PlayStation's Firesprite Addition Shows it Keeping a Tight Circle As Microsoft Expands
The recent announcement that Firesprite was acquired by Sony may have seemed random at first. However, the acquisition of the Playroom developer is actually keeping in part with the company's larger plans of purchasing its closest studios. Firesprite is a relatively new development studio as it was founded in 2012, but the key people within the company have a much longer history with the games industry and with its newfound parent company, Sony. Before forming Firesprite in 2012, the team was originally part of Psygnosis which was later renamed SCE Studio Liverpool after again being acquired by Sony. That studio is best known as the team behind the Wipeout series, and it has developed games for every PlayStation console.
Firesprite is not just a random game studio that has made a couple of PlayStation exclusive games, but rather is a longtime collaborator with Sony. Moving forward, these kinds of acquisitions seem to be how PlayStation Studios will attempt to grow and cultivate a diverse line of developers. That is in direct opposition to Sony's main competitor, Microsoft. Microsoft has been making many huge acquisitions such as ZeniMax Media. These two approaches to the same topic could not be more different, though it remains to be seen whether Sony's lowkey approach or Microsoft's historic purchases will be better for the gaming industry.
Firesprite is Part of A Pattern for Sony
The most recent large acquisition by Sony was Housemarque Studios several months ago, the team behind the recent PS5 exclusive roguelike Returnal. Before being formally acquired by Sony, Housemarque has made several other PlayStation exclusive titles in its unique visual style such as Resogun. A similar story can be told for Insomniac Games, the team behind the late 90s and early 2000s Spyro The Dragon series and Ratchet & Clank. While not officially owned by Sony until after the release and positive reception to Spider-Man, Insomniac Games has worked very closely with Sony for over two decades.
Many of the studios that are now a part of PlayStation Studios have this shared history. It seems Sony prefers to contract the studio for a game or two before deciding on whether or not to purchase the company. Interestingly, Sony can be very patient as seen with Insomniac Games' decades-long relationship, or move on the studio very quickly after completion of the project such as with Housemarque's Returnal. However, Firesprite as a studio (not including holdovers from Psygnosis) is neither of those cases; it's a newer studio, but one that is rapidly growing in both size and ambitions. This shows Sony is willing to take a risk on a small development team.
Microsoft's Approach to Acquisitions
Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios have very different methods and goals when seeking out potential new subsidiaries. It seems much of the decision-making around all of Xbox Game Studios comes down to the subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft really wants its players to purchase and stay subscribed to this service, and it's difficult to say no to it. There are almost always promotions for Game Pass as well as brand new titles constantly being launched on the service. The fact that players can carry over a subscription to PC and Mobile devices proves Microsoft is all-in for Game Pass. Many of Microsoft's acquisitions all point to this inter-connectivity within Game Pass as the future for the company. This is different from Sony's more traditional and careful approach of major blockbuster titles being released on cutting-edge hardware.
Earlier this year, Microsoft made the second-largest video game acquisition of all time when it bought ZeniMax Media and all its subsidiaries for the final price of 8.1 Billion USD. This is only behind Chinese company Tencent's purchase of mobile game developer Supercell for 8.6 Billion USD. To put things in perspective, that figure Microsoft bought ZeniMax for is also over twice as much as Disney's acquisition of the Star Wars license. The studios of ZeniMax include Bethesda Studios, Arkane Studios, and id Software. These are the developers behind huge hits such as The Elder Scrolls, Dishonored, and Wolfenstein franchises.
After the acquisition, Xbox Game Studios has nearly two dozen first-party game developers to its name with no sign of slowing down. These studios have and will continue to make a very diverse assortment of video game genres with everything from mobile games to racing games being worked on right now. The ZeniMax and Obsidian acquisitions, along with Phil Spencer's public comments, seem to indicate that Xbox Game Studios will be focusing more on the RPG genre than it had previously.
What Studios Could Be Acquired By Sony And Microsoft Next?
These two massive conglomerates seem to be engaged in an acquisition race currently, with each company attempting to one-up the other. With this in mind, it seems likely that there will be some other purchase announcements before the year is over. Now that the patterns and methods of each company have been drawn out, predicting which studios are next for the competitors is worthwhile. Sony tends to go for one of two things: tried-and-tested veterans, and up-and-coming success stories. In both cases, however, Sony prefers to purchase a studio it has had exclusive deals with before. Two major studios come to mind: Kojima Productions and FromSoftware. Both of these have made exclusive games for Sony before with Death Stranding and Bloodborne, respectively, and are probably the closest studios to Sony that are still independent. Bluepoint Games also seems like a valid option, with rumors having already made the rounds about a possible acquisition.
Given the aforementioned focus on RPGs going forward, it wouldn't be surprising for Xbox Game Studios to acquire Larian Studios, the team behind the Divinity and Baldur's Gate series. It's also possible that Microsoft would attempt to make another significant purchase along the same lines as the ZeniMax deal. Buying EA would be a move that is sure to shake up the entire industry, and in that acquisition would be the RPG giant, Bioware. There is also the independent CD Projekt Red, best known for The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, who could possibly benefit from Microsoft's structure and support.
In any case, both Microsoft and Sony are continuing to make moves for more acquisitions. On one hand, Sony prefers to test the waters with exclusivity deals or snatch up new studios with potential. While Microsoft, on the other hand, is focused on making Xbox Game Pass a home for day-one releases - with a recent focus on the RPG genre in particular. Whether major, historic acquisitions like ZeniMax and smaller purchases like Firesprite are actually good for the industry remains to be seen. Barring people from playing a new game just because someone doesn't have the specific hardware or subscription service makes a ton of sense financially, but the feeling of being left out is sure to sour some gamer's opinions on the matter. At the very least, it seems that many of these Sony and Microsoft exclusive titles will be available on PC.
Source: Gamerant
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