Microsoft has allegedly been eyeing up a number of surprising investments including EA and Valve, according to a new report.
In a report from Polygon‘s Colin Campbell, a “reliable source close to Microsoft” allegedly told the outlet that the multinational tech company was looking at making some shocking acquisitions, with EA, Valve, and PUBG Corp. each listed as potential candidates.
The excerpt from the report reads:
“Some of the names being thrown around as possible acquisitions by Microsoft are, frankly, astounding, even unthinkable. But the fact that they are doing the rounds is instructive. The most recent one we heard (from a reliable source close to Microsoft) was, in fact, Electronic Arts. We also heard a whisper about Valve and about Korean outfit PUBG Corp., which Microsoft last year signed to a timed exclusive for its hit survival shooter, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.“
According to the report, Microsoft is looking to make some serious acquisitions in order to bolster its line-up of games. Phil Spencer, who has been promoted to executive vice president of gaming, is looking to significantly increase the Xbox One’s roster of first-party exclusives, which has allegedly led to some major publishers being placed on Microsoft’s radar.
It’s highly unlikely that any sort of deal will be struck between Microsoft and EA or even Microsoft and Valve, with both companies doing just fine in their current operations. Microsoft has previously worked with PUBG Corp., so a deal could well be struck there, and the company today announced that it has acquired PlayFab in order to continue work on its cloud-connected games division.
