Sony's purchase of Destiny and Halo developer Bungie this week is the latest in a recent trend of massively lucrative video game company acquisitions. Two weeks prior, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, which followed Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of Zynga for $12.7 billion.These deals will effectively alter the face of the industry with new publishers taking on titles that had come from a different platform, let alone cross-platform deals or potential platform exclusivity that was previously unavailable. However, The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest's Geoff Keighley has shared that Sony's acquisition of Bungie may only be the first of many acquisitions to occur this year.Keighley cites "multiple people" when stating that "there are a few other big video game deals in final stages of negotiations." Because Keighley is such a veteran name in the industry, his claim lends credence to it and can be supported as credible information. Of course, this information has stirred speculation about what other acquisitions might be made this year. There are a number of different studios and developers whose names fans have since thrown into the mix, such as Konami, Capcom, and Square Enix.
No precise details have been mentioned about which companies will be involved in future purchases, but recent reports claim that Sony has more acquisition deals that are currently in the works. Future Sony acquisitions were reportedly confirmed by PlayStation's Jim Ryan, which means that two or more of the acquisitions made this year could add even more talent to Sony's conglomerate. Still, it is uncertain what other talent Sony plans to buy.
Interestingly, Keighley seems to have some hesitations when it comes to these monumental developer and publisher acquisitions from Microsoft, Sony, and the like. While all of these acquisitions are significant for the companies involved, Keighley appears concerned about how it will ultimately affect games. He says that he is "on the fence" about the industry's "general consolidation" and asks others for their thoughts on the matter. Twitter user Clue encourages the idea so long as it does not "damage any existing titles/franchises/communities" when the dust settles.
Consolidation also gives fans the impression that competition will be stagnant, with Twitter user Another LED stating that "it will be down to a few big corporations" who will eventually "control everything in the gaming industry." While it may not be an assured inevitability, it demonstrates that fans are increasingly worried about what affect consolidation may have on games as well.
But at the same time, it is equally exciting for fans whose favorite franchises and intellectual properties may now be in more preferable hands. For example, Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition may result in future installments for Activision franchises that have been left dormant under their previous ownership. Nonetheless, Keighley and fans hope that the outcome is positive for the players and companies who are affected.