While Microsoft is fighting to validate the takeover of Activision Blizzard, we learn that the Xbox branch has a long list like the arm of studios it would have liked to acquire. It is enormous.
The little secrets of Xbox, but also of PlayStation and others, are disclosed one by one as part of the legal proceedings for the takeover of Activision Blizzard. For those who have not followed, the clutches of the green brand have been auditioning for several days because the FTC, the American competition authority, is opposed to this acquisition. The builder must therefore put forward his arguments and for that, he is forced to go to the table. And as always, it’s a bit like going to a show or seeing a movie with twists galore. In recent hours, a document on potential Xbox targets has been unveiled.
Xbox almost bought a cult publisher
The time is no longer for hiding, even for the very sensitive and private data of the big names in video games. After a leak on the release date of the PS6, the truth behind the takeover of Bethesda or even Call of Duty which could have been excluded PS5 by force, internal documents expose Xbox’s plans and its ambitions.
Before the Redmond firm shook up the industry by wanting to own Activision and the house of DOOM, Phil Spencer, the final boss of Xbox, asked permission from Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft), to approach… SEGA! One of the legendary Japanese video game publishers. Spencer highlighted the Japanese firm’s IPs, its presence in the PC market and its presence in the mobile sector in Asia. An area that Xbox absolutely wants to develop. This is also why the company was very interested in King (Candy Crush), the mobile division of Acti.
“We believe that SEGA has built a balanced catalog of games, which covers all segments, with a global reach. This will help us grow Game Pass on console and PC and reach new audiences around the world. SEGA is the next hottest acquisition target for its mobile presence in Asia. And also in relation to the affinity of players for the brand thanks to its franchises ». As for Activision and Bethesda, the acquisition of the video game branch of SEGA would have made it possible to have turnkey licenses. Enough to save time with an already established company that would have been able to supply the Xbox Game Pass, and which would have opened doors that are still quite closed to the manufacturer, such as those in Asia.
Other studios targeted by Microsoft
Did SEGA automatically refuse? Has Microsoft encountered any unsolvable issues? Is it still relevant? Unfortunately, we have to settle for the information just above, namely that Xbox wanted to buy SEGA. But not only.
In this unboxing, we discover that the American giant could have stolen Bungie from PlayStation. The creators of Halo and Destiny were indeed on Phil Spencer’s shopping list. “The Bungie acquisition will be about getting a valuable franchise, Destiny (and its community), and integrating its dedicated multiplayer infrastructure into Xbox Game Studios”. But there, there was obviously a financial risk in going further.
As we know, Microsoft has also had the mobile game company Zynga in its sights. It was finally Take-Two (GTA) which won the jackpot for 12.7 billion dollars. All the same. But Phil Spencer’s shopping list is still not over. After SEGA, Bungie or Zynga, the boss of Xbox had many desires. Without knowing if it’s still relevant, Microsoft has thought of offering a whole bunch of studios. There was Remedy (Alan Wake 2), Crytek (Crysis), Playdead (Limbo), People Can Fly (Gears of War Judgment), Supergiant Games (Hades), Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3). And also Thunderful (Coatsink), 11 bit studio (frostpunk), Rebellion (Sniper Elite), Paradox Interactive (Cities Skylines), Bohemia Interactive (ARMA) and Manticore Games, a studio with alumni from EA, Blizzard, Respawn Entertainment etc.
We saved one of the best for last: IO Interactive, the fathers of Hitman. Renowned developers who are currently on the James Bond Project 007 game and a fantasy RPG. According to rumors, the latter would be the Project Dragon, a Series X | S and PC exclusive. Even without a takeover, Microsoft did not lose everything and was able to negotiate its exclusion.