Update:
Phil Spencer recently had an interview with Gamespot where the Bloomberg report came up. While Phil Spencer stated that he’s not in every meeting teams have at Microsoft, he doesn’t feel the report is accurate. Asian markets are something that Microsoft are interested in, but it doesn’t look like they are actively seeking studios to purchase. Instead, these studios are that have been acquired are part of already established relationships.
I’m not in every meeting that every team has, but I’ll say not from me. Most of the opportunities that we’ve had to date have been a long-lasting relationship, and so, I don’t think we’re out there with our business card, throwing them out on the corner, trying to find people. I’ve talked about my affinity for Japanese studios and thinking back in the day when we had more games that were created in Japan as part of our first party, I’m excited when the deal closes to get to spend more time with Tango and the work that they’re doing. So it’s an area that I’m interested in, but no, I don’t think it’s… I think that’s not accurate.
Phil Spencer
Original Story…
Looking at this current generation of video game consoles as they will soon be replaced by the next generation of video game platforms, there are some areas that fans may see their pros and cons. For instance, if you were to bring up the line of exclusive game IPs for both platforms, most would likely point at Sony having a more diverse and persuasive exclusive lineup. However, that doesn’t mean that Microsoft is giving up on exclusives. In fact, the company has been working on bringing out more first-party studios even if it means purchasing some companies.
Microsoft is making a few moves that may be unique compared to past generation platforms. We have the likes of the Xbox Game Pass along with a focus around making an ecosystem rather than forcing players into investing in their particular platform console to enjoy the latest games from the company. As a result, there’s been a push to get some great studios to pump out content from the company.
It’s not easy building a studio from the ground up. While they certainly have made their own studios with one of the latest being The Initiative, there’s been a growing desire from Microsoft to acquire already established development studios. In fact, it wasn’t long ago that we got the word of Microsoft picking up ZeniMax Media. I’m sure you are already aware of the purchase, but this would bring in several big studios under Xbox’s umbrella. Among the slew of studios being added into Microsoft’s control will be Bethesda as long as the finalization goes through without any problems next year.
However, one area that Microsoft has expressed interest in bringing out more content and establishing an Xbox owned studio is Japan. There’s been a struggle from Microsoft to make a strong footing in Japan, but that could change. According to reports made by Bloomberg, it seems that Microsoft has been fishing for a new studio to be acquired within Japan. Unfortunately, none of the studios were named but according to Bloomberg, Microsoft is sitting down and discussing the purchase of studios both big and small. It seems like there are a few companies that Microsoft has some interest in, but it would all determine just which makes a good fit and if any studios are willing to be purchased and joined under the Xbox umbrella.
