Further games industry consolidation is reportedly on the horizon, with a key industry figure claiming plans for several big acquisitions are at an advanced stage.
On January 10,Rockstar’s parent companyTake-Tworevealed its intention topurchase mobile gaming giant Zynga in a $12.7 billion deal– at the time the biggest ever in the games industry.
The following week, it was announced thatMicrosoftplans topurchase Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion dealwhich would giveXboxexclusive ownership of franchisesincluding Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot and Guitar Hero.
And on Monday,Sony Interactive Entertainment(SIE) revealed it isset to acquire Destiny studio and Halo creator Bungiein a deal worth $3.6 billion.
Discussing industry consolidation on Tuesday, influential figureGeoff Keighleysuggested more major deals could be announced sooner rather than later.
The Game Awardscreatortweeted: “Have heard from multiple people: As you might suspect, there are a few other big video game deals in final stages of negotiations. It’s going to be an interesting year!”
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Following the announcement of the Bungie deal, SIE bossJim Ryanconfirmed thatthe company intends to make more acquisitions.
“We should absolutely expect more,” he toldGamesIndustry.biz. “We are by no means done. With PlayStation, we have a long way to go.”
According to research by investment banking firm Drake Star (viaGI.biz), merger and acquisition activity in games hit a record $85 billion in 2021, which was three times the value of the previous year.
