Xbox chief Phil Spencer: Microsoft's game studio acquisition spree to continue

It's no secret that Microsoft is in buying fashion right now. The large Redmond behemothic has been acquiring companies left right and center for the futurity of its platforms, recently picking upwardly Clipchamp for Windows and Office, and a few months agone picking upwards Nuance for its Azure services. Xbox has been growing besides, with Microsoft purchasing well over a dozen studios in the past few years, from Obsidian Amusement to Bethesda's ZeniMax stable, spending billions in the process.

Speculation about who, or what, Microsoft may purchase for Xbox next never abates, although the acquisitions accept slowed down a bit in recent years, despite rumors to the contrary. Xbox lead Phil Spencer recently spoke to the WSJ to reiterate that they are indeed, nonetheless on the lookout.

"We're always out there looking for people who nosotros think would be a expert match and teams that would be a good friction match with our strategy, so nosotros're definitely not done."

Microsoft hasn't been shy about its strategy for growth with Xbox, gunning for gamers outside the typical console ecosystem via the cloud, and native experiences on PC. Sony'south Jim Ryan recently echoed similar sentiments, signaling that PlayStation may follow adjust. Ryan lamented how "frustrating" information technology is that their studios can't reach hundreds of millions, due to the adequately static install base of consoles.

Mobile gaming has outpaced consoles for growth in recent years, possibly made more than severe past the pandemic and global semiconductor shortage. In the same WSJ interview, Phil Spencer noted that Xbox Serial X and Xbox Serial Due south supplies are "gone instantly" after hitting shelves.

Meeting gamers where they are will aid Xbox circumnavigate restrictions on silicon supplies, simply only if they have the right content to do information technology. This yr, Microsoft has Halo Space, Age of Empires Four, and Forza Horizon five to entice users on PC into the Xbox ecosystem with its subscription-based all-yous-can-eat gaming service Xbox Game Laissez passer. But much like Netflix, subscription services require a steady period of high-quality content. Microsoft's portfolio of game studios is huge, but there's probably a hereafter where Xbox guns for ane big desirable Xbox Game Pass release at least every quarter to continue subscription figures rolling. To achieve that, more studios have to exist on the carte. Right now, we can only approximate and speculate on exactly what those studios might be.

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