s also fire.
