PlayStation announces the acquisition of a new studio which will allow the brand not to be left behind by Xbox and which will benefit everyone beyond video games.
The buyouts at PlayStation are not over, and according to an insider, 2024 could be even more important for the Japanese firm. “ [Michael] Metzger (editor’s note: from Drake Star Partners) expects Tencent, Sony, Take-Two and Savvy/Scopely to be the most active buyers in 2024. (via Axios). But the giant won’t wait until then and has just revealed its new purchase.
A useful new buyout for PlayStation
Consolidation in the video game sector is increasingly strong, and for several years, both PlayStation and Xbox have strengthened themselves through various takeovers with different strategies. Generally, when we talk about acquisitions for Sony, it directly concerns development studios like Bungie. But at times, the company also offers itself structures that will allow it to develop its video game branch in another way.
Last August, PlayStation paid an undisclosed sum to become the owner of Audeze. A brand specializing in audio and gaming headsets. A buyout which will allow the manufacturer to consolidate its expertise in the field of 3D sound and will therefore benefit its PS5, but also its future consoles such as the PS6.
A few months later, PlayStation announced that it had reached an agreement to take possession of the British company iSIZE. “iSIZE develops solutions that use AI to save throughput and improve quality for the media and entertainment industry. This acquisition is a significant asset for Sony Interactive Entertainment in machine learning, which will benefit our research and development efforts as well as our video and streaming services.”. In summary, Sony will be able to reduce the bitrate of its streams, but with equal or even better quality. Good news for PlayStation Plus and cloud gaming?
A big improvement coming for PS Plus?
In its press release, Sony does not reveal its strategy and does not strictly speak about PS Plus. But we don’t imagine for a single moment that this could not benefit the manufacturer’s various subscriptions. Moreover, at the end of October, PlayStation announced a huge change for PS+ Premium. Streaming PS5 games is now possible, and up to 4K 60fps HDR. A leap forward in quality which now places the cloud gaming offering ahead of that of Xbox.
With the acquisition of iSIZE, PlayStation could therefore do even better by lowering the necessary bitrate without compromising quality. But there is another use for the Japanese giant: improving video bitrate for streaming films and series. This is already what SVOD platforms like Netflix are doing. In short, this is strategic news which will certainly not have the same impact as a development studio for players, but which will be valuable for both Sony and PlayStation. All that remains is to finalize the acquisition and fully integrate iSIZE to hope to see the fruit of all this in a few months.