The last two years have seen Microsoft go on a proverbial spending spree to grow its family of Xbox exclusive studios. Its last acquisition, Bethesda, appeared to shake the gaming industry as beloved franchises like Fallout and the upcoming Starfield would now likely be Xbox exclusives. While it was a big acquisition, a new report says Microsoft is not slowing down and could be announcing its latest acquisition as part of its E3 2021 press event.
E3 2021 is set to be an all-online event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which forced E3 2020 to be canceled outright. Microsoft will remain to serve as a centerpiece attraction of the show and will help kick off E3 on June 13. Microsoft is expected to talk more about what the Bethesda acquisition means for the company and speak about other upcoming titles, notably Halo Infinite.
However, several posts online by Windows Central reporter Jez Corden suggests Microsoft may announce another studio acquisition as part of the event. Twitter user Idle Sloth shared posts by Corden, who has a history of accurate information about Microsoft and Xbox projects, speaking about the alleged acquisition. Corden said he was told Microsoft recently picked up multiple intellectual properties and believes there's a "good chance" another acquisition will be announced.
Corden goes on to caution Xbox fans about getting their hopes up because IPs he heard about are not triple-A franchises. This means the potential acquisition could be a smaller studio not known for larger gaming properties. On the other hand, the studio may still be large enough that Microsoft feels an acquisition is necessary instead of partnering up through its ID@Xbox program for small, independent studios.
Regardless of the size, another acquisition would be big for Microsoft given the streak it has been on. The last two years have seen Microsoft announce multiple studio acquisitions to grow the Xbox Game Studios family and expand its library of Xbox exclusives. Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, and Double Fine Productions are just a few of the studios Microsoft has acquired since 2018. However, the Bethesda acquisition is easily the biggest as it added another eight development studios to the Xbox family overnight.
A driving reason for the acquisitions appears to be growing Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's game streaming service which is widely regarded as one of the best values in gaming. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer teased at the start of 2021 Xbox Game Pass was set to have a big year, and it seems the Bethesda acquisition plays right into that. This new acquisition, if true, would do just the same.