Xbox not slowing down studio acquisitions, says Phil Spencer

Over the past few years, Microsoft has purchased numerous game developers, from Obsidian to Mojang, the creator of Minecraft. And according to Phil Spencer, Microsoft may not be done purchasing studios.

Microsoft has been expanding its gaming division for quite some time, and some of the new additions stated that the transition has been relatively smooth. “Things have been almost exactly the same, just without the terror of going out of business all the time,” Tim Schafer, the head of Double Fine, which was purchased by Microsoft, told GamesIndustry.biz.

“Being able to apply it to games and creativity has been an adjustment, but a really great adjustment,” he said.

Transitioning new studios into the Microsoft family has been a focus for Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s executive vice president of gaming. Spencer, in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, stated that he, along with Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty, has been focused on integrating those new acquisitions the “right” way. “We just wanted to make sure that we treated the incoming studios as full parts of the organization,” he said. “That they felt supported.”

And while integrating the new acquisitions into the Microsoft family has been a priority for Spencer, he added that the company may not be done with its purchases. Spencer stated that with the expansion of Xbox Game Pass, along with the impending launch of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft is still looking for more opportunities to acquire studios. “The Game Pass portfolio and subscriber base continue to grow. We’re launching a new console… a lot of the business is doing really well, so we’re always in the market for new opportunities with studios.”

The head of gaming Microsoft also said that his department has the support of Microsoft head Satya Nadella, adding that “there’s been no signal at all that we should be slowing down, but just to go at a pace that is maintainable for us as a leadership team.”