Big Deals.
Most mature industries eventually undergo consolidation, and 2022 was a monumental year for big buyouts in the video game business. Going into the year, experts predicted that 2022 would be the biggest on record for gaming deals--amounting to $150 billion--and the prediction held up.
In this gallery, we're running through some of the biggest gaming buyouts of 2022, including Take-Two's acquisition of Zynga, Microsoft's bid to purchase Activision Blizzard (and the ensuing drama), Sony buying Bungie, and more. The mobile sector drove a lot of growth in 2022, as the platform continues to see gains ahead of levels seen by PC and console platforms. Take-Two, for example, already owns Grand Theft Auto but went after Zynga to help expand its mobile portfolio. Microsoft, meanwhile, has said its pursuit of Activision Blizzard was focused more around establishing a mobile footprint than trying to make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox.
This gallery is not an exhaustive list of all the acquisitions in the video game space in 2022, but is meant to highlight some of the biggest.
For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of 2022's biggest gaming news stories.
Take-Two Buys Zynga
2022 started out with a bang when GTA parent company Take-Two announced it would spend $12.7 billion to acquire FarmVille company Zynga. Take-Two bought Zynga for more than the purchase prices of Star Wars (Disney) and Bethesda (Microsoft) combined because mobile is the fastest growing segment in the video game industry and Take-Two wanted a bigger piece. This was the biggest deal in the history of video games by a wide margin when it was announced, but that record quickly fell.
Microsoft Bids For Activision Blizzard
In February, Microsoft shocked the gaming world when it announceda proposal to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. This purchase price makes it Microsoft's biggest acquisition in its history (LinkedIn ranks No. 2 at $26.2 billion) and the biggest ever in the video game business. Microsoft is seeking to buy Activision Blizzard and all of its franchises and studios, including behemoths like Call of Duty, Diablo, Warcraft, Overwatch, and more.
Given the size and scale of the deal, it continues to face regulatory challenges and isn't expected to be complete until 2023, if all goes to plan. Sony has protested Microsoft's bid, citing Call of Duty potentially going exclusive to Xbox as a key point of concern, but Microsoft has maintained that Call of Duty will continue to be released on PlayStation consoles for years to come. Beyond that, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has said the deal is more about helping Microsoft get a foothold in the mobile gaming market with Activision Blizzard's Candy Crush franchise and others.
Sony Buys Bungie
Sony wants to have 10 live-service games in the market by 2026, and it picked up a big one earlier this year when it acquired Destiny developer Bungie for $3.6 billion. The Destiny series will remain multiplatform going forward, but it will become a PlayStation property. Bungie is developing other upcoming games, too, including a mobile project, and these will be PlayStation games as well. Bungie boss Pete Parsons said of the deal, "Our original universes have immense potential and, with SIE's support, we will propel Bungie into becoming a global multimedia entertainment company dedicated to delivering on our creative vision."
New York Times Buys Wordle
The viral word game Wordle became a bonafide phenomenon in 2022, so naturally it attracted acquisition interest. Creator Josh Wardle sold the game to The New York Times for a reported seven-figure fee. The game remains free under its new owner, but whether or not that continues to be the case going forward remains to be seen.
Netflix Gets Serious About Games
Netflix is pushing into the world of video games with its Netflix Games label, and 2022 was a big year for the company for buyouts. As of November 2022, Netflix has six internal game studios, five of which it acquired or started in 2022. These include Spry Fox, Boss Fight, and Next Games, as well as a new, unnamed studio based in Helsinki that Netflix is starting up. Netflix acquired its first external game developer, Night School, in 2021. Netflix is clearly very interested and enthusiastic about video games, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
Embracer Continues Its Buying Spree
The Swedish gaming giant Embracer is one of the biggest game companies on Earth, counting more than 10,000 developers among its ranks. The company only expanded further in 2022 with a number of marquee, high-profile acquisitions like Dark Horse Comics, Middle-earth Enterprises, and a variety of Square Enix properties like Deus Ex and Tomb Raider. Embracer isn't all about growth exclusively, however, as it also announced plans to close Deus Ex and Tomb Raider Go developer Onoma, the team previously known as Square Enix Montreal, and forecasted that it may spin off some of its studios into separate companies.
NetEase Buys Quantic Dream
NetEase, a Chinese gaming giant, continued its Western push in 2022 with its acquisition of French developer Quantic Dream. The Paris-based studio best known for games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls is no longer making games exclusively for PlayStation and will now develop titles for multiple platforms. Quantic Dream said it needed additional funds to produce more content and to help it ramp up its publishing business, so it ended 25 years of independence and sold itself to NetEase.
NetEase made other moves in 2022 as well, including starting new studios founded by Yakuza veteran Toshihiro Nagoshi (Nagoshi Studio) and Hiroyuki Kobayashi (GPTrack50 Studio).
Nordisk Buys Supermassive
Supermassive Games, the British studio behind Until Day and The Quarry, was sold to Nordisk Games earlier this year. Nordisk previously held a 30.7% stake in the studio and later increased its hold to 100% to take total control of the studio. Nordisk Games also owns Just Cause studio Avalanche and holds minority positions in companies like Mercury Steam, Nitro Games, Flashbulb Games, and Star Stable Entertainment.
Others
Also in 2022, Tencent acquired Sumo Digital, Nintendo bought SRD and Dynamo Pictures, Nacon acquired Daedalic, and game engine company Unity acquired Weta Digital.
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