Tech giant Microsoft has recently been linked to the game development company, EA. Rumors have pointed out that Microsoft may buy EA in an attempt to increase sales for the company's fourth-generation console, the Xbox One.
Microsoft's Xbox series has long been in rivalry with Sony's PlayStation series in the gaming industry. The two conglomerates have been going at each other since the Xbox and PlayStation 1 came out in the early 2000s. Besides the threat of PlayStation, Nintendo, another gaming tech giant from Japan, has recently made a comeback after introducing its latest console, the Nintendo Switch.
According to Polygon, an online gaming news publication, Xbox One has struggled mightily with its sales mostly due to the exclusive games available. In contrast, the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and the Nintendo Switch have exclusive titles that are more appealing.
For example, Sony's home console has triple-A titles such as Naughty Dog's "Uncharted" series, Santa Monica Studio's "God of War" series, and FromSoftware's "Bloodborne." As for the Switch, exclusives such as "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild," "Super Mario Odyssey," and a working title for "Pokemon" are among the examples.
Meanwhile, the Xbox exclusives arguably fail in terms of appeal, with titles such as the classic "Halo," racing game "Forza," and "Quantum Break" being some of its few big exclusives. By purchasing EA, Microsoft would potentially fix this problem. However, purchasing EA would be a tall order even for Bill Gates' Microsoft. While it may seem beneficial for Microsoft, EA would be risking its annual 100,000 million plus sales on games between Xbox and PlayStation if Microsoft declares EA games as exclusive to the Xbox.
Other partnerships such as that with FIFA would also be controversial, especially since there are millions of customers buying EA's FIFA series for the PS4.
While only rumors at this point, Microsoft might still be better off investing in smaller but productive game developers. Buying a publisher such as EA will be difficult, which could bring more costs than benefits.
