PlayStationjust released its next-generation console late last year and has spent 2021 so far releasing some big AAA titles for thePlayStation5 likeRatchet and Clank: Rift ApartandReturnal. The company has also spent time developing its platform through a wide variety of patents as well as acquisitions of some of the biggest studios that the brand is known for working with. All of this has led to the PlayStation 5 selling almost 8 million units at the end of March. Of course, the numbers are impacted slightly by the shortage of consoles caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, but the sales numbers are still rather impressive.
On the other side of the games industry, Xbox has been making a lot of high-profile moves to bolster its position within the games industry as well. This has largely been inspired by the company’s push to solidify its future in the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. This has included Xbox puttingXbox Game Pass on as many platforms as possible, putting all of its first-party games on the service at release, attracting big third-party games to the service, and making some acquisitions of its own.
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Xbox’s Recent Acquisitions
Xbox’s biggest acquisition yet finalized in March and sawXbox taking ownership of Bethesda/ZeniMax Media. The purchase was massive, and gave Xbox the rights to the studio’s entire back catalog as well as having all of its future releases as first-party exclusives. This effectively locked down some of Bethesda’s biggest future titles, and some of the biggest franchises in the games industry likeThe Elder Scrolls 6,Starfield,Fallout, andDOOM. Of course, not only will those massive titles be Xbox exclusives in the future, but it also adds them to the sizable Xbox Game Pass library, making it an even more attractive deal.
In recent years, however, Xbox has also made numerous other acquisitions to bolster its catalog. This includes studios like Obsidian Entertainment, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, inXile Entertainment, and more. While Bethesda is undoubtedly the largest acquisition the company has made, the multiple other smaller studios serve a very different purpose in expanding Xbox’s library of exclusive titles and Xbox Game Pass. Each of the smaller studios acquired by Xbox gives its library something different that helps the company attract a wider audience of gamers. Whether it beObsidian’s RPGs likeAvowed, Double Fine’s witty platformers, or Playground Games' racing expertise, they each bring something to the table that rounds out Xbox’s offerings.
PlayStation’s Recent Acquisitions
PlayStation’s most recent acquisition was ofReturnalDeveloper Housemarque. The news came as a bit of a surprise for fans but was precedented by years of collaboration between the two companies. Before that, PlayStation acquired Insomniac Games in 2019, which eventually led to the studio developing PlayStation exclusives likeRatchet and Clankand theMarvel’s Spider-Mangames. The acquisition of Insomniac Games was again precedented by multiple years of the companies working closely together, but it was very effective in strengthening PlayStation’s library of big-name exclusives. Other previous acquisitions, although spread out over a number of years, includes studios like Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, and Guerilla Games.
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Recently, a leak also seems to have indicated thatPlayStation will be acquiring Bluepoint Studiossometime soon. Bluepoint Studio is mostly known for releasing remastered ports of PlayStation exclusives like theGod of Warseries or, most recently,Demon’s Souls. While the acquisition is still far from being confirmed, it would align with the recent statements from PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst who recently dismissed the notion of PlayStation competing with Xbox to acquire studios. In the statement, Hulst said that PlayStation was extremely selective in what studios it acquires to ensure that the studios under its banner make releases that PlayStation is proud to have its name attached to and that can fit into PlayStation’s vision for its first-party titles.
What Makes the PlayStation Acquisitions Different From Xbox’s
While PlayStation’s acquisitions have proven to be beneficial for the company, as well as being exciting for its fans, they have not received the same level of reaction as Xbox’s have. There are a few reasons for this. One of the biggest differences between the two is the surprise behind Xbox’s acquisitions. Xbox purchasing Bethesda was a surprise for many fans, to the point that Bethesda even had PlayStation exclusive Deathloop in development at the time of the purchase. The level of surprise also came from the lack of precedence in Xbox’s many acquisitions. Of course, Xbox and Bethesda seemingly had a good relationship before the purchase, but it was not as close as PlayStation has had with most of the studios that it has purchased that contain years of exclusive development and multiple titles. WhileSony’s commitment to selective acquisitionsdoes help the company ensure its exclusives are all of high quality, it does make its acquisitions a lot more predictable.
Another aspect that makes Xbox’s acquisitions more exciting for fans is how varied the studios and their games are. Xbox’s first-party studios now cover a range of genres, production levels, and final products that satisfy a wider variety of fans. Having cult classic series likeWastelandbecome exclusive can get a different level of excitement than other acquisitions that largely fit the mold that PlayStation has carved out for its AAA single-player exclusives. Of course, PlayStation’s exclusives still have a lot of variety between them, but there are certain aspects that see exclusives likeGhost of IkishimaandMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moralesbeing more similarthan one might initially think.
However, none of this is to say that either company’s approach is more successful or better than the others. Each approach has very distinct strengths. Where Xbox has more variety among its exclusives, PlayStation has more consistency, and those are both very good things for the companies to strive for. Hopefully, both approaches will continue to satisfies fans of both companies. Either way, it will be very interesting to see what lies in the future for both companies and the remainder of this new console generation. Hopefully, upcoming events like therumored July PlayStation State of Playwill give fans a good look at what’s to come.
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