What could Sony’s response to Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda look like to level the playing field in the Xbox Series X vs. PS5 debate? Let’s fantasize together.
On Monday, September 21, Microsoft announced that they have purchased the developer Bethesda and its parent company ZeniMax for 7.5 billion USD.
With the acquisition, Xbox brought a whole range of major IPs and several development studios on board. These include big names like:
- Elder Scrolls (Bethesda)
- Fallout (Bethesda)
- Doom (id Software)
- Dishonored (Arcane Studios)
- The Evil Within (Tango Gameworks)
This means that Microsoft now has a whopping 23 first-party studios, while Sony has “only” 15.
This is a big move by Microsoft, putting them in a strong position. They can now decide whether the beloved IPs of Bethesda and ZeniMax will be exclusive to their platforms or not.
Bethesda was a huge acquisition
Will Sony counter? After their last major purchase of Insomniac Games, Sony stated in an investor report at the end of August 2020 (via Sony.net) that the company is not finished shopping yet.
The report states that first-party titles are particularly important for Sony: They should further enhance the exclusive portfolio of Sony Worldwide Studios. So it’s only a matter of time before we hear about another acquisition.
What could Sony buy? After the news of the Bethesda purchase broke, my first thought was: “Wow, how will Sony respond?” So let’s fantasize together about which developers and IPs could be potential targets for such a purchase.
The developers mentioned below are certainly not on par with a publisher like Bethesda and its parent company ZeniMax in terms of size. After all, Microsoft has brought 8 studios on board in one go with this acquisition.
Even though there are currently no signs that the companies and IPs listed below could be acquired by Sony in the future, they would definitely be a strong addition to Sony’s exclusive offerings.
FromSoftware
| Foundation Date | November 1, 1986 |
| Number of Employees | 288 (as of 2019) |
| Main Games | Dark Souls series Bloodborne Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Armored Core series |
FromSoftware is one of the developers that has gained significant popularity in the core gaming community over the past 10 years. They are known for their cool environmental storytelling, cleverly designed game worlds, and especially their level of difficulty.
With “Souls-like Games,” From has even founded its own sub-genre of action games that has been frequently adopted but never surpassed by other developers.
At the same time, FromSoftware is also one of the developers that has occasionally flirted with Sony and their exclusivity in the past. Examples include Demon’s Souls and Bloodborne, which were developed in close cooperation with Sony.
A purchase of the Souls developers and thus a guarantee of exclusivity for their beloved games would definitely be a strong deal for Sony. And it might entice one or two core gamers to buy a PS5.
Platinum Games
| Foundation Date | October 1, 2007 |
| Number of Employees | 256 (as of 2020) |
| Main Games | Bayonetta 1 and 2 Nier Automata The Wonderful 101 (Remastered) Star Fox Zero |
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you have never really heard of Platinum Games. Their game hits have been mentioned in the past more in connection with their publishers, but they should be familiar to everyone.
Platinum is particularly known for action-packed “Spectacle Brawlers.” These include, for example:
- Bayonetta 1 and 2
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- Astral Chain
- Nier Automata, which won several major awards in its release year of 2017.
Since Platinum has primarily worked with Japanese publishers such as Square Enix or Nintendo in the past, they have had no major touchpoints with Sony so far.
While a purchase of Platinum Games would not bring Sony any major new IPs, it would provide a strong team of developers led by industry veteran Hideki Kamiya, who has delivered top-notch work in the past.
However, currently, Platinum is preparing for self-publishing thanks to substantial financial support from the Chinese giant Tencent (via GamesIndustry.biz).
Gaming Division of Konami
| Foundation Date | March 21, 1969 |
| Number of Employees | 1659 (Only Konami Digital Entertainment) |
| Main Games | Silent Hill series Metal Gear Solid series P.T Zone of the Enders Dance Dance Revolution Pro Evolution Soccer |
Konami Holdings Corporation has been in an interesting position for a while now. Although the company is primarily known to us as a developer and publisher, they also have their fingers in the gambling business. Konami casinos are found all over the world.
However, the new games that Konami has released in 2020 can be counted on one hand. Instead, they hold several strong gaming IPs, for which there’s been little activity for years:
- Metal Gear Solid
- Castlevania
- Silent Hill
- Suikoden
Indeed, there have been rumors for a while that negotiations between Sony and Konami regarding a possible acquisition of some of these IPs were underway.
In the end, the rumors were denied by Konami. However, acquiring the rights to Silent Hill or Metal Gear Solid would definitely have been a strong move.
Sony is considerably smaller than Microsoft
Can Sony keep up with the MS deal? Realistically, it is not possible for Sony to execute such a large deal as Microsoft did with Bethesda/ZeniMax.
The Japanese console publisher is simply much smaller than Microsoft. On the Forbes list of the world’s most valuable brands (via Forbes), MS ranks third with a brand value of 162.9 billion USD, surpassed only by big names like Apple and Google. Sony, on the other hand, sits much lower at 47th with 13.3 billion USD.
Moreover, Sony’s previous acquisitions have been significantly smaller. On the list of the most expensive video game acquisitions, the ZeniMax deal ranks second worldwide. The only one above it is the Chinese giant Tencent, which bought Supercell for 8.6 billion USD in 2016. Sony’s most expensive purchase of Gaikai in 2012 stands at “only” 380 million USD.
Acquiring such large companies as Square Enix, Ubisoft, or Take-Two would not be possible for Sony.
Does Sony need to provide an answer? Even though Sony announced that they wish to continue acquiring developers, they are currently not in a position where they lack exclusives.
Throughout the PS4’s lifespan, the Japanese publisher has built a strong portfolio of IPs. Their development studios such as Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, or Guerrilla Games developed games during the last console generation that were celebrated by both critics and the gaming community.
Therefore, Sony is in a strong position in this regard. This won’t stop them from wanting to bring more studios on board.
What do you think: Are there specific developers you would like to see under Sony’s leadership? Or is the exclusivity situation becoming too much for you?
