Microsoft showcased a whole number of impressive games at their E3 press conference. One of the most exciting parts about their show was the announcement that they have acquired five studios who will make first-party content for them. These studios are Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Playground Games, and The Initiative.
When it comes to first party titles, Microsoft has certainly been lacking when compared to their competition. However, it’s great to see that they are addressing this issue now. In the recent ‘Inside Xbox E3 2018 special episode‘, Xbox Head Phil Spencer appeared and discussed the company’s recent studio acquisitions and also revealed their plans to expand further.
He stated, “Those are the studios we’ve had a long relationship with. We were able to invest in them in a way that’s going to unlock their creative potential. I think about a team like Ninja Theory, which I’ve worked with back on the original Xbox for Kung Fu Chaos; Playground Games, we’ve worked with them on Forza Horizon, they wanted to go off and do new things. And then Darrell Gallagher, who we worked with for Tomb Raider. He wanted to create a new studio and we said yes, it would be a fun thing to do. It’s an investment we needed to make. I think we’re always open to look into expanding our first party. I don’t think Matt (Booty) and I looked at E3 as the end of our journey here. I think it’s something we’ll always keep our eyes open. Some of these deals may not all happen at the same time, we were lucky to be able to keep the news quiet for a while, which doesn’t always happen but was nice that it did so we could land the news here and the surprise. We know investment in our first-party, whether it’s new things or growth or existing franchises, is important.”
Spencer also revealed that the studio The Initiative is currently looking into some of Microsoft’s existing IPs which could be revived. There is nothing to announce as of now, but hopefully, we’ll get to learn more in the near future. When it comes to the other studios, they all have different schedules with Playground Games and Compulsion Games working on titles that will release this year, and other studios which are working on other projects which will only be released later.
Do you think these new acquisitions will help Microsoft turn things around for their console? Let us know in the comments.
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