Potential Ubisoft, Square Enix Acquisitions Feel So Weird

gamerant.com:

Acquisitions have been frequent in gaming in recent years, and the price tags attached to these purchases are only inflating. With its deep pockets, Microsoft has been able to acquire Zenimax Media (which owns Bethesda Games) for $7.5 billion, and Activision Blizzard for close to $69 billion. Sony has also been doing a fair bit of shopping, and it has expanded the line of PlayStation first-party studios to include Bungie for $3.6 billion, as well as Haven, Bluepoint, and Housemarque, to name a few. If reports are to be believed, the wave of acquisitions is far from over, and companies being eyed up include Ubisoft and Square Enix.

There are many arguments to be made for why a Sony acquisition of Square Enix makes sense, and the acquisition of Ubisoft might help to breathe new life into the company. However, the potential acquisition of these large gaming companies may be more of a curse than a gift for gamers, and it could trigger some destructive trends. Power consolidation can dampen creativity and innovation, and more acquisitions could mean a further fractured gaming community.

Comparing the PlayStation and Xbox First-Party Studios

Although there are fairly big players that exercise large control, the gaming landscape is a fairly varied one featuring a market that caters to games at every production level, from single-person team indie titles to multimillion dollar AAA releases. By having several studios and publishers working independently, gamers can enjoy a diversity of ideas and innovations. Furthermore, studios are forced to compete against each other, and it is this competition that disallows stagnancy and fosters constant improvement.

With big players such as Microsoft, Sony, and Take-Two Interactive acquiring