It’s amazing what the Redmond-based company plans to buy – even we can’t believe Microsoft‘s plans!

Polygon writes based on „a reliable source close to Microsoft” that the company known for Xbox and Windows, plans to purchase Electronic Arts, PUBG Corp. and Valve – no joke, they might plan to buy all three companies!

Let’s not forget that Microsoft has a thick wallet, and while it initially seems impossible for them to buy Gabe Newell’s company, the developers of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (which is already available on Xbox One), and EA (which recently gets mostly negative press due to its loot boxes), they could financially risk acquiring at least one of the three companies.

Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, admittedly wants to drive Xbox towards a subscription-based service (their decision of putting all their major first-party titles into Xbox Game Pass, a monthly subscription service from day one, already goes towards the notion), and seeing how EA Access/Origin Access is already on Xbox One and PC, the train of thought suddenly makes sense. It would be a good long-term investment, but if, for example, Anthem suddenly jumps ship from the PlayStation 4, it wouldn’t look like a good idea. Is Microsoft planning to announce this acquisition idea at E3?

They already bought a company recently – PlayFab -, which is a backend platform provider that offers services to build, launch, and grow cloud-connected games. They will complement Microsoft’s service called Azure, and they already serve over 1200 games (like Angry Birds: Seasons). They offer cheaper costs for game developers to launch their games, as well as offer solutions to keep the players engaged and monetize them. (Of course…)

Source: Polygon