On Jeff Grubb's latest podcast, an industry-insiders claimed that Xbox were in acquisition talks with various Japanese studios and publishers. Here's everything we know so far.
Xbox are finally turning the tides against PlayStation. From one huge buyout to the next, they've been steadily expanding their empire. And it won't stop with the acquisition of Activision, oh no, they plan to go much further (despite the shady tactics PlayStation have been accused of using against them).
The strategy is clear: make Game Pass the Netflix of gaming. By making the service that huge, and that much of a bargain, you basically have to have it as a gamer. And at that point why would anyone bother buying a PlayStation? Yep, it's a good plan. And we've just heard about where they want the next Game Pass additions to come from.
Xbox Looking To Acquire Japanese Studios
As revealed on the Giant Bombcast podcast, Xbox are in acquisition talks with multiple Japanese studios and publishers, both large and small. The reason for their constant expansion was also explained: Xbox are reaching a point with Game Pass where it's so big, and licensing is costing so much, that it's actually become cheaper to just produce the content "in-house". In the same way that Netflix have been increasingly producing their own content instead of licensing it from others. It's a great move really, and we expect Xbox to be very successful with this strategy.
Here's a clip from the section of the show where they discussed the topic:
Microsoft targeting major Japanese Publishers as well as small studios for acquisition.Phil Spencer CEO of gaming along with Satya Nadella CEO of MS have made it clear that they aren't don't acquiring Studios, Publishers and content to feed the Gamepass machine. pic.twitter.com/0ftqDqCWQ6
— Post Did!!! (@PostUp_bbb) September 27, 2022
We don't yet know which studios or publishers they're targeting. Rumors abound, but we'll wait for something more concrete before sharing it with you. We've got no doubt that at least one of these acquisitions will happen though, so you shouldn't need to wait long.
Are you happy with the direction Xbox are taking the industry in? Or is it worrying? Let us know in the comments.
Just one more reason to join Game Pass: