Microsoft Previously Targeted Sega, Bungie, and Others as Xbox Acquisitions

Prior to purchasing Bethesda and (tentatively) Activision Blizzard, it seems that Microsoft had video game publishers like Sega, Bungie, and others on its radar. In recent days, a number of new behind-the-scenes pieces of information have been coming out as Microsoft continues its legal battle with the FTC. And while this entire situation is playing out as a result of Microsoft's agreement to purchase Activision, it's clear that the company behind the Call of Duty franchise isn't the only one that those at Xbox have had their eyes on over the years. 

In a new report from The Verge, it was revealed that Xbox head Phil Spencer at one point in 2020 lobbied Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood to sign off on the pursuit of Sega as an acquisition target. Spencer cited Sega's "well-balanced portfolio of games" in an email to Nadella and Hood as a big reason why he wanted to try to add the longtime publisher to Xbox Game Studios. It's not certain what ended up happening with this matter, but clearly, the deal never ended up coming to fruition for one reason or another. 

Elsewhere in the report, a more extensive list of targets that Microsoft had previously had on its radar was shown off. This list included the likes of Bungie, IO Interactive, Scopely, Thunderful, Supergiant Games, Niantic, Playrix, and Zynga. This document is clearly pretty dated, though, as some of these companies have been snatched up by other groups. Namely, Bungie is now owned by Sony, although it remains independent within the hierarchy of PlayStation Studios. Take-Two Interactive also purchased Zynga a little more than a year ago for close to $13 billion. 

Given the war chest of money that Microsoft has at its disposal, it's not much of a shock to hear that the corporate giant has looked to buy so many various developers and publishers over the years. Still, it is interesting to think about the alternate paths that could have been taken if any of these mergers ever transpired. After all, a version of Xbox that owns properties like Sonic the Hedgehog, Persona, Destiny, or Hitman would greatly help the brand compete with the likes of PlayStation and Nintendo. 

What do you think about all of these acquisition targets that Microsoft previously had in mind for Xbox? And do you wish that any of these deals would have played out for Microsoft? Let me know either down in the comments or hit me up on Twitter at @MooreMan12.