Acquiring talent: Microsoft has been on what could only be called an acquisition spree lately. It's purchased several major gaming studios over the past couple of years, and more recently, it snagged Bethesda, one of the most well-known (and once-beloved) game developers in the world. However, if you thought the company was done, think again: Xbox chief Phil Spencer says more buyouts are coming.
There was a rumor (one we reported on) that the Xbox crew was looking toward Japan for some of its next studio purchases, but that news was ultimately proven false. However, there's still plenty of talent to acquire outside of Asian markets.
When asked whether or not Microsoft would continue buying new studios during this year's digital Twitchcon livestream, Spencer had quite an interesting response. "In terms of continuing to invest in new studios and new games and new content, absolutely we have to do that," he said. "It's important that we continue to build out the library of games that are available on Xbox."
Spencer is certainly right with that last statement. As it stands, the Green Team is sorely lacking in compelling exclusive content on next-gen consoles – especially compared to its key competitor, Sony.
The PlayStation 5 already has access to fantastic exclusive content like Demon's Souls (the remake), the Spider-Man remaster, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Astro's Playroom, and Bugsnax, with a whole lot more to come in 2021 (Horizon Forbidden West, anyone?).
"We'll double the size of our studios organization when we add Bethesda," Spencer continued. "...and we're going to continue to invest in great games so that people can find their next favorite game on our platform."
We wish Spencer and the Xbox crew the best of luck toward those goals. While it may not have a great exclusive launch line-up, it's not as if there's no reason to buy an Xbox Series X.
Xbox Game Pass is an extremely compelling deal (even after doubling in price), especially now that future Bethesda titles like Starfield and the Elder Scrolls 6 will arrive on the service at launch. Furthermore, the Xbox Series X (and S) can run every single Xbox game ever made, including those created for the original console.
We'll have our eye on Microsoft moving forward, and we'll keep you in the loop as it continues to bring new talent into the fold.
In the meantime, feel free to sound off in the comments with your thoughts on what the next Xbox acquisition might be. My bet is Ubisoft – the studio already has an established relationship with Microsoft, after all.