The interview with Phil Spencer by Bloomberg is short, but rather rich in information since after the confirmation of a portable Xbox, other games on PlayStation and Nintendo or the postponement of the mobile store, we also learn that Xbox will continue to buy studios, and his boss is already looking towards a particular region of the world.
The strong growth of mobile gaming necessarily interests Xbox
Xbox has been the player in the video game industry that has bought the most studios in recent years. By buying publishers such as Bethesda, Activision, Blizzard and King, Microsoft has acquired dozens of studios around the world to strengthen its gaming activities. The acquisition of Activision is even the largest transaction ever recorded for the sector, an agreement worth nearly $70 billion which has been the subject of numerous analyzes by global authorities during 2023.
The video game sector is flourishing, despite thousands of layoffs in recent months, Microsoft intends to continue its momentum and the boss of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has not hidden his appetite for other takeovers.
Buyouts that add “geographic diversity,” particularly in Asia, could be interesting, Phil Spencer said. Buying another mobile company would add to what Microsoft acquired last year when it bought Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, he added.
“We absolutely want to be in the market, and if we find teams, technologies and capabilities that add to what we're trying to do in gaming at Microsoft, we'll hold our heads high.”
However, we should certainly not expect another large-scale takeover for a while. Phil Specer said there was nothing “imminent.” Very large contracts are probably not on the agenda at the moment, as the company spends a lot of time absorbing Activision Blizzard employees, he added.
China is also in Xbox's sights
Phil Spencer has never hidden that Xbox lacks experience in the Asian market. In November 2019, the head of Xbox already stated that he wanted to buy studios in Asia, and yet closed his only Japanese studio, Tango Gameworks, no later than May 2024. Regardless, this ambition does not seem to be finished yet.
Microsoft wants to diversify the teams working on games by looking more towards China, Phil Spencer said. The company also developed the mobile version of Age of Empires in partnership with Tencent Holdings Ltd, a Chinese video game giant and the world's leading player, no less.
“It allowed us to learn from creative teams that have unique capabilities. The real opportunity is to partner with creative teams in China for the world.
