After plenty of rumours, Microsoft announced at X018 that it would be acquiring Obsidian Entertainment – developer of Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and Tyranny. Not only that, but it’s also picking up inXile Entertainment, developer of Wasteland 2 and The Bard’s Tale 4. That makes it 13 studios under Microsoft’s current first-party line-up.
Though the developers will be a part of Microsoft Studios, they’ll be kept independent. Of course, given the pedigree of both, especially Obsidian Entertainment, it remains to be seen how Microsoft will use their talent for upcoming titles. With Obsidian promising that its next project is bigger than the recent Pillars of Eternity 2, could there be hope for something spectacular? Either way, it might be a while before we find out.
Microsoft’s first-party line-up is looking pretty strong at the moment. At E3 2018, it announced the acquisition of Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice), Undead Labds (Stat of Decay), and Playground Games (Forza Horizon 4). It also formed The Initiative, which employs developers from high-profile studios like Rockstar.