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Microsoft still eying more studio acquisitions

Microsoft still eying more studio acquisitions

Microsoft is still looking to acquire more games studios.

Speaking to Bloombergas reported by VGC – Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that the company was still on the hunt for more developers to add to its first-party line-up.

This comes in the wake of the Big M snapping up Bethesda parent firm ZeniMax Media in September for $7.5bn, which brings the Xbox Game Studios portfolio from 15 developers to 23. Spencer said that bringing more developers into the fold is important for producing more games for its audience, especially in the age of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. As of September, that boasts 15m users, an increase of 50 per cent from April.

“Games are what gamers play. We build these platforms and services to deliver the best games to gamers everywhere, so we need a great supply of first-party teams,” Spencer said.

“Bethesda nearly doubles the size of our first-party studios, meaning the studios that build games as part of Xbox, and we’re still out there looking for other teams. It’s important that we have a continued supply of great games for our gaming subscription and platforms.”

Recently there were reports that Microsoft was looking into acquiring a Japanese game developer. Spencer has said that this is "not accurate" but caveated that by saying that he's not in every single meeting at Xbox.

Spencer's remarks about still being on the hunt for more studio acquisitions echoes those of Microsoft boss Satya Nadella, who said after the ZeniMax deal that the firm still had an appetite for further deals.


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.