This is why Microsoft has, in recent years particularly,
been keen to use those deep pockets, and is now almost
unrecognisable from a decade ago. In 2018 it acquired
Ninja Theory, Playground Games, Undead Labs,
Compulsion Games, Obsidian Entertainment, and inXile
Entertainment. In 2019 it added Double Fine, before 2020
saw the $7.5 billion blockbuster deal for Zenimax and
Bethesda, which included studios like id and Arkane.
As if the Activision Blizzard news wasn’t enough
excitement, it was swiftly followed by the announcement
that Sony had acquired Destiny developer Bungie for $3.
billion. Inevitably this was seen as some sort of exchange
in the platform wars: but the scale of Microsoft’s
acquisition shows those are a thing of the past.
In the short term, this deal will make little difference
to players. A few years down the line, however, the impact
of all of this first-party strength will begin to come
through in Game Pass. That might be great, and Microsoft
will for now balance going all-in on Game Pass and
keeping stuff available elsewhere.
Microsoft isn’t Microsoft because it plays nice. It’s
always been there but now aims to make itself absolutely
central to PC gaming’s future. Unignorable. Soon enough,
with the stroke of a pen, it will be.
Rich StantonHighs & Lows
HIGHS
Announcement storm
Blizzard’s announced two new
‘unannounced’ projects (don’t ask).ARM & a leg
Nvidia is no longer buying Arm from
SoftBank, following resistance to its
proposed $40 billion takeover.Resi 4 HD HD
A Resident Evil 4 HD fan mod that
was eight years in the making has
finally been released.Hero to Zero
Guitar Hero record-setter Schmooey
admitted he’s a fake following heroic
internet detective work.MineScam
One of the latest NFT rug-pulls
involved Blockverse. It raised over $
million: then disappeared...Battlefailed 2042
EA is down on Battlefield 2042 and
developer DICE has gone into
salvage mode on a game that feels
like it didn’t launch in a good state.LOWS
Although it’s been an easy
bet that Grand Theft Auto VI
was in the works, only
recently has Rockstar
confirmed a new entry in the series. GTA
V has sold a breathtaking 160 million
copies in its eight years, which is more
than all the Assassin’s Creeds combined.
We’re auto-matically excited. IM
GRAND THEFT AUTO VIDRIVING FORCE
SCUSI?SENATE, MEET RULE 34
Why go to the effort of
robbing a bank when you can
tweak some code and walk
away with over $300M in
crypto? Last week a hacker turned
cryptocurrency platform Wormhole’s
systems against it, transferring 120,
WETH to the their own wallet and leaving
Wormhole to foot the bill. JRINTO THE ETHERCRYPTO KEEPERS
A meeting of the Italian
senate in January, where
academics were giving
advice to politicians, was
interrupted by a very NSFW video feed of
FFVII’s Tifa Lockheart and an unknown
gentleman. The feed was cut, but not
before dignitaries, including a Nobel
prize winner, saw quite the sight. MTTOP: (^) The Blizzard side
of the business in
particular has been
the focus of reports in
recent years alleging
toxic workplace
culture and struggling
projects.
ABOVE: (^) Yes, Microsoft
now own Crash
Bandicoot. We live in
interesting times.
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