After each releasing new consoles to close out 2020, it sounds like both PlayStation and Xbox are looking to now bolster their respective first-party studio lineups. A new report has come about that says both companies have actively been looking into purchasing new developers but others in the industry are also said to be looking to do the same.
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The information comes by way of Brad Sams who is more often than not a trusted video game industry insider. Sams just recently released a new video on his YouTube channel where he talked about some happenings that he has heard of lately which primarily centers around studio acquisitions. Sams noted that even though it has already purchased a number of studios over the past few years, Microsoft is still looking to add more developers to its Xbox Game Studios stable. Meanwhile, Sony is said to also be looking to do the same, though Sams noted that the house of PlayStation hasn’t been as active on this front compared to competitors.
The most interesting part of Sams’ reporting though is that he mentions two other juggernauts are also in the conversation for these mysterious acquisitions. Google and Amazon, which aren’t typically thought of as gaming companies first and foremost, are both said to be pursuing new studio purchases as well. Both companies are still clearly trying to bolster their cloud gaming services in Stadia and Luna and are said to very much be looking to spend big money on noteworthy developers.
Lastly, Electronic Arts was another publisher that Sams mentioned is also in this mix. EA has in the past purchased a number of studios from around the globe, so this isn’t much of a shock to see that it’s still looking to keep this trend going. In fact, just last month EA announced that it was going to be buying Codemasters, the studio behind racing franchises like Dirt and F1, for $1.2 billion.
For now, it’s uncertain when these acquisitions might close, but based on what Sams has expressed, the names of three studios in particular have been getting tossed around quite a bit. He also stressed that the developers in question for these potential additions are some of the biggest names in the industry. So basically, there could be a lot of movement in the coming months that will have wide-ranging effects on the video game industry as a whole.
So who do you think could be for sale right now? And what companies are you hoping to see make some acquisitions in the near future? Give me your own thoughts down in the comments or over on Twitter at @MooreMan12.
