Microsoft Looking to Shore Up First-Party Development for Xbox, Buys Four Game Studios

During their E3 press conference, Microsoft aimed to dispel the doubts about the Xbox One. The biggest doubts they took aim at, of course, where those of exclusive games. Recently, Sony has been absolutely sprinting past Xbox in terms of sales, and many gamers chalk this up to the exclusives. Sony has huge names like Uncharted, The Last of Us, God of War, Nier Automata and many more to bolster their brand. This is understandably frustrating for the company, as their Xbox One X system outpaces the PS4 Pro in terms of raw power. Microsoft’s answer? Their greatest strength: money to throw at the problem. 

As it Has Been, so it Shall Be 

This isn’t a new strategy for Microsoft, either. In the earliest days of the Xbox, monetary incentives were the primary reasons developers made games for the system. Halo creator Bungie was bought by Microsoft in 1999, and Rare, Banjo-Kazooie creators, were bought a few years later. This strategy helped Xbox make a name for itself with its exclusives.  

That strategy worked once, and clearly the compnay behind Xbox hopes it can work again. At their E3 conference they announced their acquisition of four game studios. The studios in question: Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Playground Games and Undead Labs. 

Why Now? 

It is a bit late in the Xbox One’s life cycle for Microsoft to only just now be acquiring these studios. Surely, any future games from these studios won’t be out for a year at least, meaning that their contributions likely won’t be felt on the Xbox One. Instead, it seems, this is a preemptive move to bolster the launch of the next Xbox. 

Phil Spencer, head of the gaming division of Microsoft, confirmed at E3 that the hardware teams are hard at work on the next Xbox consoles. The pluralization is interesting, too. Is Microsoft working on multiple systems? Only time will tell. 

Microsoft Learning from Their Own Mistakes 

Hopefully Microsoft now sees the importance of their exclusives, and the importance of a consoles first impression. In 2013, their Xbox One announcement was met with near-universal criticism. Between the strong DRM and lack of focus on games, many saw the system as a step backwards. The next Xbox will need a stronger announcement and launch if it hopes to dislodge Sony and compete with Nintendo.  

Hopefully the wealth of new talent being brought on board means stellar new IPs to bolster the brand. After all, competition between Microsoft and Sony just means more awesome games for us!