By October 18, Microsoft should complete the transaction with Activision Blizzard and may consider further actions, including analyzing further opportunities to acquire development studios. However, Phil Spencer should not direct his inquiry to the creators of the Resident Evil series, who prefer completely different forms of cooperation.
Industry observers are slowly getting used to the vision that Call of Duty is one of the IPs in Microsoft’s catalog, meanwhile audiences eager for sensation are wondering what teams will be the next target of the Redmond giant. The content of leaked documents from the lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission made it clear that Activision Blizzard was a start.
Bloomberg’s editorial staff conducted an interview with Kenzo Tsujimoto, Capcom’s chief operating officer, who shared his opinion on industry mergers and acquisitions. Even if Microsoft sends an appropriate offer to the authors of the Resident Evil series, it will have to take into account that the offer to join the Xbox teams will be rejected.
Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto on acquisitions and whether he would accept a takeover offer from Microsoft:
Bloomberg: We saw Microsoft acquire Activision. There are whispers in the industry about further transactions. What does Capcom think when it comes to mergers and acquisitions? Is anything in the works?
Tsujimoto: “I think there have been a lot of conversations about mergers and acquisitions in the gaming industry. We used to be a target, but instead of being acquired by an external company, we prefer organic growth. It is important to train and develop human resources in-house to implement the growth strategy “I also believe we can leverage external partners, but we have no intention of acquiring companies.”
Bloomberg: What if Microsoft comes to you and says it’s interested in buying you? Would you consider this possibility?
Tsujimoto: “I would respectfully decline the offer because I think it would be better if we were equal partners.”
Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto on acquisitions and whether he would entertain an acquisition offer from Microsoft:
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Bloomberg: We saw Microsoft acquiring Activision. There's been some whispers in the industry about some more deals. What is Capcom's thinking when it comes to… pic.twitter.com/dpm8DgWpbd
— Gematsu (@gematsu) September 25, 2023
Capcom doesn’t actually need to join any of the larger companies. The Japanese systematically deliver titles that expand brands such as Resident Evil, Street Fighter and Monster Hunter, which are very popular and give developers the opportunity to implement projects in accordance with their own creative vision.
There is no doubt, however, that each console manufacturer wants to cooperate as closely as possible with Capcom to offer enterprise games on their platforms – Microsoft recently guaranteed Exoprimal for release on Xbox Game Pass.
Source: Gematsu