Microsoft could be known as the business software giant that powers most PCs in the world and builds backroom technology and tools. But more than $ 10 billion has been spent buying the development studio behind some of the world’s most popular video games. For Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, it’s all about the future of software.
Not known as a gamer himself, Nadera made a big bet on the video game industry, Minecraft maker Mojang $ 2.5 billion Immediately after being appointed CEO in 2014. Then, in 2018, I bought five studios, including Obsidian, a role-playing game maker known for space adventure. Outside world And reputation South Park: Stick of Truth.. Acquired Adventure Game Maker Double Fine in 2019 Psycho note..
What moved him was the belief that interactive entertainment would be an important technology in the next decade, and gamers using Microsoft products expect the company to have a title that looks like it was made in the studio he bought. It means that you are doing it.
“I can’t get up someday and say,’Let’s make a game studio.'” ZeniMax Media $ 7.5 Billion Cash PurchaseOwns several industry-leading game developers, including Bethesda Softworks and Id Software. “The idea of having content is to reach a larger community.”
That’s why Microsoft is considering acquiring more video game companies in the future, which is why it continues to invest in the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
“Content is an incredible element of the platform we continue to invest in,” said Xbox Head. Phil Spencer Said in the same interview. “This doubles the size of our creative organization.”
Microsoft’s purchase shows the most dramatic way the company is trying to build the Xbox brand. We also provide companies with games to grow into a hit-driven business.
Competitor Sony is known for its homemade series, from post-apocalyptic thrillers Last of us To the treasure hunt game unknown To action series God of War.. Next game Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales It will be a headline November release of PlayStation 5, Prices up to $ 500.
Meanwhile, the Xbox team Hello And Gears of War Space War Series and its Power Racing games, none of them find their release $ 500 Xbox Series X..
“Microsoft doesn’t need to get another major content / IP right now,” Cohen’s analyst wrote to investors on Monday.
Growing offering
Microsoft may be home to some blockbuster titles, but many gamers said the company Needed to upload the gameEspecially when compared to Sony. “Looking at the 2018-only roster of the two companies is a disastrous reading, at least for Xbox fans,” said the gaming site. Polygon created in 2018..
In an interview Monday, Spencer said gamers would see a noticeable difference from Bethesda, saying that the company’s games will be available in stores and at Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service. These are also available through Microsoft’s xCloud video game streaming service. Allows people to play games on the internet Similar to streaming a movie from Netflix.
“This is a huge investment in the games they play,” he said.
Spencer also said Bethesda will run semi-independently to maintain the construction of the games that Bethesda has made the company successful. “It’s about the culture of those teams,” he said. “They are not to be us.”
That’s also why gaming companies remain on Microsoft’s radar. “We always look for places that have something in common in purpose, mission, and culture,” said Nadera, who said the Xbox team has worked with ZeniMax companies, including Bethesda, since the first Xbox was released in 2001. I pointed out that. It is to grow inorganically in a meaningful place. ”
Rethinking TikTok
Bethesda isn’t just about the acquisition of consumer products that Microsoft has been involved in over the past few months. The company also called for the purchase of TikTok, a fast-growing Chinese-based social network built with memes and short videos. The app has been downloaded over 2 billion times worldwide, has more than 100 million users in the United States, and is at the heart of the political struggle between the Chinese government and President Donald Trump.
According to Nadera, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, approached Microsoft in an attempt to establish a company wholly owned by Microsoft. Over the past few weeks, the company has been part of a changing public takeover process, sometimes directed by Trump. Threatened to ban TikTok from US app stores Undefined national security concerns.
Mr. Trump said he didn’t intend to ban apps purchased by US companies, and Microsoft seems to be the app for some time. But on Sunday, Trump announced that he had approved the deal in which it appeared. Invested by business software maker Oracle and retailer Walmart A new company called TikTok Global leaves some uncertainties.
“It’s not what I’m aware of, it’s not the deal I bid on,” Nadera said. “Since then, the contract has clearly changed a lot,” he said.
According to Nadera, if the acquisition wins, it’s part of the company’s efforts to extend the software. “I don’t start every day because I want to be someone,” he said. “Every day, I ask,” How can I do better to come naturally? ”
And that’s why he tried to buy TikTok, and that’s why he bought Bethesda.
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