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Sony Pictures boss expects more video game buyouts and acquisitions in the near future.
Speaking at the Bank Of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference earlier this month (and transcribed by VGC (opens in new tab)), Sony Pictures CEO and chairman Tony Vinciquerra was quizzed about consolidation in the movie industry. “I do think you’ll see some consolidation on that side. You’ll probably see a little more on our side as well,” Vinciquurra started, before adding “but I think the next area of consolidation will be the games business.”
Unfortunately, Vinciquerra didn’t expand upon this statement, but it’s clear that the Sony Pictures boss eyes the games industry as ripe for future acquisitions. Of course, the past 18 months have already seen a slew of buyouts in the games sphere, including Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda, PlayStation’s acquisition of Housemarque, as well as PlayStation’s buyout of Firesprite, and many others.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 18 months, video game-related revenue has been booming. For example, in April 2020 during the height of lockdown throughout the U.S. and Europe, consumer spending on video game hardware alone increased by 163 percent compared to the same month in 2019 (opens in new tab), compared to a 73 percent increase for game software.
It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that the video games industry has turned to acquisitions and consolidations with all this extra revenue. Although the Sony Pictures boss expects more buyouts and acquisitions in the future, we’ll be left guessing which developers and publishers could potentially be acquired, and by who.
For a full guide to all the games coming out over the remainder of the year, head over to our new games 2021 guide for more.
