A reliable rumor claims that Microsoft is planning to buy another major video game developer similar to Bethesda this year.
Last year, Microsoft acquired Bethesda in one of the largest video game acquisitions of all time. The Xbox creator bought ZeniMax, Bethesda’s parent company, for a total of $ 7.5 billion. In doing so, exclusive ownership was granted over popular game franchises, such as Fall and Skyrim, and everything else that Bethesda creates in the future. It was the kind of move that many Xbox fans expected Microsoft to make, as the console suffered from not having as many popular and exclusive games as the PlayStation.
According to recent rumors, Microsoft is not satisfied with just Bethesda. Apparently, the corporation is looking to add more renowned video game developers to its list. Exactly which companies Microsoft might be interested in remains a mystery, and there is nothing in the recent rumors to suggest that developers are looking to sell. Even if there were, they would be rumors like this, and they would also need to be interpreted with caution.
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That said, the current rumor has some credibility, as supported by industry insider Xbox Ragna. Ragna said Microsoft was about to buy a very large game studio three weeks before Microsoft announced its Bethesda acquisition deal. When this new rumor surfaced on the XboxEra gaming forum, Ragna agreed with the person who shared it. He says he doesn’t know who the individual is, but has been hearing the same thing for months and thinks Microsoft will announce the purchase later this year or early next year.
I don’t know who this guy is, but I’ve been hearing the same thing for months, that Microsoft wants to acquire another publisher, the negotiations with bethesda lasted 3 years, as I’ve been pointing out, I believe the announcement will be in late 2021 or early 2022
– 👑 King Ragnar (@XboxRagnar) January 28, 2021
However, even without Ragna’s claim, it is not hard to believe that Microsoft is preparing to buy more game studios. As big as it is, if Microsoft goes shopping, it doesn’t make sense to stop at a developer. With that in mind, Microsoft’s profits have increased dramatically after the launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. It has earned enough to buy Bethesda twice, so it has money to explode.
If Microsoft continues to buy another studio and happens to be of the same caliber as Bethesda, it could encourage Sony to buy more studios as well. One of the most talked about advantages that the PlayStation had over the Xbox was that it had more well-known exclusives. What if Microsoft is buying more studios in response to that, it only makes sense for Sony to retaliate, although the outcome of this is yet to be seen.
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