The list of acquisition targets is full of big game names

In the context of the dispute over the acquisition of the Activision Blizzard game group, other acquisition plans are also being discussed in court. It turns out that Microsoft has had some big names on their roster lately.

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According to the American Journal report the edgeInc., evaluating court documents, asked Xbox chief Phil Spencer in a letter to CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood, for example, for Sega’s blessing over a potential acquisition. “We believe Sega has built a balanced portfolio of games across different segments that have global appeal and will help us accelerate Xbox Game Pass on and off the console,” Spencer wrote in the post-November 2020 email.

So Microsoft thought acquiring Sega would increase Xbox Game Pass subscriptions across PC, console, and the cloud. This was true of the further development of his own show around the world, but above all of course in Asia, “where local content is critical to success,” Spencer explains.

Also targeting Bungie

It’s unclear what happened next to Sega’s acquisition plans, and whether Nadella eventually agreed to talks. However, Microsoft’s April 2021 internal merger review document still listed Sega as a key target. In the document, Microsoft outlined key areas of acquisitions in the PC, mobile and console segments of various markets. And here it is no longer just about Sega.

Bungie gaming studio has also been targeted. This originally spawned an Xbox Halo title and would have been a logical purchase target. However, Sony got ahead of Redmond and acquired the company early last year in response to the announcement of the Activision acquisition. The document also considered Zynga and IO Interactive as potential targets. It is not clear to what extent there have been discussions in this regard. However, when the Activision deal was done, small targets were off the table anyway.

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