Microsoft has been on a bit of a shopping spree lately. At E3 2018, the Xbox One platform holder announced that it was purchasing several high-profile studios including Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice developer Ninja Theory, State of Decay 2 developer Undead Labs, and Playground Games, the studio behind the Forza Horizon franchise. That’s not all though, as just last month the American tech conglomerate confirmed that it had also bought Obsidian Entertainment. It’s unclear what that developer is working on, but the studio is known for making Fallout: New Vegas, so many fans were delighted.
As if that wasn’t enough, Microsoft is now rumored to be buying another major studio, and this time it’s one that is affiliated with PlayStation. Well-known leaker Klobrille today tweeted that Microsoft is “in advanced talks” with a “mid-sized studio” that has historically worked with PlayStation “a bit.” Klobrille declined to offer a specific name because negotiations are still ongoing, and the leaker realized that there is a risk of looking bad if the negotiations are to fail.
Klobrille may not have provided a name but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating. One of the most popular suggestions is Ready at Dawn. Since the studio’s creation in 2003, it was released multiple PlayStation exclusives including 2015’s The Order: 1886 as well as two portable God of War titles. Although the studio is well-known, The Order: 1886, its most high-profile title, wasn’t a massive hit. The game was criticized for its short length and it was considered to be one of the most disappointing games of the year. As such, a purchase by Microsoft might give Ready at Dawn another shot at the big time.
Another suggestion is Housemarque, which created the critically acclaimed PS4 launch title, Resogun. However, the studio has failed to find commercial success recently. It publicly announced its decision to leave the shoot-em-up genre behind after 2017 releases Nex Machina and Matterfall failed to become hits. So, a purchase by Microsoft would give the studio some financial stability and the freedom to explore new, more profitable genres.
Fans will want to believe Klobrille’s leak, because they are eager for Microsoft to acquire more studios and address the Xbox One’s lack of exclusives. However, the leaker has been hit or miss with these sorts of things in the past, so it’s wise to take this with a pinch of salt. The talks could also fall through, but fans will have their fingers crossed that whatever studio it is that Microsoft may be buying, it will be confirmed and revealed very soon.
Source: Twitter - Klobrille (1), (2)
