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Updated Rumor | Microsoft takes Xbox Game Studios on a shopping spree and snaps up three more developers

The studios behind Crysis, Hitman, and Just Cause are the front-runners as the rumored Microsoft acquisitions. (Image source: Crytek/IO/Avalanche - edited)
The studios behind Crysis, Hitman, and Just Cause are the front-runners as the rumored Microsoft acquisitions. (Image source: Crytek/IO/Avalanche - edited)
Rumors are flying that Microsoft has acquired no less than three more studios to join its growing list of game developers that make up the Xbox Game Studios. While no names have yet been confirmed, it’s widely believed that the makers of Crysis, Crytek, will be one of the companies focusing their future output on the Xbox Series X|S and Windows.
Update: New rumors suggest Microsoft has acquired five studios.

Update June 12: Unsurprisingly, there are now new conflicting rumors about what studios Microsoft may have acquired. Apparently, the overall total will go up to 28 studios under the Xbox Game Studios brand, with NetherRealm and Rocksteady possibly in the mix along with the studios mentioned below.

Original story:

Microsoft and its Xbox Game Studios are frequently in the news in regard to potential acquisitions to bolster the impressive list of subsidiaries churning out games for Xbox fans and Windows users. Sega is one of the names that constantly pop up, but this time around there doesn’t seem to be much room for the storied Japanese company in the latest acquisitions rumor. Apparently, Microsoft has gone and snapped up three more studios to add to the 23 that already make up the Xbox Game Studios division, bringing the total to 26.

While the polarizing commenter colteastwood has simply stated “26 is the new 23” as a pointer towards Microsoft’s latest activities, it is reporter Jeff Grubb who has actually named some names. It’s important to keep in mind these are unconfirmed, and there are plenty of other studios that gamers think are more likely to have been made recent additions to the Xbox family/horde. Along with Crytek, Grubb states he has heard mention of IO Interactive and Avalanche.

IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series, was formerly owned by Square Enix but became part of a management buyout in 2017. Avalanche Studios is owned by Nordisk Film at the moment, but it wouldn’t be difficult for Microsoft to lay an attractive enough offer on the table if it truly wanted to acquire the company that came up with the Just Cause series from its current parent company. All three studios would fit in well with the Xbox Game Studio lineup.

As for further speculation at what other studios could make up the new signings for the team, both Asobo and Techland have been mentioned, and it is believed Kojima Productions is also working closely with Xbox. Of course, Sega’s name crops up, but then there are also the wags who have opined that it must be Sega, Sony, and Nintendo that have been bought out. Regardless of serious or light-hearted conjecture, it does seem possible that it could be Microsoft that runs Crysis in future.

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Source(s)

@JeffGrubb & @Colteastwood via Reddit (1/2/3) & NeoGAF

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 06 > Microsoft takes Xbox Game Studios on a shopping spree and snaps up three more developers
Daniel R Deakin, 2021-06-11 (Update: 2021-06-12)