Microsoft, over the course of the years, started acquiring game development studios to work on Xbox One and PC titles. Sony refrained from doing so, but it seems like the Japanese company is thinking about doing the same in light of the changes coming to the video games industry.
Speaking with Nikkei, Sony Interactive Entertainment President Jim Ryan revealed that Sony is considering the merger and acquisition of game development companies. With giants like Google entering the market with Stadia, Jim Ryan feels that content will become more important than ever.
As already mentioned, Microsoft acquired some rather important studios in recent times. Following the acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment, the company confirmed during E3 2019 that Double Fine has also become part of the Xbox Game Studios. Studio founder Tim Schafer also shed some light on why he let the acquisition happen.
I think they’ve had a commitment to a new way of acquiring companies which is, kind of an unplugged studio approach, where they’re not merged into the larger corporate entity. They don’t just auto-hire—take a bunch of employees and make them Microsoft employees. They want us to retain our identity, our spirit, that’s what they want us to bring into the fold.
GamePass was a lot of it. Seeing something like GamePass and how it made sense to have a diversity of content. I could see why having a company like us and a company that makes games like Forza – very different games – all being on one subscription service like that makes it more valuable. I could see how they would want to bring us in and not change us.
Sony next-gen plans include the new PlayStation 5 console, which has yet to be detailed in full. We will keep you updated on it, as well as on any Sony game development acquisition, as soon as possible so stay tuned for all the latest news.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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