Double Jump Gaming News

Recent Large Figure purchases flair up Gaming Console Tug of War

Article by: Joe Cooper

On January 31st Sony struck a $3.6 billion acquisition deal with game developer Bungie, the latter of which worked on popular franchises like Halo and Destiny. Only a week prior, Microsoft turned heads after acquiring Activision-Blizzard for just short of $70 billion, almost seven times the price as the next largest gaming acquisition. It may come as a surprise to some, but it’s taking after a recent trend in the gaming scene: Large companies have started to buy out more and more studios to keep up with their competitors. For example, Tencent added Left 4 Dead developers Turtle Rock Studios to their log of acquisitions during the last leg of 2021. This back and forth of taking in more developers has created a “cold war-esque” battlefield, where it seems one company is trying to outdo the others. Concerns have been raised over the threat of increased exclusivity for games which would stifle the growth for a game’s player base. The cries of concern are not without reason either; upcoming Bethesda games have been confirmed only for the Xbox after the company was acquired back in 2021. Microsoft noted that they wouldn’t be making all titles exclusive, but they aren’t shying away from keeping a few titles to themselves. This is a tad disheartening to hear given a previous statement by Phil Spencer’s on inclusivity in gaming, stating “I find it completely counter to what gaming is…to force someone to buy my specific device.” [1] This comment, despite its source seeming ironic now, is very important for consumers to keep in mind as they head into the new generation of gaming. Keeping beloved games locked behind a certain console acts as a wall for players and forces them to buy multiple consoles if they wish to enjoy another franchise. On the other hand, Microsoft owning these titles opens the path for them to be part of the Xbox Game Pass, a monthly subscription service that offers users a catalog of games to play. This allows players to have a wide range of titles to try out at a low cost. For a series like Call of Duty, where ten year old games are still $40 in price, this is a massive positive towards opening up their accessibility. At the end of the day, it comes down to how Microsoft, Sony, and other companies want to play their cards, even if it means the players won’t be able to.