With the Activision Blizzard and Bethesda purchases, Microsoft will have a bunch of studios working on content for Xbox Game Pass. That said, they’re actually not the only companies it’s had its eye on, as new documents reveal that Microsoft considered acquiring the likes of SEGA, Bungie, Niantic, and many others.
According to information from The VergeAs part of the hearing between Microsoft/Activision Blizzard and the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a document was revealed that talks about possible acquisitions of Microsoft. There it is indicated that the company tried to buy companies like SEGA and Bungie with the aim of expanding the Xbox Game Pass catalog.
“We believe SEGA has built a well-balanced portfolio of games across segments with global appeal and will help us accelerate Xbox Game Pass both on and off console,” Phil Spencer said in a November email. 2020. “The global appeal of SEGA’s beloved franchises will help expand the reach of Xbox Game Pass to new audiences around the world, primarily in Asia, where localized content is key to success.”
At the moment, it’s unknown exactly how far Spencer’s proposal went. It is unknown if it was disapproved by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, or if the negotiations did not come to fruition. What we do know is that there are other companies that Microsoft tried to acquire.
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Bungie, Niantic and more companies have been in the crosshairs of Xbox
In an internal document dating to April 2021, Microsoft outlines some of the companies that could be targeted for acquisition. Among them are SEGA and Bungie, a company that currently belongs to Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“The Bungie acquisition will include securing the valuable Destiny franchise (and its community) as well as integrating development and operations as a service within Xbox Game Studios,” the document states.
That’s not all, since it is also mentioned that Microsoft has considered the possibility of acquiring studios such as IO Interactive (HITMAN), Thunderful Games (Steamworld Dig) and Supergiant Games (Hades). It also targeted mobile game developers like Niantic (Pokémon GO), Scopely (Stumble Guys), Zynga (farmville) and Playrix (Gardenscapes).
As with SEGA, it is unknown how far these negotiations went, if they even existed at all. However, it’s interesting to see that Microsoft may have bought one of these companies (or may do so in the future).
And you, would you like any of these companies to pass into the hands of Microsoft? Tell us in the comments.
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